Tag: Best camp in Maine sleepaway overnight girls camp

The Work

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We started our work this summer with the pressure of COVID and a full-on effort to provide camp with physical and emotional safety for campers and staff being paramount.  The rest of the world was going on outside our bubble including the tragic killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubery, Dion Johnson, Travon Martin, and too many others. We were all consumed in our mission about Camp Runoia Harmonyville 2020 and not thinking about the message silence was creating for our organization.

On June 2, I received a wake up email from three of our 15 year old campers. “We are disappointed you have not made a stance on Black Lives Matter. What is your stance?” We were so focused on how we could operate camp during a global pandemic that we had overlooked the importance of sharing our belief that Black Lives Matter and moreover, being a strong female organization where girls specifically need to be lifted up, that Black Women Matter. Thanks to Emily, Keira and Margo for helping us to get to work.

And we went to work. I didn’t even know the expression, The Work, I’d known Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work but not The Work. Hello! I like it. For 30 years we felt we started the work. We had reached families of color to include them to attend camp, we reviewed our hiring practices to try to find more people of color for summer camp jobs in with college students majoring in education, health care and social work. We provided staff training about celebrating differences and inclusivity. I’d been on conference panels about diversity in camp in our very white northeastern privileged resident camps. We were doing work other camps hadn’t even considered. In the late 1990s we added our Community Statement in our Staff Manual – a statement that needs revising and updating:

Camp Runoia has fostered a culture of celebrating diversity and encouraging campers and staff from around the world with a spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds as well as different religious backgrounds.  Each person in the community is treated with respect and acceptance regarding their race, religion, country of origin, sexual orientation, creed, socio-economic standing, gender, disability, and culture.

Our work so far is just the tip of the iceberg. We need to do more. This summer we did a few things immediately to support Black Lives Matter thanks to the prompts of our 15 year old campers. We researched and made a plan. We celebrated Juneteenth with staff (camp was not yet open on June 19), we implemented a three part anti-racism training for staff during our upcoming staff training with anti-racism trainer, Love Foy.  We added books to our library on diversity and inclusion as well as novels with black protagonists. We created a Black Women Matter advisory board to the Runoia administrators with four alumnae who are people of color, plus a representative from the 15 year old group and one Runoia administrator. We removed the old bell post at camp that clearly screamed cultural appropriation that we had never seen before. It had just always been there and was carved by two women back in the 1930s. It seemed innocent although I never liked that there was a man at the top of the bell post at our girls camp. Blinders are hazardous. We took it down to go in our future museum and our 16 year old CITs with no prompting proposed they make a new bell post. they did it! Incredible!

When I read the newsletter, Ideas in Progress, by Crystal Williams, Vice President and Associate Provost for Community and Inclusion at Boston University, I realize we have so much more work to do. Our book club just met to discuss How to be An Antiracist. I purchased it from a black owned bookstore. If you’ve not read the book and want to visit with Brene Brown and Ibram X Kendi, here’s the podcast. Supporting black owned businesses is another way we are doing the work. I need to pace myself because I feel we are so far behind it is overwhelming. After just attending a conference on DEI, in virtual breakout rooms I heard from others that they feel overwhelmed. We can take small steps toward affecting change and success. Here’s one way we can start. Share with your family about 10 phrases that are racists that you may be surprised to learn and practice removing them from your vocabulary. Be kind. Be patient. It takes time to unlearn.

In summary we have a lot to do. Alex and I have been connecting about how to honor the people who lived and walked on the land our camp is on before we arrived. Stay in touch and we’ll have more to share!

Love, Aionur

Our Alumnae Organization Has Been Busy!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We are excited to share the Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization’s new website. Here they share about their mission and action plan which provides campers with financial assistance to attend camp, the upcoming 115th reunion for alumnae, the most current alumnae news, featuring the president’s letter, operating camp in times of Covid in 2020, our work with Black Women Matter and the replacement of the Bell Post – the CIT project of 2020, wedding and birth announcements and more!

A big congratulations and thanks goes out to Roberta “Boop” Tabell Jordan, the CRAO president, who organized and inspired the help of Marie-Claude Francoeur, Betsy Nicholson (both serving as co-chairs to the 115th reunion), Jenny Sachs Dahnert, Chad Diamond. We give a special shout out to Sofia and Zipporah for sharing why camp matters to them.

The goal of the CRAO board in our 115th year is to inspire 115 NEW donors to donate to Runoia. Might you be able to join in and be a new donor? One of the most exciting bits of news is a few generous alumnae donors have agreed to pool together and match every dollar donated with three dollars! So, if you donate an amount like $25, it will actually turn into $100!! $50 becomes $200, etc. It’s very exciting to have people believe in the experience of camp and broaden the Runoia experience to girls who may not be able to afford camp on their own. No gift is too small! Do you need inspiration to give? Listen to Jen Dahnert’s compelling video message. Roberta has also done tremendous work on camp genealogy. Check out some of the Runoia Family Trees Boop has created – they are so cool!

You can also explore the camp logs  and learn or sing-a-long with some of the camp songs. As Jen says, click around and see what we’re all about! There is also information about the 115th reunion. For alumnae over the age of 18, you may sign up for the reunion. Gather your camp friends and come together! Alumnae under the age of 18 need to have an adult staying at camp with them during the reunion.

More information on Maine history and Maine camps is on the Maine Memory Network!

That’s the news for this week!

Love, Aionur

 

 

Living Leadership – a unique CIT summer

Posted on by Alex

Providing opportunity for leadership and growth in personal development is a key component of all of Camp Runoia’s programming. Multi age classes and self directed goals allow campers to navigate their own skill development and girls of all ages are given a chance to have their voices heard. Older campers often take on the role of friend and mentor to younger girls and share their skills and love of camp activities with those that are in need of help. Skippers in sailboats, captains of teams, helpers at the barn and other opportunities to be up front all allow campers to gain leadership skills while working on their own goals.

The Counselor in Training program (CIT) is often the capstone of camper years and allows for a very intentional, full summer experience with a leadership focus. In typical summers CIT’s live as a group with their CIT Director and work together in and around camp to build skills. 2020 proved to be a whole lot different. Four amazing young women who were up for a new and evolving challenge joined Harmonyville for a different kind of CIT program. 

 

With the creation of ‘households’ and restricted interactions of groups it meant that in order for the CIT’s to get the best experience of actually working with campers they spent much of their summer living in cabins.  The CIT’s also joined us for staff training and were able to live together during that time and get some very intensive skill coaching before their move to live with campers. It was a very different approach yet worked incredibly well under the unusual circumstances. This group of young women were able to navigate not only the transition from being campers to taking on a more comprehensive leadership role but also having to be separated from their peers and fellow CIT’s. They truly were living their leadership development as they actively engaged with all aspects of daily life in camp.

This fabulous four accomplished so much over their unique CIT summer. Even with a reduced amount of time at camp and additional responsibilities they passed archery instructor training, managed to navigate a socially distanced lifeguard class, made connections with their campers, took classes in child development, homesickness and a multitude of other camp related situations and did it all while maintaining and building their personal friendships. Their growth was amazing and they worked through the hard parts and saw the benefits of being at camp even when it wasn’t what they had originally imagined. They built life skills that will serve them well as they head out into their junior years and begin to navigate what life after high school may look like.

 

We hope that this tenacious group will be back for more Runoia summers. Our counselor staff group will benefit from their skills, capable competence and true Runoia spirit.

Hope for next summer

Posted on by Alex

As we navigate life living with covid 19 and create our own ‘new normal’ managing all of the procedures and public safety protocols, even regular everyday life can get a little overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to see a way forward without taking two steps backward.  We are all living in an unknown time with so many questions about what the immediate and long term future may look like. Information still seems to change on an almost daily basis, schedules are always flexible as schools shift back and forth between in person, virtual and hybrid learning models. Talk of the looming holiday season and how that may look for families is becoming a more current conversation. Making plans for any travel or vacation out of state seems like an impossible feat. We are only able to navigate the present which for a culture that loves a planner and to have life scheduled out is proving very challenging for many.

So how on earth are we ready to open enrollment for camp in the summer of 2021?

The path to the lake is always there.

How do we make decisions when we don’t know what the future may look like? Perhaps it is time to just jump in with hope? Get the puppy, eat the cake and be sure to sign up for camp! We know from our experiences of this past summer that we can create a safe and engaging space for our girls to have an intentional summer experience.

Camp Director colleagues who were unable to open camp this past summer have been keen to chat with us about how our summer went.  They don’t really have specific questions but more are seeking hope for how they can operate in 2021. As everyone has different sites, programs and clientele there is definitely no magic ‘this will work for you’ solution. How we operated Runoia in 2020 may also look slightly different than how we do it in 2021 as we will be another year down the covid road. We talk often about attitude and mindset. Knowing that opening camp and running safe programs has been done encourages others that it can be done at their camp too. Camp Directors are a positive, resilient, creative crowd and are keen to dig into how they can operate safely in 2021. Sharing stories and telling our tale of summer 2020 helps the profession as a whole. The collective hope is that the most amount of campers can safely get to their camps next summer.

Hopefully our Harmonyville campers are telling their stories too! Other kids need to be hearing from their peers that going to camp next summer will be safe and fun. Peer sharing has so much value in generating a narrative that has substance.

We take pride in the fact that 2021 is Camp Runoia’s 115th continuous season of operation. We will definitely be ready for yet another amazing summer on Great Pond.

How Camp Helped Us Prepare for Teaching This Fall During COVID

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We hear great news from our teachers, now teaching on the front lines as essential workers in schools. We are grateful for their efforts at camp, helping Runoia have a successful summer, and even more grateful that they are navigating the ever-changing education landscape of teaching during COVID times.

Our Runoia teachers have shared with us about their camp experience and how it has helped them to prepare for being back at school. They feel much more prepared for COVID protocols and have less fear than their teaching cohorts who have yet to experience work with COVID protocols.

Although hand washing sounds so basic, it has proved to be an excellent practice. And, it takes repetitive practice to make into a habit. Our Runoia teachers landed back at school with a routine of mask wearing, hand washing and sanitizing and surface cleaning. They also have helped institute systems in their schools for using things like books and then putting the books in a quarantine area for 3 days. Simple things like getting children to wash hands, cover their cough have come in handy going back to school. Also, knowing and monitoring symptoms of COVID comes second nature to them now, etc. We are so impressed with their efforts.

We are happy to have help prepare both teachers and students alike to dive into the school year. Whether back to school includes hybrid, online or in-person learning and teaching, #Runoiagals are ready to roll!

 

 

We Rejoice in Phase Two!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

In the midst of a global pandemic, our responsibility to the health of our campers and staff, the greater Belgrade Lakes community and campers and staff families, home towns and cities is paramount.

With the results of negative testing at camp, we have rolled out phase !! of our summer. Campers’ household groups expand to at least twice the size, more time is spent with more people without face coverings, and camp is rolling along with activities, surprises memorable moments, face to face connections problem solving, beautiful sunsets and fun. Our careful plan to methodically increase concentric circles for contact tracing is in play.

Due to our cautious roll out of phases, we feel confident by next week we will be able to move into phase III for our final week of camp. Campers’ households will expand to include entire neighborhoods and as in Runoia culture, girls of different ages will be interacting and playing together. Campers will be able to “tag up” for activities and daily camp life will be much more like normal.

We will consider CRH a success when every camper and every staff member returns home safely with memories of playing tennis, swimming in Great Pond, water skiing, horseback riding, connecting with new friends and meeting up with old camp pals become subjects of school essays and college applications.

Meanwhile, our gratitude to the families who believed in us and the hard work of staff at Runoia who are making this possible is enormous. In the camp time warp, every day feels like a week and every week a month. hundreds of things happen in one day and life feels full. We linger on the moments created and take stock in the memories to hold.

Sincerely, Aionur

 

Camp Runoia’s COVID-19 Mid-Week Update for April 15

Posted on by Pam Cobb

I speak for all of us at Runoia when I say we are thinking of all of you during another week of self-quarantine and social distancing. We know you are continuing to do your best during this challenging time. Our hearts go out to families and others outside of our camp community who have been directly impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, we cheer for our heroes on the front lines; alumnae and current staff who are EMTs, doctors, nurses, PAs, therapists, caretakers, scientists, firefighters, police and paramedics – we cheer you every day with a big “Bo Bo” from Runoia.

As you have been following the news and reading articles about schools, sports and festivals being postponed or canceled, we know you are also thinking through the scenarios of camp this summer. We wanted to share with you what our current thinking is and know that twelve weeks from now is a long time considering what has transpired in the past few weeks.

Every day I talk, work and plan with Alex. We are meeting regularly with people from our camp organizations and with our camp director peers.  We are following the CDC and governors’ announcements. The American Camp Association is convening a panel of experts including the US CDC, American Board of Pediatrics, and the Camp Nursing Association to help us implement best practices for operating camp safely this summer.

Meanwhile, we are building our own best practices, developing new health and hygiene protocols, planning safe programming for camp and working to open on Great Pond this summer for Runoia’s 114th season. Camper and staff safety is our highest priority. Camp Runoia is a community bigger than any one person, a place where being unique while simultaneously belonging, an experience that builds life skills and s a long time partner with families.

We expect to make and communicate decisions about this summer’s camp schedule by the middle of May. Since information and guidance is changing daily, we feel it is still too soon to make the best decisions about this summer. However, here are the three scenarios we can envision at this time:

Our first and best case scenario is that we may be able to open as scheduled with new best practices.

A second scenario is we may open a little later and still run modified length sessions; following best practices and health and hygiene protocols.

Finally, if we are forced to not open camp, Camp Runoia will be there in its biggest Blues and Whites for everyone in 2021. We will provide 2020 graduating seniors the chance to come together to have their special time. In the unimaginable event that camp does not open this summer, our aim is to partner with you regarding the financial implications of this pandemic.

We are proceeding with the intent of camp opening in late June. These scenarios may raise other questions for you and we are here for you. Feel free to reach out to pam@runoia.com or alex@runoia.com or call camp #207-495-2228

The online and virtual connections with all of you through Facebook Live campfires, Zoom Mostest Evening Programs, Youtube activities, and more has been energizing for us.

Thanks for your support and outreach.

Thinking of everyone and cheering you on!

Pam
For the Runoia Team

Make it a Magic Monday

Posted on by Pam Cobb
Monday Morning Greetings from Runoia

Hello folks and families!  We hope you had a good weekend and had the chance to get outside. Today, we are going for “magic” Monday. We will continue to update you about camp mid-week on Wednesdays. These updates are also posted on our camp blog here.

Today there is no “breaking news” to report.  We continue to be hopeful about the summer season. We are working with the Maine CDC, American Camp Association, Maine Summer Camps and other professional organizations to make plans for a safe summer.

With the early “ice-out” on Great Pond posted on April 7th, we are looking forward to another summer of comfy lake temperatures to play and learn in and on our favorite lake.

Weekly Events – connect with camp NOW:

Campfire: Last night’s campfire (live stream on Runoia’s FB) theme was Laughter. Next week the theme will be Heroes. Tune in at 7 pm on the Runoia FaceBook page.
Afterschool Camp Activities: learn how to make whoopie pies, pipe cleaner rings with Abbie, macramé bracelets with Alex and K and an assortment of other crafts and science projects! Find us on the Runoia YouTube Channel.
Evening Program – this week on Wednesday night @ 7 pm, Barb will emcee the now famous “MOSTEST” EP. Categories will be coming to your inbox for your family to prepare. Costumes encourages. Join the MOSTEST Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 919 421 4302
contact pam@runoia.com for the password
We love seeing your forms coming in for the summer. The more you do now, the less the final push will be as we move toward summer. The link to get on your Camp-in-Touch dashboard is here.

Spread kindness,

Pam and Alex
For the Runoia Team

Camp More Than Ever

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Dear Runoia Families,

We all know things are changing day to day, moment by moment. Camp and the camp community continue to be an anchor for many of our campers, alumnae and staff.  We care about you and your families. We are connecting with campers and staff online and it feels good to all of us.

What we are doing now:

Our Team: We continue to plan, hire, maintain camp, order supplies and prepare to open safely. Over a dozen Runoia staff are remotely planning online programming for the upcoming weeks.

Afterschool Activities: We are offering online camp activities on our YouTube channel. New releases every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 4 pm EST. This week: Faux Stained Glass, Making Congo Bars and Basic Horse Grooming. Next week new projects and experiences from Barb, Callie and Alex. Jen is working on a scavenger hunt and/or crossword puzzle from the camp “logs”. Stay tuned!

Campfire: We are broadcasting on Facebook Live Sunday night at 7 pm. Join in!

April/May:

We think that by the early to middle part of May, we will know a lot more about what the summer holds for us and the timing of the start of camp. We realize we may have to be flexible with camp start and end dates, lengths of sessions, new health check in protocols, etc. We will continue to send you messages as we make decisions. We will work with families on transportation needs and challenges as needed. Meanwhile, it feels like April will be a long month – we will be in touch often.

Final Thoughts:

Camp is a place where campers are able to be themselves and connect with others.  The importance of camp has never been more real. It is a safe place for campers to unplug and come together to learn life skills and feel part of something bigger than themselves. Summer camps may, in fact, be one of the safest places for any child to be this summer, since they are generally protected, remote and closed environments with resident health professionals.

We believe in our mission statement now more than ever:

“Building lifelong skills and empowering campers and staff to live

in harmony with themselves, each other, and with nature.”

Be safe and stay healthy, wash your hands and best wishes for your shelter in place experience for the next days.

Until we meet (online) again,

Pam and Alex

 

Message from Camp Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We research. We monitor. We plan.

Wilderness camping never looked so good!
 
It is just a few months until camp opens and the COVID-19 virus causes many to wonder what might be different about camp this summer. For more immediate plans, families are deciding now about March and April breaks and whether they will need to reschedule a vacation or make other plans. Yesterday, many college students were asked not to return from spring break until scientists have a better understanding about containment and prevention.
 
We are confident we will be in a more stable situation in a couple of months. We are closely monitoring the CDC guidelines and already have new protocols for arrival.  We have systems for sanitizing, we have supplies and we are prepared for temperature checks.
 
Once camp gets started we are in a great position to keep everyone healthy. We have skills for practicing good hygiene and teaching life skills from hand washing to cough covering to sanitizing.  We have confidence in our systems, our partnering with parents and our remote location. We are also realistic and so we watch and learn and implement change as necessary.
 
To all our families and friends, we wish you the best for staying healthy and caring for your loved ones, maintaining productivity and continuing education as we stand strong and wash our hands.