Years ago, at the onset of a camp session, a weighty proposition was made: A candy bar would be awarded to the first person who could memorize and recite the names of every kid at camp. To my surprise, in just a few hours, several campers and counselors had done just that, learning everyone’s first and last name, along with their cabin numbers.
Instead of splitting the candy bar into several pieces, the stakes were raised: Two candy bars would be awarded to the first person who could memorize and recite everyone’s hometown, in addition to the names.
Sure enough, before the first day of camp had concluded, several campers and counselors had accepted that new challenge, and soon they could recall everyone’s town as if scanning a mental geographic map. (They could also recite biographical tidbits about everyone at camp—Brian, from Cincinnati, likes to fish; Aaron, from Chicago, enjoys singing; Charlie, from Tennessee, is great at drawing, etc.)
I was impressed. It was clear that determining a single winner was futile, so everyone at camp was awarded a candy bar. But in hindsight, that initial day of the session revealed more than peoples’ appetite for memorization. It showcased the benefit and allure of a small camp. At a much larger camp, with a roster of a hundred campers or more, such quick learning of everyone’s personal details would have not been possible, and the idea of getting to know everyone would be moot. But at Camp Voyageur, the sooner everyone gets to know each other, the sooner the magic of camp can flourish—the camaraderie, the friendships, and the close-knit socialization. And, as that candy bar proposition proved, it often happens on the very first day of the session.
As time has gone on, I’ve thought more about the benefits of Camp Voyageur being relatively small in numbers, with most sessions hovering between 20-40 total campers. At this point, I am able to distill what I perceive as some of the key benefits, and they fall into three main categories.
1. Personalized Interactions
Young boys need role models, and they need to see that older people care about them and are invested in their success. Maintaining a relatively small roster at Camp Voyageur makes it possible for campers and staff to communicate, converse, and relate to each other at more than just a superficial level.
The staff at Camp Voyageur are able to learn specifics of the campers’ personalities—their hobbies, their interests, their challenges, their hopes for the summer—and use that information to better connect with the campers. And, on the flip side, the campers are able to witness college-age (or older) role-models taking an interest in a younger cohort. In a sense, the interpersonal connections made with staff at camp provide validation to a young camper, showing that camper that his young life is interesting, his opinions matter, and his needs are important. Sometimes this validation is lacking in a camper’s home life or at school.
2. Tailored Instruction
One of the most valuable aspects of Camp Voyageur is that it gently nudges kids out of their comfort zones. However, doing so entails the campers learning and acquiring new skills. Over the course of a session, campers learn how to paddle a canoe, pitch a tent, cross a portage, assess the wind and water, respect the wilderness, hike a backpacking trail, and move efficiently in the rugged backcountry of the Boundary Waters. That’s to say nothing of the more nebulous skills that campers learn, such as how to endure on the trail when fatigue kicks in, and how to be an open-minded steward of the outdoors. But every camper learns at a different pace…and in a slightly different way; no two campers’ minds are alike. So, having a smaller-sized roster, and thus, a ratio of one counselor for every four campers, means that each camper can be taught skills in a one-on-one manner.
That’s not to say that group-instruction never takes place at camp—it certainly does. But when more individualized guidance is necessary, campers (and their parents) should take comfort in knowing that personalized instruction is possible given the camp’s modest numbers.
3. Friendly Competition
Sports are a big part of camp. Typically there are games such as pickleball, basketball, baseball, and kickball offered in the mornings and afternoons, and a game like soccer or Ultimate is featured on the “big field” in the evenings. It never takes long in those games for competitive vigor—so often ever-present among teenagers—to rear its head, and competition is a vital part of boys’ adolescence.
Yet, the fact that all the campers know each other (and, more than that, are friends with each other) often helps temper the competitive flames at camp. High-fives and handshakes are seen during the games more often than fouls or arguments, even among players on opposing teams. In fact, over-aggression or ferocity of any sort are almost never seen during sports play, undoubtedly because campers’ familiarity and amity supersedes the desire to win at all costs. Speaking from experience as a coach, I don’t think such cordiality in sports would be as frequent—nor would it be so foundational to camp’s athletic offerings—if the roster of campers was significantly larger.
