A Culture of Creativity and Community

I have an enormous respect for the organizational culture of Kingsley Pines Camp. It is unlike anything I have previously been a part of, and it is what I believe causes people to upend their lives to return summer after summer.

The culture at Kingsley Pines Camp is welcoming, open, creative, and tight-knit. Because of the nature of our hours and work, the staff becomes incredibly close, as we essentially spend all our time together, both on and off the clock. The programming during staff week also sets the tone for our interactions with each other. We are encouraged to build strong relationships between the staff, as these strong relationships translate to positive experiences for ourselves and campers. People genuinely care for each other here, and they care about others’ camp experiences and who they are as people outside of this place. The lack of technology also contributes to this strong community because of the in-person nature of our work. “Check-ins” between staff are extremely common throughout the day, as a way to show care for each other. I think I get more hugs here than anywhere else in the world.

Unlike the previous camp I worked at, my supervisors have a tremendous amount of respect for and trust in the staff. While they technically may be above me, they value my ideas as much as their own. Ideas and initiative are encouraged. If someone has an idea for an activity, we make it happen, no matter how ridiculous it is. This empowers staff to share their passions and step into leadership roles. For example, campers have one activity block every day that is picked by them on that same day. This block, called fifth period, allows the creativity and initiative of the staff to shine. Examples of activities run by counselors during this period in the past include “Liquid Mountaineering,” “Dads,” and “Rate the Water Fountains.” Some of these are self-explanatory, others are less so.  During staff week, we were put in groups, given words from a random word generator, and asked to come up with activities based off of the words we were given. We came up with some pretty absurd activities that will definitely make appearances this summer. It is astonishing to watch how something that looks dull on paper can become an incredible activity with enthusiasm and commitment from counselors.

The setting of this culture relies heavily on returning staff. Camp is one of the few environments I have experienced where it is cool to be good at your job, and returning staff do a good job of setting this standard every year. We hold each other to high standards because in the end, we believe in the importance of camp and our campers’ experiences here.

The one area in which our leadership is resistant to change is in the stricter structures of camp like schedules and the divisions between the boys’ and girls’ sides of camp. Because these structures control so much of our daily routines, there is much thought required before any changes are made. Throughout the last several years, there has been more progress toward more fully integrating the boys’ and girls’ sides, however, many staff believe there is more progress to be made. In this regard, we often deal with issues on a case-by-case basis, and most staff have less control over the broader structures. For example, in a training during staff week on gender and identity, a few staff members brought up the idea of introducing ourselves to campers using our preferred pronouns. However, our director decided that an official move on this is still at least a year away because we must first inform the parents on this choice, so that if they choose, they can have conversations with their children about this before sending them to camp. This is one of few areas at camp where bureaucracy can be seen right now, however, staff have a lot of autonomy in day-to-day camp operations.