Good to the Core

Almost every place of business has a mission statement.  My college had one, my high school had one, it's a pretty standard piece of information that tells you what is important about that specific school or company.  I don't remember my high school mission statement, and I don't think I'll ever need to, because it wasn't necessary to doing my best work there.  Camp is not like that.  We have a mission, and in order to do my part and be the best Program Staff that I can, I have to know it and live it.  Along with a mission statement, our mission is broken down into six core values.  If you ask me what camp is about, I'll probably tell you these six core values, and if you ask me what is important to me, I'll probably tell you these six core values over again.  I knew that I wanted to work here because so much of camp's mission actually aligns with my own personal mission.  It's kind of perfect, like a meet-cute in a romantic comedy, except between a girl and a job instead of a boy and a girl in a coffee shop or something.  Below you will find the six core values, and what they mean for camp and for me.

Camper- and Participant-Centered

Simply put, camp and my job would not exist without campers and participants.  We make the distinction between people who come to summer camp and our other camps (campers) and people who come with school groups and other groups that visit camps (participants).  Everything we do is for our campers and participants, whether that means comforting a child who is homesick or being on-call at all times to give everyone staying on camp some peace of mind.  Many of us were campers once, and we know how important it is to give attention to everyone who comes here.

Catholic

Our Catholic identity is an important part of what we do, and it also informs our other core values.  I think both "Catholic" and "catholic" apply to this core value, meaning the Catholic faith of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, as well as the original definition of the word "catholic," meaning "universal."  We embrace our faith and our ability to experience that faith through God's creation, and we welcome anyone and everyone who wants to experience that with us.

Humility

One of the important things that comes from working in camp is knowing that nothing is truly beneath you.  We are all working together and working really hard, so we all have a need to respect each other and be humble.  Our job as camp staff encourages putting others before ourselves, but this core value makes it an outright necessity.  We also have a responsibility to model and encourage humility to all of the groups that come through camp.

Inclusive

A few weeks ago, I did a whole blog post on what it means to be inclusive that you can read if you scroll a few posts back.  It's incredibly important, especially in a social environment where divisiveness can feel rampant and intersectionality is of utmost importance.  Camp is a place that truly welcomes and accepts all people, and allows them to be themselves, including the people who work here.  I feel included here, which allows me to be not only myself, but the best version of myself.

Staff Development

The staff are a hugely important part of why campers eventually become counselors.  Without passionate, competent, and loving staff, our entirely model would fold in half a second.  It is so vital that the staff are given opportunities to grow in themselves, to grow with each other, and to gain new skills that will make them not only better camp counselors, but make them better people in general.  I've worked here for a little over six months now, and I know for a fact that I have not stopped learning since I started working here in August.  Some of that can be quantified, and some of it can't.  I have my high ropes certification, I attended the ACA Basic Standards Course, and I'm about to become lifeguard, and on the other hand I have also become better at letting people do things for themselves, I have become more adaptable, and I have refined my personal self care routine.  All of those things have happened because I work at a camp that makes staff development a priority.

Stewards of the Earth

I'll be honest, if you had asked me last summer what you can and can't compost, I would have given you a blank stare.  In my interview for this job, this was the core value that I was the most concerned about, simply because I wasn't very familiar with it.  Luckily, it's pretty easy to become involved in this core value, simply because it is one of the most visible.  We compost, we pick up trash around camp, the majority of our food is fresh and organic, we work closely with the Nature Conservancy and other environmental organizations to make sure that we're taking care of our native plants and animals and getting rid of the invasive species that are threatening them.  Honestly, it's a lot of the things that I knew about and did already, just focused on the idea that we do them because we are called by God Himself to be stewards for His creation.


That's it.  Six components, and all of them feed into each other and inform each other so that we can be the best camp and the best staff that we can possibly be.