Every year, I go to sleepaway camp for one week, and I stay at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. It is a church camp (called Velocity), and around seven or eight churches bring their youth groups from the mid-west. My youth group is the only church hailing from the east coast, while the rest hail from either Michigan, Ohio, or Indiana. We travel ten or more hours to and from the university, but the whole week is an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Going away to summer camp, whether for one week or the whole two months, has many benefits, including meeting some incredible people from all different places. If it weren’t for camp, I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends in the world. They live far away from me (600+ miles), but that doesn’t make them any less important. Going to camp means meeting people who share common interests, beliefs, and/or lifestyles. I go to a religious camp, so I am able to meet lifelong friends who share my beliefs. A friend of mine goes to a camp for people with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and they come together to share their experiences and learn from each other. Camp means meeting people you normally wouldn’t and creating amazing memories with them.
Another benefit of going to camp is trying new experiences you’d never imagine. You get the opportunity to try something you wouldn’t do back home. Whether it’s something simple, like talking to a new friend, or canoeing down a river, any experience is bound to make a lasting impression. At my camp, I get to waterslide down a giant 250-foot slide made of plastic bag material. There are opportunities to serve the community, go canoeing, go paintballing, and participate in sporting tournaments like dodgeball, basketball, and ultimate Frisbee. A major game played frequently at Velocity is called “9 Square in the Air,” which resembles the classic elementary school game of “4-square,” but rather uses PVC pipe-like material to make a court of 9 squares up in the air. We do crafts, such as tie-dyeing, painting, and papier mache. At the end of the week, the camp hosts something titled after the famous battle in the Lord of the Rings: The Battle of Helm’s Deep. It consists of water balloons, pool noodles, flour bombs, and trivia. It involves war paint, strategizing, and capturing the “orb” (giant play ball). Group challenges and big group games put teamwork to the test and give way to making even more friends. If I didn’t go to camp, I would never be able to do half the things I have for the first time.
If you haven’t experienced a type of sleepaway camp before, I strongly suggest trying it out. Whether going away means attending as a student or volunteering/working as a counselor, it is a fun learning experience for people of all ages. If you have children, think about sending them to a camp (age permitting), even if for only a week. It’s a fabulous way for kids to grow and learn how to be away from home for a little. This will be my second-to-last year of camp attending as a student, but I wish I could go forever. The idea of traveling, staying with people I may not know as well, and living away from home for a week has truly done so much for me. I’ve grown socially, spiritually, and emotionally as a person through my five years going away. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
