DAN
HAYDEN The biggest skill that I learned is to be able
to be an advocate for myself. You are, in a
good way, on your own at a residential camp.

You quickly learn to speak up for yourself in
most situations.

My camp experience helped me grow as a
person overall, from learning to appreciate
the cultures and experiences of those from
another part of the country to gaining
confidence in myself as an individual.

It likely, although unknown at the time,
STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
turned me into a person who is now a camp
professional as the director of Barrie Camp.

STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Camp: Congressional Camp
Location: Falls Church, Virginia
Years attended: 10
My favorite memories of camp are the
special events. We have big campus-
wide relays and something called Congo
Conquest at Congressional that is like a
color war. The biggest takeaway for me
from camp was the friendships that I built,
these long-lasting friendships. You see the
same people year after year, and you spend
a significant amount of time with them over
the summer, so you really get to develop
those close bonds.

My camp experience is one of the things
that guided me toward the path of teaching.

I fell in love with the programming and the
people, and then I continued to work there
when I became a teenager and an adult. That
encouraged me to work with children.

I love the educational learning
environment, but camp is such a special
place because kids just get to be kids.

They don’t have the academic pressures,
and those kids who might not shine in
the classroom or might not shine in a
school environment really thrive in a
camp setting. They get to have these
different experiences where they can push
themselves and maybe do something out
of their comfort zone. Camp programs
give such a variety of choices so that kids
can do what they want to do, but within
that they’re also trying new things. It gives
them flexibility in their thinking, and when
they go back to school or get a job in the
future, they can rely on those experiences
and just be a little bit more confident
in themselves. n
Schedule your private
tour! Parenting isn’t
easy, but there
are strategies
that can help.

Award-winning sleepaway camp in The beautiful
shenandoah valley for ages 6-16. camp horizons
offers 50+ activities that challenge our campers
to reach their fullest potential, and experience
their best summer ever!
|540.896.7600 • www.camphorizonsva.com|
Parenting HelpLine: 800.243.7337
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