You’re still not sure what camp is going to be like, but you got a top bunk and your counselor seems nice. During Monday breakfast, you notice that the camper next to you has written “BATMAN” on their name tag. They insist that you should really call them Batman! You laugh, eyeing your counselors to see if they will ask for their real name. Instead, they start asking everyone at the table what their superhero name is!
It’s a circle of wood with a red piece of yarn through it and “BATMAN” scrawled with a Crayola marker on the front. But it’s more than just a camp craft or a name tag. It’s power. It’s identity. It’s a reminder of a week where you were yourself and people loved you for it.
They didn’t know you as the little brother who isn’t quite as good at soccer. They didn’t know you as the kid who always raises their hand. They didn’t know you as Mrs. Drake’s daughter.
They knew you were the best at finding a good stick. They all cheered when you performed the greatest cannonball. They knew they could ask you for help. They forgave you when you and Billy got in a fight.
We all have been named many things. Some of them feel good: honest, helpful, funny, kind, hardworking, athletic. Some of them hurt: lazy, mean, annoying, untrustworthy, weird.
At Camp Alta Mons, you can have a fresh start. As a first time camper, no one knows you yet. As a camp staff we work hard to create an environment where kids not only have the opportunity to be themselves but are celebrated for it. That means cheering for their successes and helping them learn from their misgivings.
We don’t love each other perfectly all the time; not even close. Sometimes even with all of our effort we still fall short. That’s why we need God. We need God to show us how to learn from others and how to understand what we do not know.
In the end we hope that kids have the opportunity to be heard and feel appreciated and hear the names that God calls them: loved, precious, beautiful. Just as they are.
What makes you you? What are you good at? What do you love about yourself? These are questions for a lifetime and we hope that camp is just a start.
This week for your Camp @ Home challenge, we challenge you to answer this question: What do you love about yourself? Look deeper to those things that truly make you you. To give us your answer, draw a picture, write a word on paper, tell us in a video, or take a picture of you doing something you’re good at. Share it with us by using #AltaMonsCampatHome and emailing it to program@altamons.org.
Make sure to send them in by Saturday, so we can celebrate YOU all week long!
It’s a circle of wood with a red piece of yarn through it and “BATMAN” scrawled with a Crayola marker on the front. But it’s more than just a camp craft or a name tag. It’s power. It’s identity. It’s a reminder of a week where you were yourself and people loved you for it.
They didn’t know you as the little brother who isn’t quite as good at soccer. They didn’t know you as the kid who always raises their hand. They didn’t know you as Mrs. Drake’s daughter.
They knew you were the best at finding a good stick. They all cheered when you performed the greatest cannonball. They knew they could ask you for help. They forgave you when you and Billy got in a fight.
We all have been named many things. Some of them feel good: honest, helpful, funny, kind, hardworking, athletic. Some of them hurt: lazy, mean, annoying, untrustworthy, weird.
At Camp Alta Mons, you can have a fresh start. As a first time camper, no one knows you yet. As a camp staff we work hard to create an environment where kids not only have the opportunity to be themselves but are celebrated for it. That means cheering for their successes and helping them learn from their misgivings.
We don’t love each other perfectly all the time; not even close. Sometimes even with all of our effort we still fall short. That’s why we need God. We need God to show us how to learn from others and how to understand what we do not know.
In the end we hope that kids have the opportunity to be heard and feel appreciated and hear the names that God calls them: loved, precious, beautiful. Just as they are.
What makes you you? What are you good at? What do you love about yourself? These are questions for a lifetime and we hope that camp is just a start.
This week for your Camp @ Home challenge, we challenge you to answer this question: What do you love about yourself? Look deeper to those things that truly make you you. To give us your answer, draw a picture, write a word on paper, tell us in a video, or take a picture of you doing something you’re good at. Share it with us by using #AltaMonsCampatHome and emailing it to program@altamons.org.
Make sure to send them in by Saturday, so we can celebrate YOU all week long!
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