Camp Bishopswood: A Unique Summer of Connection

Like scores of Maine youth camp organizations, leaders of Camp Bishopswood in Hope weighed the coronavirus pandemic’s potential impact this summer and chose to suspend its season. But the coed camp, part of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, was far from idle. With a crew of fewer than 20 staff members living, working, and embedded […]

Camp CenterStage: Celebrating its Second Season at Livermore’s Maple Lane with Gratitude and “A Lot of Time to Walk Barefoot in the Grass.”

In the summer of 2019, Camp CenterStage embarked on a new adventure in its arts and leadership youth camping program. Camp owners Steven and Alexis Dascoulias opened the camp’s doors on property they could call their own. After almost a decade of renting boys’ Camp Agawam – holding camp after Agawam’s summer season ended – […]

The Junior Maine Guide Program: Reaching into Public Schools, Sharing and Teaching Outdoor Living Skills

Every morning, the 19 students in Eric Robinson’s 7th grade homeroom at Nokomis Middle School, in Newport, begin the day learning about living in, exploring, and appreciating their natural world. Yes, Robinson spends a bit of the 25-minute homeroom period on morning announcements, but since September he has dedicated the remaining 20 minutes to teaching […]

Conscious Leadership Coaching: Enhancing the Positive Influence of Camps and their Leaders

Leadership consultant Sue Heilbronner knows the positive impact of summer camp. As a six-year-old, Heilbronner began attending overnight camp in Maine. She spent many summers at Denmark’s Camp Walden, a traditional residential girls’ camp on Sand Pond founded in 1916. “Camp saved my life,” Heilbronner told a gathering of nearly 100 Maine camp professionals in […]