What inspired you to work for Camp Augusta?
I was drawn to Augusta because of the unique philosophies and activities available for staff. I stayed because these philosophies and community changed my life in a profoundly positive way.
It changed the way I relate to people, myself, and youth. The things I learned at Augusta had ripple effects into the rest of my life.
Describe a typical day at work.
Capture the Flag!
A typical day includes:
- A special wake-up
- Four activity blocks
- A camper's choice of a fun activity called PlayStation
- A cabin activity that you do with your campers
- An epic and unique evening program in an immersive world
- A meaningful end-of-the-night activity with your campers
No two days are the same. I encourage you to see a movie about a day in the life.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Over the years, my favorite things at camp have included:
- Learning the philosophies
- Teaching the philosophies
- Engaging in the epic all-camp programs
- Sharing meaningful and memorable moments with fellow staff
- Finding moments of presence in the most beautiful nature I have found.
- Being able to move my body, get over 10,000 steps a day, and sleep in beautiful, clean, fresh air.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
I think about what an investment is in myself and my life. Looking back, I see a person's 20s as a formative time with an immense amount of possibilities and potential for the development of self. I encourage people to choose a program that they can experience as much as possible.
What I loved about Augusta is the massive diversity and challenge that growth can present. From the activities and skills to the readings and philosophies, and the challenging moments to the endless opportunities for new creativity to be brought into existence, there is always something new and novel to learn and explore.
Me as "Mr. Pies" in our evening program: BLAMMO!
Why should someone choose Camp Augusta over competitors?
There are over 12,000 camps in the United States, but Augusta is a very special one. It is a non-secular camp, but with a huge amount of spirit. It holds a vast diversity of people, activities, and experiences.
The type of people and the standards and expectations for people at Augusta far surpass those of most summer camps, so the community becomes a very special place with very meaningful connections. These are people with a deep sense of social-emotional intelligence, care, and interesting life stories.
What is Camp Augusta's mission, and how do you continue to work toward it?
The Camp Augusta mission is to reclaim and foster the beauty, wonder, awe, potential, and innocence of childhood.
No two years at Augusta are the same. No two days at Augusta are the same. Every day and every summer, a camper comes back and experiences something new because they hold such a degree of agency in what their camp experience is. From the Cabin Acts to the Special Wake-ups to the Evening Embers, the camper and staff experience at Augusta is full of intentionality.
The intention: the healthy development of children and adults.
Celebrating the 4th of July with a nighttime celebration of lighting a phoenix on fire with flaming arrows
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
We hope that participants take away a sincere and deep curiosity for life and its beautiful, tech-free facets, which are becoming increasingly forgotten.
We want staff to come here because they are seeking a challenge and leave here grateful that it was the hardest and most fulfilling job they have ever had in their life.
Some things that I would hope participants would take away would be:
- A Deeper Sense of Self-Knowledge and Self-Reflection.
- A reconnection to their childlike sense of play, fun, and wonder.
- A network of new friends that feel like life-long connections that they can continue to be in contact with and hopefully visit for years to come.
- A healthy summer with lots of activities and lots of new skills to learn.
- A toolbox of skills for working with people, whether those are friends that already exist, new friends, or others.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Going on a nearby overnight trip with campers
It is in the new experiences that we are exposed to the novelty of ideas, environments, and cultures.
Those new experiences allow for an expansion of self and ideas, which equips us with the capacity to be exposed to new things and to be able to stand tall and steady with those new things. It gives us a foundation of self that we can take with us to all new hardships and new experiences.
Beyond in our life, it gives us the courage to go forward and try new things rather than spend a life stuck in the comfort of our status quo.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel to me means going to a place that you know will be challenging, but in a way that you also know you will end the experience looking back and being proud of what you just did. Proud of the stories, the challenges, and the impact that you had.
The director of Camp Augusta actually created an entire website on finding meaning in life. The container of Camp Augusta to help find that meaning is an intentional and sincere one.
