The Heart strives to maintain a flourishing sisterhood, one where everyone embraces the opportunity to be the teacher and the student. Our counselors teach our campers, and in turn our campers also teach our counselors. Growth is for everyone, as it should be!
Lessons Taught by Campers
There’s a lot that children teach every day, the key is keeping an eye out for the lessons! Campers teach us live lessons on composure, flexibility, and readiness.
They also teach us about accepting ourselves. I became a cabin counselor at 28. With a couple of grey hairs, and not nearly as lively as my counseling peers, I thought myself too old to be a fun cabin counselor. Besides, who wants a mom as a cabin counselor? My girls showed me different. They asked me to walk with them to places they didn’t need me to. Their faces lit up when I walked by, and they even cheered.
In all stages of life we are told to be good role models, but seldom do we witness the rapid way youngsters pick up on our casual habits. During Bonus Day, I had the privilege of seeing a camper apply lessons that I directly, and indirectly, taught her. With baited breath, I watched as she lit a fire on her first try! I can’t tell you how proud I was! That same girl was also able to identify five trees on camp- one of which I taught her through casual conversation.
Being a cabin counselor is a time like no other to nurture one’s spirit, explore the depths of one’s own heart, and experience the impact one person has on their community. It is a time to learn that nurturing another is repaid in a thousand different ways.
“Children need models rather than critics.”
-Joseph Joubert
Life Lessons Taught by Counselors and LITes
Just like the campers, The Heart’s leadership team learns from her counselors. Through my LITes this summer I witnessed how a parent’s narrative becomes their children’s. I spent a lot of my time this summer teaching them not to be so hard on themselves, that they are worthwhile- mistakes and all. Meanwhile they taught me how a little bit of patience goes a long way. Through them, I learned how to be a better mother. Through them, I learned how to be a better leader.
Every summer there are a few outstanding counselors that inspire us to do better. They teach us ways that we could better nurture camp. They give us a fresh perspective on our approach to life, and help keep us humble in our leadership.
Youth Development
The Heart is in the youth development business and that means counselors as well as campers! One could say that counselors are the campers of the leadership team! At The Heart we strive to build a strong community, full of nurtured and nurturing women. The Heart’s leadership team aims to model the warm and patient support expected of counselors. It’s the leadership team’s job to support counselors, ensuring they’ve had a memorable and educational summer that will positively impact them for the rest of their lives.
We want our counselors to embrace a growth mindset so that they can approach difficult situations with resilience and patience. A growth mindset is the first step to knowing that anything is possible, if only we try. The Heart models to campers that learning is a continual part of life.
Growth and learning isn’t just for the campers, it’s for everyone on staff. It is The Heart’s desire that we raise strong adults who develop, in themselves and others, the patient, kind, and forgiving nature bestowed on the young.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
Keep laughin’ and learnin’ y’all! <3 Kimber