For many young people, a summer at YMCA Camp Seymour is only the beginning.
Campers can return year after year, take on new responsibilities and eventually begin preparing to become the counselors who create those same experiences for the next generation. This summer, Camp Seymour strengthened that pathway with the introduction of Crew, a new teen leadership program designed to bridge the gap between being a camper and participating in LEAD, Camp Seymour's counselor-in-training program.
A New Step Towards Leadership
LEAD is a two-week experience that introduces teens to staff training before placing them in cabins alongside young campers. Camp leaders recognized that some teens needed another step before taking on that responsibility.
Crew was created to bridge that gap.
Unlike Camp Seymour's teen trip programs, Crew stays on site. Participants get a behind-the-scenes look at camp while building resilience and beginning to understand what it means to contribute to someone else's experience.
Camp Senior Program Director Siobhan Keenan described the shift as moving away from asking 'What activities do I want to do?' and toward asking 'How can I make something cool happen for others?'
That mindset is at the heart of Camp Seymour's leadership pipeline.
Growing Into the Next Role
This summer's five LEAD participants brought years of Camp Seymour experiences with them. Some have attended camp for much of their childhood. Others are still building the confidence and skills they need before becoming staff.
The pipeline also comes full circle through staff like Garrett, who spent much of his life coming to Camp Seymour before returning to help lead this year's LEAD participants. Siobhan asked him to draw from his own experience and consider what he wanted to see in future staff members.
Over time, campers begin to see camp as a place where they can contribute, care for others, and eventually lead.
And someday, the camper arriving for their first summer may be welcomed by a counselor who once stood exactly where they do now.