An Opportunity for Growth
Camp Kindred is a place where young people are able to be their true selves, discover things that excite them about life, and build new friendships. Summer is filled with joy, with silly camp songs, random dance parties, jumping into the lake on a hot summer day, Capture the Flag, and roasting marshmallows.
Camp is also filled with challenges. Your support gives our young people the chance to take the risk of engaging with people who are vastly different from themselves. Our campers navigate different personalities and perspectives, which may lead to conflict. When conflict ensues at Project Kindred, we slow down our day and bring everyone together into a Kindred Circle.
Kindred Circles are our way of engaging in restorative processes with our campers. Campers are invited into Kindred Circles and use our Story Stones to share their perspectives, express their feelings, practice empathy, take ownership, and make commitments for how they will repair any harm in the community. This summer, our staff led a Kindred Circle and we saw the impact of the process on one of our young people who was having a difficult time at camp.
This summer, one of our campers began making poor choices and struggling with kindness for others. When approached about his behavior, he became defensive and had a hard time taking accountability. Often young people are blamed and shamed for their actions, which creates barriers in their ability and willingness to express empathy and be held accountable.
Our counselors recognized this and continued to work with the camper throughout the week, setting important goals around accountability and kindness with him. Mid-week, there was a major conflict between his cabinmates and members of another cabin. The counselors stepped in and facilitated a Kindred Circle for all the campers involved.
The Kindred Circle gave him the space to be heard and truly express how he felt by others' actions. When the Empathy Stone was shared, he identified how his actions impacted his peers and recommitted to demonstrating kindness when the Healing Stone was in his possession.
Because of your support, Camp Kindred gives young people the chance to make a mistake, own it, and still be welcomed back into the community unconditionally!