Leadership is one of those camp values that shows up in all shapes and sizes at Airy. Sometimes it’s loud and obvious, like when the CITs are leading Friday night dancing for all 560 other people at camp. Sometimes people at camp lead by example, like when a Unit Leader stays behind after a meal to help clean, and then counselors and campers stick around to help him. We lead camp every day by talking on the various camp microphones and giving all kinds of instructions like, “Remember to put on sunscreen today” and, “Drink Water!” but our favorite type of leadership at camp is the quieter, peer-to-peer kind that comes from our awesome campers. 

When a camper notices someone sitting alone and invites them to play basketball, or a card game, or to join the Jibbit trading session, that’s camper leadership. When a camper starts to clean up around the bunk, maybe even taking dry clothing down from the lines out back and returning it to their bunkmates’ cubbies, that’s camper leadership. When a new camper is lost on the way to activities and a veteran shows up to show them the way, that’s camper leadership. 

At Camp Airy, leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about being responsible and helpful to the people around us. The best part is, there are so many natural opportunities to try out a little leadership here and there at camp. You don’t have to be confident on the mic, or know any dance moves to be a leader at camp. You just have to care about the people next to you. 

This week our Shabbat leaders Dan and Gerry opened up nominations for community members around camp to be recognized for their leadership. That “all shapes and sizes bit” is on full display this week, as some of the “Mensches”, among others, for week 2 were nominated for helping to lead bunk activities, coordinating cleaning roles for inspection, and making sure everyone in the bunk got to read a popular book that only one camper had. 

It’s so fun to watch how our young people decide to lead their peers, even if it’s in small ways. While it might start as simple as sharing books now, we can see it turning into that campwide dance leading type of thing in no time!

Please be on the lookout for UL and Division Head emails, daily photo dumps, microposts on Campanion, and all of our other social media posts. We love sharing all the fun that’s going on at camp!

Shavuah Tov – Have a great week!

Zac and Scott