The Camp Experience For All!

By Kelli Varon, Outdoor Center Director

Sixteen summers ago I stepped off an old, small, retired, yellow school bus into a sea of cheering camp counselors. My first year as a camper at sleep away camp was smack dab in that “awkward stage” of life. I was insecure, shy, and unsure of what this whole “camp” thing was about. Little did I know, that first step off that small yellow bus was a leap into a world of opportunities for personal growth with life lasting positive impacts.

Summer Camp provides amazing opportunities for personal and social growth, though unfortunately not everyone has access to a Summer Camp experience. Yet, when Summer Camp is not in session, YMCA Camp Mason is still in full swing creating these same opportunities for participants of all ages and backgrounds.

Through our 9 month Outdoor Education Center program we are able to provide these developing experiences in a more condensed version. Participants learn new abilities, build self-confidence and develop community all throughout their stay at Camp Mason.

Whether it’s the quiet visiting student who steps up and discovers the solution during his team building obstacle, the father who watches his daughter gain courage as she flies down the zipline, the family that takes time to spend a weekend to reconnect with each other and the environment, or the teacher who learns more about and from their students in a few days at camp then an entire semester of school- camp is an experience for all.