WHICH CAMP IS RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?

Bring it on! 

Summer is right around the corner and summer camps give kids the chance to broaden horizons, learn resilient behaviors and further develop cognitive and social skills outside of the school year. However, there’s often a lot of time and anxiety that goes into preparing your child for overnight summer camp—especially if it’s their first time or maybe they haven’t been since the Pandemic. Here are some tips from us at Farm & Wilderness in Vermont to discuss before they leave: 

The beginning of camp can be the hardest and it starts with the initial separation when parents say goodbye. Review all the camp information and step by step live the details as they will unfold, so when the day happens it seems like they have already been through the process – it’s familiar – no surprises.   

It’s better not to succumb to temptation and say they can call you to come home. This notion will be in the back of their mind. Instead give them solid ideas to help past the initial jitters. Don’t hesitate to reach out to camp beforehand and for names of staff that can so they know who to ask for. Let them know how proud you will be of them when you hear about all their adventures and overcome adversities! 

Even the most veteran of campers gets homesick. It’s ok to feel sad and miss your family – it’s temporary and the staff are there to help you at any moment, ask them for advice, trust them to guide you – many of them have experienced the exact same homesickness. Homesickness can be contagious; understand your friends’ feelings but try not to let their longing impact your happiness.   

The concept of group living: sleeping, eating, playing, staying together is a fun way to connect and meet new friends different from school and sports. To respect, cooperate, trust with a sense of humor will help forge good relationships. Recognize that every family has different living habits and that’s ok. This new, strange dynamic will wear off in a couple of days and it’s exciting to go to sleep and wake up with friends.  

This can be the most difficult hurdle to accept especially kids with food challenges or just picky eaters. Many times, homesickness really comes out without the comfort of home cooked meals. No need to tell kids to ‘try new things’ this can create more pressure. It may take a day or two to figure out the best things to eat and you may need to compromise but you won’t be hungry. It’s ok to ask for a request – especially if it’s going to make you feel better. When they come home if there is anything they discovered we can figure out how to make it together. 

Farm & Wilderness has 80 years’ experience with overnight campers – many of them generational. The camps are nestled on 4,800 secluded acres in Vermont and each feature a unique program but all share a common theme for all youth; creating an environment and living in a community with one another to explore a life that is simple, rugged and exciting! 

We’re committed to demystifying the Campership Program for our families, because we want your campers to come to camp with us this summer. Here are some things everyone should know about Farm & Wilderness Campership: 

It’s not too late for 2022!

• • After our initial deadline, we are still accepting applications & now awarding financial aid on a rolling basis. Apply HERE!

• • In 2021, every family who applied received an award.  
  • We have $500k to be awarded in 2022.  

Don’t Assume You Are Ineligible For Financial Aid.

• • In 2021, the median family income for campership awards was $130,000  
  • The average award covered just over 50% of camp tuition.  
  • About 51% of campers received financial assistance of some kind. 
    

We are committed to affordability for all and to quickly & simply answer the question: 

 “How much will it cost my family for our child/ren to attend an F&W camp?”  

In 2023 one resource we’re excited to add is an interactive financial aid estimator. This tool will show families what they can expect to pay for camp based on their income and will be available on our website.  

You can apply for financial aid for summer 2022 HERE. If you have any questions or hesitations about the process, please reach out to us at admsissions@farmandwilderness.org and we’ll be happy to help.  

*** 

“Thank you so much for this campership. I almost want to make sure there wasn’t a typo because of how much it is. As a single mom this helps me incredibly to give my daughter this amazing experience. This year was a financial struggle in every way and I wasn’t sure what I could make happen. Thank you again.”

– Farm & Wilderness Parent and Campership Recipient  

The Board of Trustees will be meeting Saturday-Sunday, April 30-May 1. We are super-excited because this will be our first face-to-face meeting in over two years! Some of us have never met each other in person (most of us have never even met Frances in person), and fully half of our Board has never experienced a face-to-face meeting, so we will spend some time settling in as a group.

This is also the first time we will be meeting as the Farm & Wilderness and Farm & Wilderness Conservation, Inc. Board of Trustees. Recently we finished the necessary work to transfer all of F&W’s land and water assets to our conservation arm, the Ninevah Foundation, following which we changed that entity’s name. Farm & Wilderness is a name easily recognized in Vermont and among our community; we expect this will make it easier to raise money for our conservation programming and conservation efforts. FWC is now one of the largest – if not the largest – private conservation groups in the state of Vermont. The Boards are the same, and the missions are the same: F&W runs outdoor educational programs, and FWC is all about conservation.

There are many models of good governance for boards; what is ours? We have a very strong operations team, which allows Trustees to focus on vision, finances, and strategy. How will we be accountable in those areas? How can we give our ED (our sole employee) autonomy as well as accountability? What metrics do we plan to use to measure annual goals? We have a lengthy session on this topic planned for Saturday afternoon.

The Executive Director’s report will focus on admissions, hiring of summer staff, an update on F&W strategy development, and introductions to our new camp directors. Frances and the Finance Committee will also be asking us to be thought partners on the topic of camp affordability, with a focus on middle- and lower-income families, and policies and processes regarding our campership program.

Although we don’t expect to add new Trustees this year, we will say goodbye to four: Adam Keller, Steve Burwell, Katsi Cook, and Andrea Taylor. Our Board Stewardship Committee will also present the proposed new Executive Committee (Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Treasurer, Recording Clerk, and Executive Director). This is the group that acts on behalf of the full Board if there are urgent matters in between our quarterly gatherings.

As of May 1, I will no longer be Clerk of the Board. I will remain on the Board as Recording Clerk for the next year. It has been a huge honor to be trusted by my fellow Trustees with this job, and I have loved (most of) it! I hope to see all of you at the Fair in August and in future F&W gatherings.

In the Light,

K