Our Mission & Values
Our aim is to provide skilled leadership and facilities and equipment that are clean, attractive and safe, which afford individuals and groups the opportunity to act in situations that are physically wholesome, mentally stimulating, and socially and spiritually sound.
THE C.H.o.R.R VALUES
At Camp Woodstock, we strive to embody the following core values of the YMCA which are the cornerstone of what we teach our campers. From the first day these values are used to highlight expectations, encourage positive behaviors and cement meaning of the camp experience into the minds of campers.
Caring: We go beyond ourselves to do what we can for all.
Honesty: We maintain the trust of the surrounding community, campers, guests, and fellow staff through honesty with ourselves and others.
Respect: We feel and show honor and consideration for others, the environment, health, and ourselves through our actions, service, and deeds.
Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable for what we do, accept results of the actions we take and seek to fulfill expectations of our staff and guests.
Summer camp is all about the kids. Our primary goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our campers, staff and guests. We hire and train counselors who easily connect with each individual camper and provide countless opportunities for campers to make friends and build relationships.
Our Goals & Objectives
PROVIDING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT:
Camp can’t be a fun, learning environment unless it is safe for everyone. Not only are Camp staff trained to be vigilant about a campers’ physical safety, but we are committed to creating an atmosphere of inclusion that cares for campers’ emotional safety as well. Camp Woodstock is accredited by both the State of Connecticut as well as by the American Camping Association.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS:
As “The Friendship Camp”, we strive to help our campers make friends and build new and different relationships with one another at every juncture throughout the day. We create time for campers to get to know each other, both in the cabin and in activities, and we emphasize the importance of getting to know other campers and staff from a variety of cultural, racial and religious backgrounds.
DEVELOPING SELF-CONFIDENCE & SELF-AWARENESS:
Not only do we want our camper to develop stronger relationships with each other, but we endeavor to help them get to know themselves better and appreciate their own self-worth and part of a larger community. This is done through providing them with leadership opportunities, cooperation experiences, skill refinement and the support and feedback of a positive camp staff.
RELATING TO THE OUTDOORS:
Just like at most camps, our goal is to connect campers to the natural world so that they feel comfortable in an outdoor environment and gain an appreciation & respect for nature. Almost all of our Camp programming takes place outside and has some component related to nature; from mountain biking class to arts & crafts. Additionally, each cabin is encouraged to go on a least one overnight each session and practice the Leave No Trace technique.
BUILDING SKILLS:
It is important that Camp is a skill-learning environment and Camp staff help campers become more proficient in skill that they are passionate about. This could be anything from swimming to archery to creative writing. Campers have a variety of activities to choose from and progress in throughout the week with the support of trained staff.
MAKING HEALTHY LIFE CHOICES:
Campers are often given their first opportunities to make choices completely on their own at Camp. Camp staff guide campers to make the healthiest choices they can and can encourage campers to try new activities, make responsible choices for their meals, practice good hygiene and generally represent good choice-making through positive role modeling.