How many places are left where kids can disconnect from modern distractions for a month, immerse themselves in nature, create lifelong friendships, AND build character? Camp Voyageur offers an increasingly rare and valuable experience at a time when day camps are replacing overnight summer camps, year-round sports are displacing exploratory summers, and glamping is often mistaken for real camping. While learning wilderness camping skills can take people to extraordinary places, the true outcome of a summer camp program lies in fostering the growth of the whole person.
Each night in camp, two different-colored floodlights and (sometimes) one soft-white lightbulb bring the Mess Hall stage to life. A couple of counselors, disguised as sketchy characters who’ve wandered in from Florida, the ocean, or even the moon, lead a talent show, game night, or one of countless programs that encourage kids to step onto the stage and speak in front of a crowd. The loose, entertaining environment where “no talent is enough talent” awakens kids’ confidence and helps them confront their fear of public speaking in a fun way compared to the robotic rote learning of high school speech class.
Kids at Voyageur often discover strength and develop abilities they never knew they had. Completion of canoeing and hiking trips yields empowering feelings of camaraderie, accomplishment, and strength. Wilderness camping trips, like paddling the Voyageur’s Highway 135 miles from Camp to Grand Portage, are progressive. When a 10-year-old thinks, “There’s no way I’ll ever do the Grand Portage,” we think, “Just wait!” The first time a kid flips a canoe onto his shoulders, catches a big fish, steers straight into the wind, builds a fire in the rain, and navigates across Lake Insula are those unforgettable moments of gratification that kids won’t find anywhere else.
A screen-free environment gives kids the time and space to socialize, share meals family-style, manage their downtime, and soak in the natural beauty and lifestyle of the Northwoods. Kids can be authentic, untethered to their devices, and able to explore and express themselves. The only notifications they’ll receive are letters from home and the sound of one of Camp’s two bells telling them it’s either time to wake up, eat, swim, or play. The simple life, eh!
In a world where childhood summers are increasingly spent indoors, Camp Voyageur remains a place where kids can rediscover the simple joys of nature, friendship, and adventure. Thanks to merit- and needs-based scholarships from the Voyageur Foundation, Inc., attending Camp Voyageur has never been more accessible. A child only has a few precious summers free. So, what are you waiting for?
You might also like:
- The Voyageur Spirit by John Erdmann
- Building Character Through Canoeing: Life Lessons from a Wilderness Adventure Camp by Alex Kvanli
- 11 Proven Ways Wilderness Adventure Camps Can Transform Your Kid’s Life by Alex Kvanli
- Wise Words From Our Past by Peter Grunawalt
- The Trail of Life - Revisited by Peter Grunawalt
- Celebrating 70 Years of Camp Voyageur by Alex Kvanli
