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With the help of over 600 campers and 40 staff, this summer we celebrated our 85th year of operation! We saw lots of celebratory color wars, dances, ice cream parties, kids reaching the top of the climbing wall, s’mores made and so much more. At the heart of all the activities was the undercurrent of emotional and social connection. Our campers shared in countless laughs, triumphs, conquered fears, moments of newfound friendship, and so much more. Our campers have gained valuable life skills and deep social connections while spending a week here at Millstone 4-H Camp.

This summer we pioneered a few new strategies to help our campers get the most out of their time at camp. The most notable strategy we utilized was welcoming our very first Camper Wellness Coordinator to the administrative team. Our Camper Wellness Coordinator helped campers navigate their big emotions associated with homesickness, shyness, difficulties adjusting to camp, and more. As we all know, youth mental health has become more important than ever. By adding this position, our campers were given a resource to utilize at any point, helping to ease any concerns or worries associated with coming to camp, getting out of their comfort zones, and socializing with a new group of friends. With the addition of this position, we noticed a decrease in behavioral outbursts associated with dysregulated emotions, and an overall improvement in our camper’s mental and emotional wellbeing. While our counselors are highly trained youth development professionals, it doesn’t hurt to have someone with more experience in this area to assist along the way! This role has become a crucial component to our operations as it helps to ensure that ALL youth walk away having had the best experience at Millstone.

In addition to bringing on our Camper Wellness Coordinator, we tweaked our schedule to better accommodate our camper’s needs. Following the Pandemic, campers have had a hard time keeping up with the traditional pace of camp, tiring out early in the day. To help our campers acclimate and stay regulated, we changed our start time to 8:30am. Though this is only 45 extra minutes of sleep, we noticed a huge difference in energy levels of both campers and staff alike. Another tactic we utilized was giving campers the opportunity to choose their activity on Wednesday evenings. Depending on their energy level, they could choose between a movie, board games, basketball, field games, or arts and crafts. We found this to be a great way to allow campers to stay engaged but at their own pace. (You’d be pleased to hear that 75% of campers still chose to participate in field games! (I mean who can really turn down a slip and slide???)) Our schedule this summer also allowed for an additional large group activity each day. Large group activities and gatherings help to facilitate community building and belonging amongst our campers- something that is lacking for most youth due to the rise in use of technology.

Programmatically, we rolled out a brand new disc golf course! Our campers got the chance to walk 9 holes throughout camp and pick up on tricks on how to better toss a frisbee. From the talent we saw this summer, we hope at least a few go on to start disc golf as a new hobby. Our arts and crafts project this summer was to build wind chimes. Campers were able to assemble their wire and bamboo pieces with the help of our instructor and then had the chance to decorate with wood burners, paint, markers, beads, and/or glitter. As with each summer’s crafts, our vision is that campers will forever have a keepsake from their time at Millstone. Our mainstay activities of archery, boating, riflery, climbing, nature class, and more were all wonderfully conducted this summer by our experienced and ecstatic team of program leads.

As summer 2024 comes to a close, we would like to thank the campers, families, volunteers, 4-H agents, and staff who have shared in building the lasting memories we’ve made. We are grateful to be part of an 85 year legacy at Millstone 4-H Camp and will put our all into “making the best better” for many years to come. We hope you keep us in mind for next summer’s plans and a final, “Happy 85th Birthday” to Millstone!