As a camp director, it is essential to have an “open-door policy.” Every camper needs to feel that I am accessible to them and so I do my best to run the camp from outside the office. After every meal at Camp Takajo, there is always a boy who wants to talk about something relevant in his world. So, I often find myself sitting on the deck of the dining room talking, as we look out at Long Lake.
Today, I was approached by a camper who said he needed to speak with me. I asked him if he wanted to sit on the porch, and he replied, “No.” I asked him if he would like to sit with me in the privacy of my office, and the little boy also replied, “No.” I asked him where he would be most comfortable speaking to me, and he said, “Under the Arch.”
We walked up the hill together making small talk, discussing lunch, and his favorite activity until we reached the entrance of our camp. When I asked this boy what was on his mind, he said that everything was great but he noticed after every meal, I was always talking with campers. He suggested that all conversations should take place under the Arch.
As the rest of our community revolved around us, I found myself with this young camper and the twelve Arch Ideals. “This is where I go when I am missing home because these ideals are being taught to me by my parents,” he said. As we read the twelve ideals on the Arch, he was able to articulate how each ideal was relevant in his life.
