Associate Director, Emily Yancey, contributed to Camp Business Magazines Top Programming Ideas article that was published on January 20th, 2020. You can read the whole article on Camp Business’ website or read Miss. Yancey’s contribution below.

Sunday Morning Meetings
“It may not be the activity that a camper would point out and say this is why I want to return to Camp Regis Applejack, but I believe that the feeling this activity evokes subconsciously is what makes campers want to return. We are a non-denominational camp, but every Sunday morning, we host a camp-wide morning meeting.

At our Sunday morning meetings, campers and administrators all sit in a circle on our playhouse field to discuss the topic of the day. Topics range from asking opinions on the nature around us and the state of our planet to their feelings on friendship and family. These meetings are meant to be a time where campers can express their opinions and ideas with a receptive and accepting audience. Each camper—when they wish to speak—must stand up and everyone else must be quiet and courteous to the speaker. This re-emphasizes the value of respect—not just respecting peers when they speak—but also respecting their opinions. There are days where the meeting is full of talk and an exchange of ideas; other times, it is more meditative where we all listen to the sounds of the forest around us.

As an activity, the Sunday morning meetings probably do not rank high on most campers’ minds as their favorite activity, but speaking with alumni, this is the activity that had a more profound effect on them as they grew.”