SUMMER 2024
+ Activities Sneak peek
Camp Gold Rush Gallatin Valley YMCA WRITTEN BY CARSON JACOBS-FORSTER
Camp magic – a term
many of us have heard before and one that is used widely in the summer camp world, yet whose true meaning can be challenging to put into words. Perhaps it’s evident in those lasting memories that many of us still have if we were lucky enough to attend camp as children. The giggles erupting from cabinmates’ bunks after lights-out, the thrill of victory after winning the all-camp game and the contentment of sitting around a campfire on the final night with a community of strangersturned-friends are all still easy for us to draw upon. 20
february 2024
Or maybe camp magic consists of the things we experience for the first time at camp that build our self-confidence and shape our perspective. Such shifts in self-growth are rooted in finally hitting the bullseye in archery after trying all week, eating new foods and navigating social situations while making lifelong friends, or spending time away from home for the first time, and realizing that you actually can do it. How the tears of uncertainty on the first day became waterworks from not wanting to leave this newfound home in the woods on the last. If you were fortunate enough to be impacted by camp or an outdoor adventure as a child, there’s a good chance it was through a local YMCA program. The YMCA has been a staple of summer camps for over a century, after all. The Gallatin Valley Y, which has been established in the valley for 25 years, is building on that longstanding history of quality summer camp and youth programming by bringing Montana’s first-ever YMCA overnight summer camp to the Gallatin Valley to serve youth ages 8 to 14 from all backgrounds.
At our newly-formed Camp Gold Rush, we believe that camp magic, in its ever-elusive form, is encapsulated in both the memories we make and the growth that occurs during a camp session, and yet is so much more. The true beauty of that magic lies in the nitty-gritty work that the campers never see, the tricks up the proverbial sleeve of the magicians. Take, for instance, one of the classic camp activities listed earlier, the allcamp game. In order for a camper, let’s call him Camper Alex, to relish in those sweet moments of victory, much coordination has occurred behind the scenes. Before camp began, the camp director helped Alex’s caregivers secure a scholarship and register for camp, trained the sitecoordinators on large group facilitation, and made sure all staff understood the risk-management policies and plans. Then, Alex’s site coordinator sifted through the vital caregiver-provided camper information so that the counselors would know which campers could be given sunscreen or had asthma, while also creating and adjusting weekly camp and staff schedules to make sure all the campers and enough staff would be present. All of this allowed the folks in the trenches, Alex’s counselors, to make sure their group was well equipped for the intense slog of capture the flag, to ensure everyone had proper footwear, were well-
