Why Summer Camp - Stomping Ground Manifesto
Re-imagining a more perfect world at camp.
Summer camp should be a place where we can create the world we want our kids to live in and help inspire them to re-imagine what is possible when they leave. At Stomping Ground that means creating a culture based on authentic friendships, treating people the way they want to be treated, dreaming enormous dreams, singing by the campfire, playing gaga, and so much more.
EVERYDAY KIDS SEE GREAT EXAMPLES OF HOW THE WORLD ISN'T WORKING.
They see bullies and liars bullying and lying their way to power. They see angry adults on TV yelling about who knows what, instead of working through differences and finding common ground. Growing up in a media crazed world it would be easy to assume this broken world is the only way groups of people can live. As much as want to, we can’t wave a magic wand and make all that go away.
WHAT WE CAN DO, IS CREATE SPACES WHERE KIDS CAN LIVE A DIFFERENT WAY.
At Stomping Ground we get the opportunity to show the world that people from diverse backgrounds can come together, build authentic life long friendships, have an incredible amount of fun, and make lasting memories, all while living in a community where everyone’s voice is heard. They are free to make their own decisions. Conflict is worked through in a restorative way, and people are treated the way they want to be treated.
WE RUN STOMPING GROUND BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THOSE FRIENDSHIPS AND MEMORIES CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.
We believe that if kids have a chance to live for a few weeks each summer with a diverse assortment of new and old friends in a small community based on trust, empathy, and compassion, that we can all work together to re-imagine a wide world based on trust, empathy, and compassion.
We believe if kids get a chance to live in a diverse community of people treating each other with respect, and they get to see that it not only doesn’t suck, but just the opposite is true. That the community of respect is actually so much more fun and fulfilling than so many of those tough places they see on TV, at school, or in other aspects of their lives. Then maybe, just maybe, we can inspire a generation of young people re-creating the world they live in. Re-creating their world one tiny decision at a time. Stomping Ground exists to develop emergent communities of self-directed individuals practicing radical empathy and re-imagining a world where more is possible.
I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US THIS SUMMER.
Check out our summer camp options or just give me a call.
