A Home Away From Home: The argument for camp as a Third Place
I can’t quite remember when I first learned of the concept of a third place - a concept first described by Ray Olednburg in 1989 in his book The Great Good Place- either in Sociology class or through a tiktok. A third place, simply put, is a place other than work or home where people can exist for free (or close to free). We all saw a great loss of third places when the pandemic hit as many of us saw our homes and workplaces merge into one. Others who still traveled for work lost the luxury of having anywhere else to exist; I remember feeling shame going anywhere I wasn’t absolutely needed, and the grocery store became my only semblance of a third place.
In the last few years, I’ve seen thinkpieces lamenting the loss of third places - but for adults specifically. What about kids? I’m a child of the 90s, so my youth was filled with third places: the cul-de-sac outside my house, the neighborhood creek, my church’s youth room, the Anderson Mall, the skate park, a local bookstore, my regular bagel shop, and numerous summer camps. While we often think of third places as ‘not home’ and ‘not work,’ children have their own versions of third places. I think of them as places they’d still go if their parents didn’t make them. It’s not as simple as ‘not home’ and ‘not school.’
Oldenburg introduced 8 qualifications for something as a third place. In a time when third places are dwindling, camp remains a third place for kids. I want to look at each of the 8 points and see how Stomping Ground operates - arguably purposefully - as a third place.
Neutral Ground
Occupants of third places are not tied down to the area financially, politically, legally, or otherwise and are free to come and go as they please.
Campers have no obligation to come to camp other than the natural financial obligation that comes with their caregivers maybe having put down a deposit. This year, most of our sessions are 12 days long, but if a camper gets a few days in and realizes it isn’t for them, that’s okay. That doesn’t mean we won’t welcome them back next summer. We treat campers as stakeholders in that we value and use their input, but not shareholders in a financial sense. The main restrictions on coming to or leaving camp are that we only have so many beds and the sessions are a limited number of days.
A Leveling Place
Third places put no importance on an individual's status in a society. There are no prerequisites that would prevent acceptance or participation in the third place.
Summer camp has traditionally been a world for upper middle-class white people. We hope to change that with our financial model. Stomping Ground uses a trust-based sliding scale for camp’s tuition. This means that we share with each family the ‘true cost’ of camp, but we allow families to tell us what they realistically are able to pay. Once kids get to camp, there is no difference in experience between a kid whose caretakers paid full price for camp and a kid whose family received a full scholarship.
Conversation is the Main Activity
Playful and happy conversation is the main focus of activity in third places; wit and good-natured playfulness are highly valued.
We have to tweak this definition a little bit to make it work for kids. I’d say play is the main activity. The programming of Stomping Ground is based around camper choice. Each activity block, campers are presented with a menu of options that they may choose from and our facilities have open spaces designed for downtime and free play. There are no obligations at camp other than to remain in the supervision of a staff member. We aren’t mastering a skill (unless you want to), or pushing to win a competition (unless…you want to), or doing something that will be judged or graded (unless, for some reason, you want to). At Stomping Ground, empathy, fun, and choice are what’s highly valued.
Accessibility and Accommodation
Third places must be open and readily accessible. They must also be accommodating, and all occupants feel their needs have been fulfilled.
Our hope is that as many kids as possible have access to camp. One way we attack this is through the trust-based sliding scale we offer to our families. We also go out of our way to find partnerships with schools and community centers to bring in kids who may otherwise never hear of or never be able to afford a summer camp.
Accessibility in the other sense is something we’re constantly improving (we being both the summer camp world as a whole and Stomping Ground). Camp is often loud, overwhelming to the senses, and mostly outdoors (not the most friendly if you have a disability that requires a mobility aid). That being said, we learn new ways to be accommodating with each new season. We’re working to continue hiring staff from various backgrounds so that campers see themselves reflected in our staff members. We have a menu that is ever-changing based on the dietary needs of our campers and staff. We make sure campers have access to earplugs, alternate spaces and activities, and a golf cart for moving around camp. No two years look the same because we are constantly learning how better to meet the needs of our campers.
The Regulars
Third places harbor a number of regulars that help give the space its tone, and help set the mood of the area. Regulars attract newcomers, and are there to help someone new feel welcome and accommodated.
This, in my opinion, is the biggest open secret of Stomping Ground. We talk about something called the ‘hidden curriculum,’ which are the unsaid rules of a space. Hidden curriculum is often the most challenging thing for newcomers to deal with when entering a new space. At Stomping Ground, staff do their best to uncover the hidden curriculum, but ultimately, I find that returning campers are really the ones who do this. Returners are familiar with the schedule of the day, understand how to play our complex night games, and they bring new campers along with them both explicitly and by example. Many returning campers remember what it was like to be new, and bring new campers into the fold without us even asking.
A Low Profile
Third places are characteristically wholesome. The inside of a third place is without extravagance or grandiosity, and has a cozy feel. Third places are never snobby or pretentious, and are accepting of all types of individuals, from various different walks of life.
I am absolutely in love with our property at Stomping Ground. I think our dining hall is one of the most beautiful buildings out there; the bright colors all around our property are full of whimsy. All our buildings are nice, but not extravagant. Our cabins are just that - cabins. They’re wood buildings with electricity and 4 - 7 bunks. Our barn has two floors and a stage, but it’s really just a warehouse building. We have a beautiful lake, but it’s simple. To me, all of the parts of camp are inviting in their simplicity. Kids aren’t afraid they’re going to break something if they play too hard. It’s the goldilocks of facilities - just nice enough to be cozy but not so nice it’s stuffy. That’s exactly what I want out of a summer camp.
The Mood is Playful
The tone of conversation in third places is never marked with tension or hostility.
I feel the need to push back against this one, and not just for camp’s sake. To say that conversation is never marked with tension is not something you can realistically force upon a space. Conflict is a natural part of existing in community, and sometimes tension and hostility are natural human responses to conflict. At camp, we implement Restorative Justice through conflict circles, so we have a planned response when conflict arises. When done swiftly and correctly, that helps us combat hostility, but to say it never exists is unrealistic of any space.
Other than that, the overall atmosphere of Stomping Ground is marked with silliness. We (staff included) are all here to have fun and be weird. The general population of Stomping Ground display a specific kind of weirdness that is welcomed and perhaps even increased when we all get together. We develop inside jokes that persist from season to season, with running bits that stick with both campers and staff. Like I said before- empathy, fun, and choice are core to our values here.
A Home Away from Home
Occupants of third places will often have the same feelings of warmth, possession, and belonging as they would in their own homes.
One of our camp songs is based on Brandi Carlisle’s “Crowded Table” and the song opens like this:
You can hold my hand
And I’ll say hello
A place with new friends
And buildings we all know
We play games at night
Our home away from home
The sense I get on the last day of camp when kids are picked up is that we all feel that way about Stomping Ground. Kids feel a sense of ownership over the program and the space because we listen to them and make decisions based on what they say.
A home away from home is the whole point.
This first appeared in our 2023 Impact Report. We wanted to push it out to celebrate the 2024 Impact Report being sent out to print.
MK is the Operations Director at Camp Stomping Ground. They love helping kids realize new skills and interests at camp during the summer and year-round. Outside of camp, they spend time hanging out with their cats, watching cooking shows, and playing racquetball.
