Kabeyun in the New York Times

Kabeyun made it in to the spotlight today, coincidentally on the last day of the first session of the summer. Pretty cool! Unfortunately it was something of a misrepresentation of our values, but what's the old saying? Any press is good press? Always! You can read the full article here.

One of the things that I love about Kabeyun is how seriously our families take the decision of where to send their kids for a summer experience. We don't advertise much using the traditional avenues of newspapers and magazines, we don't attend camp fairs any longer, and it's rare that I get an enrollment out of the blue, from someone I haven't had extended conversation with in the months leading up to their making the choice to send their son (or sons) to Kabeyun. More often than not, when I field that first call from someone testing the waters and beginning their search, they make a point of telling me that they've already read everything there is to be found on our website, including the occasional but increasingly frequent blog postings under the heading The Blog of the West Wind.

Not all of those posts come from me – I've opened it up in the past to counselors and other contributors over the years. Truth be told, I don't write here as often as I'd like. This is my third year directing at Kabeyun, and it's only been in the past few months that I feel as though I've begun to find my voice, but more and more I feel inspired to share my thoughts with current, former, and prospective camper families. It's gratifying to know that, when you're considering Kabeyun for your son, as parents you take the time to listen to the reasoning that goes in to the choices that we make.

I know that some of our policies may seem arbitrary. Why don't we allow digital cameras or care-packages? The blog is our forum to demonstrate that, in fact, there's nothing arbitrary about it. I wrote the other day about tipping counselors at the end of the summer because it was a question that came up over and over, and rather than just answer with a blunt "We don't allow it, case closed," it seemed like it was worth taking some time consider, well, why don't we? Should we allow it? Do we have a valid argument, one that we feel as though we can stand behind and feel good about? I don't take these decisions lightly, and I know that your confidence in us as an institution is bolstered when we share our reasoning – I know I can trust you to respect our guidelines if, first and foremost, you respect our process. Regardless of whether we're in lockstep on every policy or procedure, we can be together on things if there's a dialogue.

We take the same approach with our campers. If a camper challenges me on one of our rules, I try to take the time to honor the debate. Why do we require you to wear shoes at all times? Let me spell out the reasons, and see if I can get you to agree with me – I'll bet I can! It takes a little more time than just saying "because it's the rule" or "because I say so," but of course it's so much more effective. I watched a guy the other day walk barefoot across the ballfield while carrying his shoes in his hand, and when he finally noticed me watching, he stopped, smiled, dried and brushed off his feet, and put his shoes on. When he reached me, I thanked him, and he said "I know, it would suck to spend the rest of the summer with a cut on my foot and not be able to swim. I get it." I guess we had that chat already!

My point tonight is this: summer camp's all about fun. We take great pride in teaching, and sending kids home at the end of the summer with new skills and increased confidence and ability, and at the root of it all, it's about having an experience that can become a signficant part of their foundation as a person. The article that appeared in the New York Times today compared several camps' attitudes towards receiving care packages, and while you may or may not agree with our take, I like to think that you appreciate the care we take in ensuring that it fits with our core values.