Summer camp provides a screen-free summer experience where children can go on adventures, learn in nature’s classroom, and make life-long friends. At Kabeyun, boys grow in social maturity and emotional intelligence. What are the specific psychological benefits of sending your son to an overnight camp? Here are four we have observed.

Our discussions from last summer have helped me not only frame what camp means to me, but have inspired a call to action I will continue to ask as long as I am a member of this community: “What can I do to help make sure that Kabeyun truly is a place where all are welcome and feel free from the fear of failure and the fear of judgment?” 

We asked eight parents of returning campers and alumni to share suggestions for families who are sending boys to camp for the first time. Their advice ranged from the utterly practical to the philosophical. All of it is valuable, although some suggestions may “ring true” for your family more than others – you know your son best. Here are their tips, organized by topics.

You never know when you'll run into Kabeyun folks. This summer, serendipity created what 1980's alum Stark Draper calls a "sweet meetup" on the trails of the White Mountains.

Yes, it may not seem like it now, but summer will be here soon. In a few short months -- just over 100 days from now! -- camp and the lake will have both fully thawed out from this winter and we will once again have our full complement of campers and staff all following that same old winding trail down towards Porter’s Dock, ready for the next reignition of the Kabeyun fire to mark the start of another summer of fun, friendship, growth, and adventure.

As the year comes to a close, Kabeyun is looking back with gratitude at our safe and successful return to camp in 2021. During the summer, we asked some of our guys what they like about camp, what they learn here, and why they keep coming back. Enjoy these voices from 2021!