Camp Outlaw is a small outdoor-challenge camp based in Philadelphia for children age 9 and up.
FOCUS
Camp Outlaw was started 8 years ago when my oldest son was 5. I searched around and couldn’t find a camp that was group-focused, staffed by people who really connect with children and help them with emotional and physical challenges, so I decided to start one. Originally my sisters and I took turns staffing the camp along with some great friends. Now some of the original campers are on staff.
I wanted the focus to be on enjoyment, challenges and caring interactions for everyone- children and adults alike. This meant hiring lots of staff, (so no one felt overburdened,) paying them well, and encouraging them to play right along with the children, (not just sit and watch.) It also meant helping the staff learn how to be friends with the campers, and still stay in charge (this is a great skill to learn.) Early on one of the attributes I looked for in staff people was the ability to be silly; now I understand that the ability to be patient and flexible is really vital too.
While developing our daily routines I realized the days needed to be fun for ME, so I now make sure we go to places near water (lakes, rivers, streams and pools) or favorite spots from my childhood, (Swarthmore College woods, Westtown Lake,) or do physically challenging activities (rock climbing, high ropes courses.)
I think it’s my family’s Quaker beliefs that help shape the tenor of the camp day; care and concern for the individual, the group, the environment; sensing Greatness in each other, knowing that our differences are worth noticing and celebrating; being reminded again and again that patience and forgiveness, quietly applied, can move mountains.
“I’m in heaven” is how one camper described a day Camp Outlaw spent at Snipes Farm. “During the school year I can’t wait for the weekends. During the summer I can’t wait for the week!” explains a veteran Outlaw’s relationship to Camp.
STAFF
I think it was the Quaker activities during my teenage years, and also the peer counseling groups I was a part of which opened my eyes to the subtle anti-child aspects of our culture. Something in me took children’s issues into the core of me, and there they remain, connected to almost everything I do. I love running camp, and am impressed with every camper I’ve come to know.