Twin Creeks Community Initiative

Camp might only run in the summer, but thinking about camp happens year-round.

A lot of that thinking happens when I’m with other camp directors.

Each fall, we head to Washington D.C. for the Canyonlands retreat with other camp directors.

A few days of sharing ideas, talking through camp challenges, and seeing what’s working other places. Some of the best things we do at Twin Creeks started as conversations at these retreats.

This year, Sandy from Camp Jeanne d’Arc told us about something they’ve been running for a while now.

A year-round community engagement club for their campers.

The kids choose service projects in their own communities. Small stuff that matters. Food drives, helping neighbors, writing letters to nursing homes.

Doesn’t this sound very Twin Creeks-y?

The whole thing is pretty straightforward.

The group meets monthly during the school year, online, nothing complicated. The focus is on community service and staying connected.

It’s optional and, for their camp, mostly for their middle-aged group.

These are the kids who are still figuring out where they stand in the world.

And maybe wondering how they can help others with the skills they already have.

Oh, and it’s a chance to stay connected with each other while taking part in something bigger than themselves. Practicing camp stuff and starfish qualities (IYKYK) in their own communities.

We already talk about this stuff all the time at Twin Creeks.

Kindness as currency. Building community.

Camp being more than just two weeks in the summer.

But what if we could actually extend that beyond August? What if the connection kids feel here didn’t just live in West Virginia but followed them home?

And what if the traits/ values we had at Twin Creeks extended out into the world in the best ways possible? It almost makes too much sense.

I don’t know exactly what a Twin Creeks version of this looks like.

Monthly Zoom calls where kids share what they’re doing in their communities? One big annual cause we all rally around?

Small local projects families do on their own, but feel part of something bigger?

Could be structured, could be loose. There are a number of different directions.

If we’re going to do something like this, it should come from our community. I trust Twin Creeks families to help shape what this could be.

So I’m asking: what do you think?

Would your camper want to stay connected to Twin Creeks friends this way?

What causes or projects matter to your family?

What would make this feel meaningful instead of just another obligation?

Reply and let me know. Maybe you think this is worth exploring. Maybe you think we should focus elsewhere. Either way, I want to hear it.

Because building something like this is always better when built together.

Best wishes,

Iain

PS – Let’s hear it! What are your kids already doing in the community and/ or what might be a good place to start with a Twin Creeks community initiative?