Furthermore, we empower and train our staff to intentionally encourage campers to slow down, ground themselves in the moment, and release anxieties and tensions through the spaciousness of "yes." Yes. It is a spacious word.
Recall a moment when you asked a question of someone. Regardless of the answer, you received at that time, imagine the answer was yes. In doing this, I can feel my whole body lean forward, propelled into something more significant than the moment before. Yes forms a connection between the person asking and the person answering. The opposite of yes pulls me backward and disconnects me from the present moment and the future possibility.
A spacious "yes" doesn't always mean a literal "Yes." But, in looking at how we can frame any response through this lens, we empower our staff to look deeper into any question to see what is at the heart of it. "Yes" may take the form of, "Why do you ask?" Or "Can you tell me a little bit more?" It encourages us to respond to campers out of curiosity rather than fear or urgency.
For campers, practicing the spaciousness of yes empowers them to ask themselves questions with anticipation rather than fear and embrace their sense of wonder about the world. It shares with them the message that more incredible things are possible when we risk it all to form a connection with another person.
The power and spaciousness of "yes" form the bonds of our community at camp. That is, underneath it all, our mission.