YMCA Summer Camp offers fun and meaningful activities for children

“Silly, crazy fun” is what children will always remember about their time spent at YMCA camp. Those are the memories that will stick with them for the rest of their life.

“We work really hard to bring in activities that are fun and offer youth development that aligns with (the YMCA’s) Christian values,” said Nat Auten, president and CEO of the YMCA of Catawba Valley. 

During the school summer break, the YMCA will offer weekly day camps at several Burke County elementary schools: Hildebran Elementary School, Mountain View Elementary School, Oak Hill Elementary School, Valdese Elementary School, and WA Young Elementary. Parents can register their children for the camp location most convenient for them. The one exception is the Mountain View Elementary camp. Children must attend Mountain View, Hillcrest, Forest Hill, or Walter Johnson elementary schools to register for this site.

To attend, children must be between the ages of 5 and 12. The 5-year-old campers must have completed kindergarten. Camp runs from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Participants receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack. Food is provided through Burke County Public Schools Child Nutrition Department as well as local restaurants. 

Youth development is key component of camp

Each week, camp will offer traditional activities one would expect in a day camp. There will be plenty of play and activities, including time at the pool. The weekly day camps will go beyond the typical, to offer children a richer experience.

“I want to change the face of afterschool and camp care,” said Erica Simmons, YMCA senior program director. “We also do enrichment, 45 minutes of reading and 45 minutes of math. We’ll also bring in community organizations and businesses to offer activities the children are interested in but cannot, due to lack of time or financial resources, participate in during the school year.”

Martial arts, yoga, art, and dance are among the classes that will be offered. 

“The thing I’m most proud of is how intentional (Erica) is about connecting the community to the camps,” Auten said.

In honor of the Year of the Trail in North Carolina, campers will enjoy excursions to nature locales such as Lake James, Grandfather Mountain, and South Mountains State Park. Other planned field trips include Greensboro Science Center, North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, and of course, pools.

The camps will also include the Wayfinder curriculum, Simmons said, focusing on such vital skills as team building and problem-solving. Core Value Tuesday, for example, will encourage character building, social-emotional learning, and traits like honesty. 

According to the Wayfinder website, the curriculum addresses “durable skills needed for long-term success.” The core skills for academics and life are self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, agency, and purpose. “Success will require relational and critical thinking skills that enable individuals to navigate obstacles and work with others.”

The camp rules harken back to the principles: Be safe. Be kind. Be neat.

“Everything relates back to those three rules,” Simmons said. 

“We want everyone who comes to camp to have fun, make friends, and learn,” Auten said. “And parents will know their child is in a safe environment.”

Angela Kuper Copeland is the education reporter at The Paper. She may be reached at angela@thepaper.media or 828-445-8595, ext. 2003.