I’m Passionate about Leadership

I’m passionate about leadership. I like being a leader, I like teaching the next generation of leaders and helping them discover their potential. I like working alongside people to create a greater good. I love the opportunity each summer to teach our SALT (Skills And Leadership Training) campers about leadership and teamwork. To be able to give them opportunities to try out their leadership abilities and even the chance to “fail with dignity” is a great privilege. I want them to become leaders not just at camp, but in their youth groups, sports clubs, schools, homes, communities and more.

SALT #1 2012

Summer camp is one of the very few industries where we entrust our operations to 18 to 20-something leaders and 15-17 year old staff. BUT, what a great time to be learning and practicing their leadership skills and abilities. It’s a great responsibility to lead a group of 8 campers through activities, games, meals, camp life and cabin devotions. Our staff rise through the ranks of summer staff from kitchen or service to be cabin leaders, SALT leaders and then to leadership staff. Summer leadership staff learns to lead the younger staff and their peers by being responsible for program or waterfront or foodservice or staff community. I would be greatly pleased if the next Camp Widjiitiwin director was one of these staff on leadership now.

My favourite quote about potential has long been, “You can always cut open the apple and find out how many seeds are inside, but there’s no way you can cut the seed and find out how many apples are in it.” I’m excited to find out how my investment in youth and young adults and their investment in others will create a chain reaction of leadership and change in our camping community, our communities at large and our nation. I can only imagine where these new leaders will go. 

Camp Widjiitiwin – the way camp was meant to be… relational, central, natural, reaching out, a loving community focused on Christ. It’s like coming home, it’s my camp!