“Prepare us for the future we are forced to prepare for.” – A reflection on the transformational power of youth leadership

Hannah Howard Evaluations Manager, Camp Fire Hannah recently attended a Youth Voice initiative in Chicago focused on listening to young people about their ideas, wants, and needs for afterschool programs. She was incredibly moved by what they had to say and shared her reflections below: “Prepare us for the future we are forced to prepare […]

3 Easy Questions for Self-Reflection

This month, we’ve talked about how reflection fits into Camp Fire’s Thrive{ology} framework and how we can help young people reflect on living a thriving life. But reflection isn’t just for kids! Let’s steal some reflection wisdom from the Camp Fire playbook for ourselves, shall we? You don’t have to wait for a landmark experience, challenge […]

Reflection on Thriving: Questions You Can Ask Kids & Teens

Last week we started to dig into reflection, the Camp Fire way. We teach young people how to examine, interpret and learn from their experiences, because we want them to thrive. Not to get too meta on you, but we also want them to be able to reflect on thriving itself! Quick refresher: What’s thriving? […]

On My Mind, Reflections on AIKD, Cathy Tisdale

One day does not make a life. Lives are shaped every day of the year. And when we find ourselves in the enviable—yet daunting—position of helping shape young lives, we have a responsibility to infuse them with support and encouragement. According to Carol W. Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, “We found […]

Creating a Just Organization Through Distributed Leadership: A conversation with LaSheé Thomas and Nikki Roe Cropp

Originally posted by Shawna Rosenzweig May 10, 2023 I believe anyone can lead from anywhere in an organization. Actual leadership has little to do with title or position and more to do with influence. At Camp Fire, our definition of leadership and shared power also includes young people in the decision-making process AND a distributed […]

Sharing Power: Learning to Embrace Humility as an Adult in Youth-Led Spaces

Written by Hannah Howard | Evaluation Manager & Staff Advisor to the National Youth Advisory Cabinet | Camp Fire National Headquarters What does “youth voice” mean to you? When young people apply to be a part of Camp Fire National’s Youth Advisory Cabinet (YAC), this is one of the questions we ask. Last year, their […]

CAMPER 2.0: Increasing Camp Accessibility for Historically Excluded Groups of Young People

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 12, 2022 Kansas City, Mo. –  Three years after launching CAMPER: Camp Accessibility, Meaningful Participation, and Equal Representation in 2019, national inclusive youth development organization Camp Fire will continue to expand this critical grant with a new group of overnight camps in seven states. C.A.M.P.E.R. was created to remove barriers and […]

How we moved Camp Fire forward in 2021: Part 1

Can you believe it? We’re staring down the last days of 2021. If you are asking yourself two simultaneous questions—Wait, I thought it was still 2020? and Shouldn’t we be in the 2030s by now?—you are not alone. It’s been a weird one, friends. Weird, hard and…good?  Meditating on shared accomplishments is an important reflection […]

Using “Pulse Checks” to Empower Young People

Want to make sure the young people in your life are heard, supported and empowered? It may be time for a Pulse Check. This Camp Fire tool was developed for our own programs, but you can put its principles to use at the dinner table, on the playing field, or during your next multigenerational vacation.  […]