Our Core Values

Camp is about having more fun than you’ve ever imagined. It’s also about helping campers become their best selves: building their self-confidence and independence, developing resilience, learning to make good decisions and growing as individuals. At Greenwood Trails, our four core values of Respect, Integrity, Caring and Courage (RICC) are at the heart of everything we do, and we train our staff to both model these values and encourage them in campers. These are the very values that inspire every aspect of how camp is run, and we do our best to guide our campers in developing and practicing them each day. 

 

RESPECT: We demonstrate respect for others, ourselves, and the environment.

We respect others by being tolerant and understanding, and abiding by the golden rule. We respect ourselves by being proud of who we are, believing in ourselves, and building self-esteem. We respect our environment by treating the camp and the natural world around us with care.

 

INTEGRITY: Honesty and responsibility are guiding principles in all interactions.

We should always behave honorably, play by the rules, and be a person of our word. Integrity means staying true to our values in all situations.

 

CARING: Kindness, support and empathy towards each other are consistently demonstrated.

Being a caring person builds community while allowing us to discover our best selves. It is under this atmosphere that true friendships are formed.

 

COURAGE: Courage is built by trying new things, persevering through challenges, and learning to fail and still “get back up.”

Courage includes openness to new experiences and adventures. It also means courage in relationships through standing up for ourselves, standing up for others, and doing the right thing even when the right thing is difficult to do.

We encourage the RICC values at camp and recognize them in a number of ways. Within each cabin, campers are acknowledged with “RICC beads” for demonstrating the individual values – for example, showing courage by conquering a fear of heights on the rock climbing wall or showing caring by assisting a younger camper with an arts project. At our closing ceremonies, we also recognize campers who most exemplify all four of the RICC values during their time here. Our hope is that campers will carry the lessons of the core values with them in their lives at home.

 

Contact us to talk more about how Greenwood Trails’ values are infused in the summer camp experience. We love to talk camp!

"Becky Goldrick"

by Becky, CAMPER 2010

I always get a lot of personal growth and it’s really cool to look back to see how far or different I’ve become.