The Camp Consultant

Clay Colvig from Colvig Silver Camps

The phrase “summer camp” evokes a very specific image for many people – large campfires by a lake, eating in a mess hall with hundreds of other campers, making life long memories in your cabin. But what if there was more to overnight camping than this conventional picture?

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Colvig Silver Camps owner and director Clay Colvig and he told me all about the awesome expedition program he runs with his oldest campers (26 days in the backcountry of southwestern Colorado!). Throughout the course of our conversation, I learned a lot about the nuances of running a “trip camp” at the same as a traditional residential camp.

What moved me most was how Clay outlined the power of a camp program evolving alongside a camper’s individual growth. It’s clear to me that a trekking / trip / expedition program can amplify a camp’s impact on campers development of the core skills of independence, resilience, and social-emotional learning.

You can listen or view the full interview here.

Thanks once again Clay for your time and insights!

-Mario

P.S. I’ll be in Atlantic City this week for ACA’s Tri-State conference, drop me a line if you’ll be there I’d love to meet up! I’m leading a session titled “Applying Best Practices from Corporate America to Camp” at 2pm on Wednesday (3/15), stop on by if you’re free!