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Frequently Asked Questions


What is Camp Kamaji?

  • A girls’ camp located in Northern Minnesota, about 200 miles north/northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul, 110 miles west of Duluth and 15 miles east of Bemidji.
  • A summer “home” to 160 girls, ages 7 to 15, and 90 staff members.
  • A residential camp that offers both a four – and eight –  week session.
  • A camp accredited by the American Camping Association.
  • A “safe” place — a structured, supportive, supervised and positive place
  • A place where diversity is valued — where differences are celebrated rather than feared.
  • A place where a camper is judged by her behavior rather than by her beliefs or her appearance.
  • A place where campers are treated as individuals, not as stereotypes; where they are respected, trusted, encouraged, praised, loved and, most importantly, valued.
  • Above all, Kamaji is a joyous, fun-filled, child-centered community — a place where kids come first.

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What is Camp Kamaji’s philosophy?
Simply put:  “Daughters grow up – just once!”

Would you not agree that the joys of childhood are incomparably sweet?  No matter how old you are or  how grown up you act, is there not a part of you that you undoubtably miss — that of being a kid?  Do  you not sometimes have a longing for a time that was free of responsibility and full of discovery; a time  that allowed you to imagine doing great and exciting things; a time of fun that was spontaneous and  chaotic, unplanned and exuberant; a time to be full of mischief, good humor and uncontrollable laughter;  a time of pure joy that went straight to the heart, the taste buds, the funny bone — joy that no one could  take away from you — the kind of joy children feel all the time and adults experience only too rarely; a  time of living in the moment.

As adults, we recognize what an important time of life childhood really is.  And  yet, in today’s world, kids often struggle in a clock-driven, “made over,” adult-oriented world where they  are “fast tracked” to adulthood . . . where they are pre-programmed from sunrise to sundown.   Think  about it: between the hours spent in school and extracurricular activities, participating in sports and attending to homework, studying and research projects, our children put in a longer “work” day than  most American adults!!

Childhood should not be a dress rehearsal for adulthood.  Whatever happened to letting kids be kids?  The idea seems to be lost in today’s society, but not at Kamaji!

We’re here to help your daughter, fully and one day at a time, experience childhood — a separate,  unique, and very special phase of life!
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Why Camp?
There’s no doubt that you love your children.  You want to keep them safe and close so they come to no harm.  You cherish and support them and, when warranted, intervene in those situations which seem  more than a child can handle or are simply unfair.   You are likely involved – from coaching their athletic  practices and games to cheerleading their rehearsals, recitals, debates, performances to helping them  with their homework.

But you also recognize that there is a fine line between cuddling and coddling . . . between guiding  and  managing . . . between encouraging and pressuring . . . between harboring and hovering  . . . . between  parenting and befriending . . . your children.

We recognize that, as a parent, you want only the best for your children. You want to give them the  opportunity to unlock their potential. To grow.  Explore.  Develop.  And discover the world.  As parents  to two grown sons, we wished no less for them as they grew from young boys into young men.  As  camp directors, we want the same for Kamaji’s campers.

You realize that there are times when you have to let go of the tether that connects your children to your  heart – that tether that gently tugs and releases ever-so-slightly as you gradually ease them into life and  its accompanying stages.  Hard as it is to ultimately let them go, you want your children to be able to  strike off on their own, to form healthy relationships, to be successful, to be emotionally independent, to  be productive and happy adults.

We believe camp is an integral part of a child’s total education and development. Kamaji teaches its  campers the intrinsic life skills necessary to grow toward independence and, in time, adulthood.   Personal responsibility, independence, self-confidence, respect, social awareness, empowerment,  decision-making, healthy risk taking, relationship building, empathy, managing emotions, self-  motivation, leadership — skills sought after by college recruiters and by future employers — are the  skills learned at summer camp.

Camp Kamaji inspires its campers to come home eager and enthusiastic — ready to take on the world!!
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What are Kamaji’s campers like?
Kamaji’s campers are energetic, fun-loving, friendly and excited about new experiences.  As a matter of  fact, the only prerequisites first-time campers need to join Kamaji’s summertime family are the desire to  have fun, the willingness to try new things and the wish to develop life-long friendships.

Kamaji is a community which values diversity.  We work hard to ensure that Kamaji includes girls from  all over the United States (and other countries, too) and of all religious, ethnic, cultural, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.  What better place than summer camp to learn that each person should  be judged by her behavior rather than by her beliefs or her appearance!

Our campers are the heart-and-soul of Kamaji.  Without them, Kamaji would simply be a physically  beautiful place; with them Kamaji is a magical place — alive and enriched with and by the presence of  its campers.
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How can my daughter make friends at camp?
Notice that we worded the question above “How can my daughter make friends at camp?” rather than  “Will my daughter make friends at camp?”  When you ask any Kamaji camper what is the single most  important reason she returns to camp summer-after-summer, “My camp friends!!” is sure to be her  response!

If you, as a child, had the good fortune to attend summer camp, we don’t need to tell you that camp  friendships are unlike any other.  Your camp friends were likely the people — outside of your immediate  family — who understood you the best, loved you unconditionally, supported you when things weren’t  great and celebrated with you during the good times.  As adults, camp friends remain constant –  regardless of distance that separate or years spent apart.  Camp friends are those with whom you can  pick up where you last left off — the memories you share are an amazing connection – a bond –  between your youth and now.  Who wouldn’t wish that same kind of friendship for their children??!!

We recognize that developing close friendships is central to camp life.  While each camper has her own  way of going about making friends at Camp Kamaji, we consciously put several things in place to foster  friendships – not only friendships within the camper’s immediate cabin group but also throughout all of  Kamaji.

In the Cabin
Obviously it is within the cabin group where campers are first introduced to each other and begin  forming relationships.  Kamaji’s cabin counselors are trained to make sure that campers begin making  friends as soon as they arrive — they help the campers settle into the cabin, they plan get-to-know-you  games and activities, they watch out for those kids who don’t seem to be making connections quickly.  When training our cabin counselors, we emphasize that each camper is important as is her cabin  group.

There is something magical that happens when a child spends an extended amount of time together  with her cabinmates.  Cabinmates learn each other’s likes and dislikes; they play together, eat together,  work together, make group decisions together, resolve conflicts together, share the same sleeping  quarters together, sing songs together, laugh and sometimes even cry together; most importantly, they  grow up together.  How then can friendships not develop between cabinmates??!!

In the Instructional Activity Program
When a camper plans her instructional activity schedule each week, she does so independent of her  cabinmates.  With the guidance of our program staff a camper is placed in activities of her own  choosing – in a level commiserate with her level of ability rather than her age.  So were your daughter to  choose sailing as one of her activities, she would be in a same level sailing class with campers who  cross all age groups –  campers who share the same interest as your daughter does.   We know  common interests and shared experiences play key roles in camper friendships.  Even a shy camper  finds comfort and confidence in knowing that others enjoy the same things – be it waterskiing or  horseback riding or drama or tennis – that she enjoys; she finds friends too.

All Camp Programs
Each evening Kamaji’s entire population – camper and staff alike  – come together for a single all-camp  program.  Whether it be a rousing game of All Camp Capture the Flag or Battleball, a Carnival Night or  relay races up on the archery field, a Dance Off or Skit Night in the Lodge or a quiet meditative,  reflective night around the Council Fire where all join in singing songs, telling stories, watching the  embers of a campfire glow and fade, listen to the strain of Taps being sung from afar – there is yet  another opportunity for campers to meet and interact with others they’ve not met in their cabin group or  through the activity program.  Not only will a camper make friends with other campers when joining in  on all-camp fun, equally important are the friendships a camper develops with Kamaji’s staff.

Kamaji’s Tribes: A Truly Unique Experience
At the beginning of her first summer at Kamaji, each camper is “initiated” into one of Kamaji’s six tribes.  The six – Ishkaday, Waubun, Mundahmin, Metig, Geshig and Nanahtahga – provide each girl with a  sense of belonging.  Each tribe consists of campers of all ages, providing older girls with leadership  opportunities and younger girls with “big sister” friends.  Tribes, too, give campers of all age groups the  chance to interact with each other and “connect” with the wider camper population.  It really is  impossible to describe the strong bonds of friendship and loyalty that develop between tribe members.  You’ll just have to take our word for it.
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Where do campers live?
Groups of eight or nine campers of the same age are housed together in cabin groups. Each cabin  group has three counselors. The make-up of each cabin group reflects the geographical diversity we  strive to maintain at Kamaji.  Therefore, it’s likely that a first-time camper will not know others in her  cabin group. We believe that’s a very positive way to begin a camp experience:  untethered to others  from her hometown or school; open to developing new, “camp friendships” that are unique and last a  lifetime – friendships that a camper develops on her own.  It’s a positive step toward developing the  confidence and independence your daughter will need as an adult.

Our cabins are big, bright and airy – and all have been totally renovated and updated as of 2008. There is plenty of storage space for all our campers’ clothing and camp equipment.

One thing worth noting is that there is no electricity in the cabins.  Believe-it-or-not, this is not as big a  deal as one would initially think.  In fact, when we were making plans to renovate Kamaji’s cabins, our  campers specifically requested that we not add electricity.  What it means is that Kamaji’s campers are  truly unplugged – unwired and disconnected.  What is missing at Kamaji — that kids take for granted  elsewhere — are IPods and cell phones and computer laptops and MP3 players.   What is present at  Kamaji — wholesome, playful, connected-to-each-other, physically active, imaginative, creative  campers whose cabinmates are “real” friends and whose counselors, using flashlights, read bedtime  stories to them at night.

Too, there are no bathrooms in the cabin; instead several cabins cluster around centrally located  washhouses scattered throughout camp.  Our washhouses have toilets, sinks and individual showers  and, like our camper cabins, were completely renovated in 2008.
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What is Camp Kamaji’s program like?
Kamaji offers an individualized, noncompetitive instructional program in over 20 activities.  At our  waterfront on Wolf Lake your daughter can choose swimming, sailing, canoeing, sea-kayaking,  water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing.  Or she can take tennis, archery, horseback riding and aerobics.

She can be creative in our theater, arts and crafts, painting and drawing, ceramics and pottery, dance,  and photography programs. For the more adventuresome there’s a 55 foot climbing wall and a low  ropes element course as well as geocaching and campcraft and wilderness trip orientation.

Your daughter will choose — with guidance from our staff — on a weekly basis those activities she would  like to participate in.  We will encourage her to participate in a well-rounded program — and allow her to  progress at her own rate.  We’ll make sure she is placed in a level of instruction that is appropriate to  her skills thereby optimizing her learning opportunity.  We will provide a safe environment where she  can step out of her comfort zone and try things she never imagined she could do . . . where she can  attempt risks, maybe-at-first fail, get up and try-try again, and succeed.  With the support and  encouragement of Kamaji’s staff, she’ll ultimately master a sense of accomplishment that is real and  enduring.

And while we can make no guarantee that your daughter will leave camp a Wimbledon-caliber tennis  star or an America’s Cup sailor (but, then again, who knows??!!), we’ll definitely teach her skills — skills  she can take with her for the rest of her life — in several recreational activities . . .  and, once home,  perhaps she’ll teach you a thing or two about sailing or windsurfing or horseback riding. . .  That said, we have no doubt that your daughter will return home believing she can excel at just about  anything she puts her mind to. And if she does go on to play at Wimbledon or skipper a yacht in the  America’s Cup regatta, we wouldn’t be surprised!  After all, we’ll have inspired her to imagine that  anything is possible and her potential is limitless!
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Does Kamaji offer wilderness trips?

I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees.  The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.  It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day.  It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful.  Whenever . . . I seek relief in the trail, my cares fall from me – I am happy.       – Hamlin Garlan, February 1899

Even our youngest campers can participate in Kamaji’s wilderness trip program. Accompanied by specially-trained and experienced (and fun!) trip leaders, campers can go on overnight canoeing, kayaking, camping, rock climbing, sailing and horseback riding trips. Trips last from two to nine days. The goal of our wilderness trip program is to give each camper a meaningful and enjoyable outdoor experience. If she returns from her trip more aware of the beauty of the natural world; if she feels an even closer kinship to those who accompanied her; if she’s proud of herself for living up to the challenge and trying something outside her “normal” routine –then our goal has been achieved.
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Who works at Kamaji?
Kamaji is only as good as its staff. They are the people who are directly responsible for making a camper’s experience the best it possibly can be. They make Kamaji happen. Their impact is far reaching and can be influential far after the camping season is past.

Kamaji’s staff, like its campers, is a diverse group. Our total staff numbers over 90. Included in that number are 58 cabin counselors and CITs (Counselors-In-Training), an on-site licensed doctor and three nursing assistants, activity program specialists including our six wilderness trip leaders. Add to that our full complement of support staff including administrative, kitchen, office and maintenance folks. Many of our staff return year after year. In fact, many are former Kamaji campers! Ninety percent are college-aged or older.

Much of the Kamaji’s “off-season” is focused on bringing together the strongest group of staff possible for each summer. We don’t choose “just anyone” to work at Kamaji. Even our former campers must complete a staff application and go through the same rigorous interview process followed by reference checks as well as a background check. We recruit primarily from college campuses and work toward a common goal of making the summer a safe, fun and enriching experience for all of our campers.

What do we look for in our staff? The list of qualifications, character and personality traits as well as expertise, is long. As succinctly as possible Kamaji looks for staff who are friendly and concerned, reliable and responsible, creative and patient, supportive and respectful, dedicated and committed, understanding and caring, fun and upbeat, generous and child-like. Kamaji’s staff must have initiative and enthusiasm, energy and a positive attitude, maturity and sensitivity, be excited about working with kids, and be willing to immerse themselves totally into camp life.

We don’t hire staff who tell us that they want to work at camp because it sounds like fun. Instead we hire staff who want to make a difference – a positive difference — in the life of a child.
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What if my daughter gets sick at camp?
In addition to a full-time, ‘round-the-clock licensed physician on site at Camp Kamaji, we also employ three full-time nursing assistants who live at Club Med (Kamaji’s health center) — all of whom tend to the physical and emotional well-being of Kamaji’s campers and staff.

In addition to the care provided at Camp Kamaji, we enjoy a positive professional working relationship with medical providers and services in the nearby town of Bemidji. Dr. John R. Parkin, a local pediatrician, has been Kamaji’s off-site consultant and liaison since 1981 and oversees Kamaji’s health care.
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With so many great camps to choose from, how does a parent and future camper pick one?
Did you know that there are almost 2500 American Camp Association accredited camps?? Of those, there are 1588 residential camps; 567 of which are for-girls-only. Out of the girls-only camps, 184 offer either a four or eight week session. The choice of camps, while not limitless, is certainly daunting!! Still, each and every camp is unique in its own right — as is your daughter. There is something that sets each camp apart from the next — that makes it different, special, one-of-a-kind — just as your daughter is. We don’t subscribe to the theory that “one-size-fits-all.” That is why careful consideration is key when making a decision concerning what may be one of your daughter’s most memorable childhood experiences.

Sorting through websites, camp brochures, promotional videos, talking with families who send their daughters to camp, and meeting one-on-one with the different camp directors will provide a worthwhile investment of time and energy. We speak from experience: not only as camp directors but also as parents of two distinctly different boys who attended two equally great but very different summer camps for most of their childhoods.

As camp directors, we are more than willing to invest our time and energy not only during the summertime, but also during that critical decision-making time when the search for the “right” camp becomes more “personal” as to fit and feel. To that end, we would be happy to meet with you and your daughter, to go into greater detail about Kamaji, to answer all of your questions and address your concerns and, ultimately, to allow you an opportunity to learn in-person if Kamaji feels like the fit you and, especially, your daughter(!!) are looking for.
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