Camp changes lives. It is the reason we return year after year.

We began the Service Trips because we wanted a program that changed campers more deeply and changed society more broadly.

When I first presented the idea of Conistonians hitting the road with the goal of helping others, campers and staff erupted into a standing ovation. This is the spirit I see every summer at Camp.

Imagine a group of teens, on the road, out to help another person. Perhaps they are building a wheelchair ramp for a miner in West Virginia, maybe they are preparing lunches for homeless people in Boston, or possibly they are taking a break in the Feeding America regional food bank by throwing a dance party. The feeling they get from giving is one that will stay with them forever. They will be changed more deeply.

Imagine an elderly lady who was helped. Without our trip, her interactions with teenagers are limited to news shows talking about how bad teenagers are these days. A group of Coniston campers will change her perception on today’s youth. The kids themselves, with their Coniston Spirit, they will change society more broadly.

Research shows that people who volunteer are more civically engaged. Campers will feel that they can make a difference. This opportunity helps teens realize they can control their own surroundings. It isn’t a big step to realize that opportunities to give back are a critical leap in a teenager’s life to becoming a productive adult. Plus they leave the world a little nicer than when they found it.

Aren’t those the lessons you want your child to have?

Explore the trip itineraries on our website and give us a call if you have any questions. Together, we can make a difference.

John Tilley, Camp Director