In between talking to families or staff on phone and video calls and collaborating with my fellow year round team members in preparing for the summer I make ample time for reading about the camping industry and youth development. I’m looking out for trends, repeating narratives, and trying to decipher where Brown Ledge Camp fits in. Are we running with the pack or are we in the lead?

One recent article I happened upon shared how AI has the potential to be a useful tool in creating camp schedules. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that is not a problem we face at Brown Ledge. We don’t spend hours trying to create unnecessary structure or have the need to map out where every kid should be at every moment of the day.

And guess what? Our campers are happier. They choose what they do and when they do it. Our staff are happier too because they are teaching fully engaged campers choosing to be at their activity. And this choice is not the lesser of two evils, they’re not selecting from a limited list, they have every activity every day to find their way to, when they want to.

Turns out: we’re in the lead.

We have been since 1926 when Harry and Marjorie Brown decided that young women can be trusted.

We remain that way 100 years later because, while the world may have changed, what young women need to be confident and independent hasn’t. They need to be trusted. They need to be set free.

Brooks Johnson