Minn. Camp Fosters 'Strong, Spirited' Young Women
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Summer is camp season, and there is a long list for kids to choose from -- whether it is for a sport, horseback riding or hiking.
But in northern Minnesota, they are focused on self-esteem.
WCCO took a trip to the Canadian border to see how a camp is building up the inner strength of young girls, by taking something away.
It begins each summer on the banks of the Rainy River; a belief that every teenaged girl is just a few decisions away from veering off course.
But for 160, an all-girls camp in International Falls is using the power of Mother Nature and their peers to keep them on track.
"The name of the camp is Ogichi Daa Kwe, which was given to us by an Ojibwe woman in Canada," said camp director Kathy Dix. "And the meaning of it is 'strong, spirited woman.'"
Ogichi Daa Kwe started a dozen years ago with just 30 girls, after a boys camp already existed across the river for 80 years.
Only with this generation, Dix says the camps now takes away the thing most teenagers think they cannot live without: cellphones and social media.
"When they leave, they so recognize that they're happier when they look up instead of looking down, and they're happier being engaged with the people in front of them," Dix said.
Thirteen-year-old Bridget Verkamp is from Bentonville, Arkansas.
"It's nice to have face-to-face interaction with people because in this day and age, my age group is struggling with that," Verkamp said.
She has spent a month here for the last three summers. From canoeing lessons to rock climbing, girls 8 to 18 help each other through some of the growing pains and complications young women all seem to face.
Hayley Simmons is a camp counselor.
"We can go out there and we can go canoeing and camping in the wilderness completely by ourselves, without the help from any men, and to get it done and have fun doing it shows so much about what girls can do," Simmons said.
There is no emphasis placed on perfection here, either; no measuring up to others.
"We don't give awards, we don't give ribbons. I mean, it's all about go for the experience, do your best, have fun," Dix said. "They find when they don't judge anybody, they're willing to give it a try."
There is also a willingness to try new foods. The girls tend the community gardens, and there is no pop and very little sugar allowed.
"Our menu is all gluten-free," said camp chef Peggy Vollmer. "We make everything pretty much from scratch."
It is a diet the staff believes plays a role in behavior and moods.
"If the kitchen runs smoothly, the whole camp seems to go a little easier," Vollmer said.
The girls learn to push through their fears, and learn there is more to life than their number of Facebook friends.
"It's fun to see them year after year after year growing into flexible, open-minded, kind, caring, adventurous women," Dix said.
Camps range in price from $1,700 to $8,000, depending on how long girls stay.
Click here to learn more about Camp Ogichi Daa Kwe.
