One of the insider tips that we share with parents who ask how to get the most out of their kids’ time at Camp Mini-Yo-We is to bring friends along. If you’ve journeyed with us for a while, you’ll have noticed small sub-communities of families who return the same week summer after summer. These families choose to have their kids experience Mini-Yo-We with the same groups of friends.
Although our team works hard to integrate every camper at Mini-Yo-We into our community, we’re convinced that families who come together to Camp as friends gain some extra advantages. Here are just 5 reasons that Camp is better when friends come together:
- Pre-Summer Anticipation // There is something cool that happens between when kids sign up for Camp and when they actually arrive on the shores of Mary Lake … anticipation. In fact, many families love this experience almost as much as being at Camp because it allows for all kinds of fun conversations. Now imagine taking all that fun and sharing it with your children’s friends! Together, they’ll be excited for what’s going to happen at Camp, they’ll talk about what they’re looking forward to doing and they’ll bond over the anticipation.
- Friendship Is a Shared Experience // The core of all friendships is shared experience. We’re closest with the people we have the most experiences with. In fact, Mini-Yo-We alumni often say that the relationships they have with friends from Camp are some of the deepest in their lives because of the level of adventure and experiences they had together. When you send your kids to Mini-Yo-We with other families’ kids, you help them form lifelong friendships.
- Memories That Last a Lifetime // The bonds made over summers together at Mini-Yo-We will be part of your kids’ lives for years beyond their time at Camp. Long after they experience our summer programs, they will still fondly remember their time at Camp. When they share these memories with friends, they grow deeper because they have consistent people in those memories. In fact, decades after some of our alumni were at Mini-Yo-We they still get together with their friends from Camp. Don’t think of this as just a week of summer fun for your kids … it’s an investment in a lifetime of memories they will cherish!
- Somebody to Help Explain // Have you ever been a part of something so amazing that when you try to explain it to other people it’s difficult to put into words? A week at Mini-Yo-We can be hard to describe to friends and family. How do kids capture the fun of dancing in the lodge after lunch? Or which words do they use to explain how amazing the sunsets are on Mary Lake? Describing shared experiences with a friend helps!
- Growing Together Spiritually // Last but certainly not least, having a friend who you can watch grow spiritually is an amazing gift. Over their summers of returning to Mini-Yo-We, many children and young people talk about how their faith in Jesus continues to grow. It’s inspiring for young people to see peers grow in their faith. It serves as a catalyst for their own spiritual growth. As parents concerned about the development of their children’s faith, it’s important to surround our kids with peers who will point them toward a thriving faith in Jesus!
Rich Birch
Executive Director