Girl-Scout Program Adds Variety at Camp
Camp Ondessonk’s Girl-Scout program allows for Girl Scouts to experience Camp. This summer, the Scouts stayed in Brebeuf during Girls Week.
“This program is different because the Girl Scouts have their traditions,” said Unit Leader Claire Keeven. “We raise and lower the flag outside the dining hall in the morning and night, which is not traditionally done at Camp. They just have a few extra things along with all of the other fun Camp stuff that they get to experience.”
Keeven is not a Girl Scout, but led the Girl Scouts during their week at Camp Ondessonk. While the program offers a variety from traditional camp, many activities remain the same as normal programming but with the opportunities to earn badges and patches.
“The Girl Scouts here definitely get to experience more of the Camp life, whereas the regular campers can look at the Girl Scouts and think: ‘hey, I might want to do that,'” Keeven said. “It’s a really cool thing, they get to do a lot of extra stuff.”
The traditional campers and Girl Scouts are able to learn from each other, according to Keeven. The campers can experience each other more than in other weeks.
Sophie, a camper in Camp Ondessonk’s Girl-Scout Program, has experienced both sides of Camp. She has spent one year as a traditional camper and two as a camper in the Girl-Scout Program.
“It’s a lot more fun being with people that you can call your sisters and relate to,” Sophie said. “Getting to know some people that definitely relate to me is something that’s pretty important.”
Sophie said she enjoys the extra opportunities in the program, including showing Camp what being a Girl Scout is like. Being at Camp Ondessonk, she said she has learned more than she would have learned outside of Camp.
