Bid Adieu to Our 2024 Camp Sessions!
Camp Quest North: Time
What time is it? Time for Camp Quest North! This year Camp Quest North’s theme was Time! Campers spent their mornings experimenting with how rivers form canyons over time; discovering fashion trends of the past, present, and future; and exploring different ways of documenting the passing of time. They also explored how different religions and cultures view the end of time and created skits to teach other campers about what they learned. Camp Quest North took on the idea of throwing a carnival for the first time, tasking the CITs with creating some of the games campers would participate in. The CITs turned out with some amazing games, including a staff favorite: Pin the Tail on Percy (our MN camp mascot).
Most of all, we enjoyed spending time with our friends and Camp Quest North family. Campfires, pushing counselors in the lake, winning spongeball, and playing games at cabin time were most loved.
Camp Quest Michigan: Unplugged
Camp Quest Michigan had a successful summer full of fun, friends, and freethought. 56 campers participated in a variety of challenging and exciting activities from climbing a rock wall and zip-lining to canoeing on the beautiful Eagle Lake. Campers engaged in this year’s theme, Camp Quest: Unplugged, with programming designed around music. Recycled materials, collected by our incredible team of volunteers, were used to make musical instruments. Campers had the choice to follow their own path or use a prepared guide. By the end of a week that went by way too fast, campers left camp having made new friendships and new memories that will last a lifetime.
Camp Quest Kansas City: Spy Quest
This year Camp Quest Kansas City was a secret agent training ground!
Campers teamed up to create a party menu, engaged in trivia contests, and navigated an obstacle course. Top units received VIP access to our annual dance party and first dibs on fun prizes. Throughout the week, agents honed their skills with tasks like code-breaking, learning about unreliability of eyewitnesses, studying animal camouflage, and taking on special missions. We introduced ranked choice voting for elective activities, ensuring campers got their top picks and personalized schedules, making daily preparation easier. This method provided insights into favored activities, aiding future camp planning. Top picks included Mutant Animals, Giant Swing and Archery from our host camp, and Dungeons & Dragons groups, three of which were led by camper dungeon masters.
Camp Quest NorthWest: Orwell That Ends Well
This summer, Camp Quest NorthWest hosted “Orwell That Ends Well”, a light-hearted dystopian summer camp experience! No doublethink allowed at Socrates Cafe amidst the misty majesty of the Pacific Northwest’s San Juan islands! We’ve always been at war with…North Bend? No such conflict existed at our forest camp along the Snoqualmie River. Kids and counselors alike honed archery skills, scaled the climbing wall, hiked in acres of pristine forests, kayaked in the stunning Salish Sea, called “CQ” from the ham-radio tent, and explored dystopian elements to encourage critical thinking and humanist values.
Camp Quest NorthWest hosted a combined 96 campers at Camp Waskowitz and Camp Kirby in Washington State, celebrating the area’s natural diversity. Our August session saw a record number of 15 out of 34 volunteers who were former campers. We are eagerly awaiting our accreditation status update in November, after visits from ACA guests. The Ham Radio Tent remained a popular attraction, with campers excitedly earning pins for making contacts, including connecting with Navajo Code Talkers in Arizona, thanks to our licensed Ham Operator volunteers.
Our Dystopia theme developed out of an idea six years in the making from Kiah Penfield, who was this year’s Assistant Director. At the “Micronation of Dystopia,” we examined governmental overreach, with campers forming ‘ministries’, inventing silly laws and propaganda posters. These were warped into draconian laws by The Arbiter, the camp leader. As worms got banned, Smash Mouth outlawed, and licenses for tattoos and button-making were required, campers revolted. Protests arose for worm rights in July, and in August, law posters were torn apart, forcing The Arbiter to retreat! Through fox hunting, radio triangulation to find a signal-emitting target, campers intercepted communiques that indicated The Arbiter was simply the pawn for the real power. LTs led the charge for the creation of a democratic governing body deposing the “power that was” and welcoming The Arbiter to renounce his fascist ways and join our new egalitarian community.
Volunteer Spotlight
Seeking community in Seattle, Jami started circulating in their local atheist and freethought groups, finally settling in as a board member of Seattle Atheists. In 2010 radio evangelist Harold Camping’s end of the world billboard campaign began to appear around Seattle, warning folks of the impending apocalypse on May 11, 2011. Seattle Atheists, along with Tacoma Atheists, Ask an Atheist and others, took notice. Soon, Jami was helping organize the group’s Rapture Relief Campaign. The fundraiser ostensibly claimed to be collecting money to support secular folks navigating post-apocalyptic suffering come May 12th, but just in case plans fell through for the end of the world, all funds would be donated to Camp Quest. When the prophecy failed to produce the fiery, bloody apocalypse Camping craved, it gave rise to something better, and far less violent: Camp Quest NorthWest!
Jami was on the initial organizing team for Camp Quest NorthWest and has served as secretary of their board since 2011. As a person with a long history of nonprofit board service, Jami has always been impressed by how well their board has handled conflicts and difficult problems. “It’s like, it sucks that we had to go through that but dang, we handled that as well as we could. Even the things that I feel like maybe we didn’t do as well, we learned from it and it didn’t destroy the group. Certainly we make mistakes but I think we handle problems better than any other organization I’ve been involved in.”
Camp Quest NorthWest has been one of the greatest privileges and joys of Jami’s life. They love being part of a community that takes action to make the world better and they enjoy the secular rituals of camp that give life meaning and connection. Sometimes they still can’t even believe they get to be part of such an amazing, creative, funny, and smart team!
We are so glad to have Jami as part of our Camp Quest community. Click below to read more about them as our August featured volunteer!
Call for National Board Members
We are thrilled to announce that Camp Quest National is currently seeking applications for new board members. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals who are passionate about our mission and want to contribute to the strategic direction and governance of our organization.
Board Member Responsibilities:
- Attend regular board meetings and participate in committee work.
- Provide guidance and oversight to ensure the organization meets its goals.
- Support fundraising, outreach, and community engagement initiatives.
- Help foster a diverse and inclusive environment.
Who We’re Looking For:
- Have a strong commitment to our mission and values.
- Bring diverse perspectives and experiences.
- Are willing to collaborate and engage with fellow board members and stakeholders.
How to Apply for National:
If you are interested in joining our board, please submit the following by October 15, 2024:
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Elections Committee at Elections@CampQuest.org or Committee Chair Cris Tuckness at Cristina.Tuckness@campquest.org
Save the Date: Leadership Summit
Kansas City, here we come! We have booked the Hilton Kansas City Airport and registration for the Summit is now open! You can also book your stay and submit a session proposal through the links below.
Other News
Announcements & Reminders:
- Alyssa attending FFRF
- Join August at the American Humanist Virtual Conference
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us through email or Discord. We’d also like to know if there are any urgent needs in our community that we may be able to alleviate. Looking for board members, volunteers with specific skills, or ideas for programming or equipment? Let us know by sending us an email, or pop in to an upcoming office hours session.
- 1st Wednesday of every month, 8-9pm Eastern with Alyssa
- Every Friday, 1-2pm Eastern with Alyssa and Jenny
Thanks so much for all that you do, and happy camping!
