Bright lights, curtain up, the audience stares expectantly as you stand on the stage about to deliver your lines. You feel the butterflies as you open your mouth, but you know that you can do this. The confidence that is gained through performance and stagecraft will benefit you throughout your life, and a summer camp like Camp Up with People helps you develop this through performing arts, community impact, and Challenge by Choice.

Now, performing arts is a large component of the curriculum of Camp Up with People, and there is no denying that much of what you learn in preparing for a show can be directly translated into job interviews, presentations, and public speaking. During the three weeks of Camp Up with People, campers will develop their performance skills through dance and vocal instruction as they prepare for a culminating performance for the public at the end of the three weeks. Yet, while this is a large part of the camp curriculum it is not the only way that our campers develop confidence in themselves.

Like our sister camp, Camp Horizons, we believe in a Challenge by Choice philosophy. This means that our campers have the chance to conquer their fears in a safe environment by setting their own limits. We help our campers understand that there are three “zones” that we all exist in.The first is our comfort zone where we feel at ease, the second is our challenge zone where we feel unsure and perhaps a little anxious, and the third zone is our panic zone where we feel scared and overwhelmed. We don’t want our campers to progress into the panic zone, but if we stay in our comfort zones there will be no growth and learning. So, we encourage all of our campers to cross that line from their comfort zone into their challenge zone. For some that is being in a foreign country for the first time, sharing a room with someone whose first language isn’t theirs, or even just being away from home. For others it may be singing in front of an audience, riding a horse, or hiking through Monticello. Our campers know where their challenge zone begins and we encourage them to step as far into that zone as they feel they can. Through these challenges, our campers learn and grow because without challenge there can be no change.