Youth fish and game camp teaches giving back Youths learn life lessons via outdoors skills

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Andrew Libby spent part of Wednesday learning about global positioning systems and doing a bit of map and compass work.

But it was the things he accomplished while not officially learning that caught the attention of counselors at Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association’s second annual summer camp.

“I could have used the three dollars,” the 12-year-old Milford boy said, telling camp director Kevin McPhee about the money he found outside an outhouse.

Instead, he went from camper to camper, asking if they’d lost any money.

Eventually, he found the money’s owner, and became another symbol of all the good things going on this summer at Pickerel Pond outside Milford.

“What a great thing to do,” McPhee told Libby. “That was a great decision. That will come back to you in so many ways. I’m proud of you.”

This is not your grandfather’s summer camp though, at first glance, it looks just like any other camp you might find in the Maine woods.

There, out on Pickerel Pond, you’ll find groups of youngsters paddling canoes or kayaks. Some are fishing, others working hard at learning how to work together.

Nearby, an archery and rifle range is ready for action, and GPS students are huddled under a shade tent.

But this isn’t just playtime. For McPhee, the counselors and plenty of volunteer instructors, this is a golden opportunity to teach valuable life lessons.

“We’re looking for ways to use these [activities] as tools, to begin the leadership conversation, to be able to say, not only ‘How can we enhance our skills for survival, for safety and other means in the outdoors?’ but also, ‘How can we give back?” McPhee said. “We have those who are coming after us. What can we do today to make it meaningful for them?”

This week’s session was for boys and girls ages 12-15, while last week the Pickerel Pond facility hosted 8-to-11-year-olds.

Both sessions were at capacity: 50 campers.

Last year’s camps were capped at 40 youths per session, but the limit was raised this year. McPhee said he’d like to offer the camp experience to more people, but won’t sacrifice a format that has worked well.

“If you get too many kids here, it’s just crowd control at that point. The point gets diluted,” McPhee said. “And we really want to be able to set the foundation for many years to come, because I think this will be here for a long time, and we’re looking to expand eventually.”

This year’s campers took part in a symbolic project that reflected the goals of camp organizers.

Dave Georgia, a game warden who was one of the founders of MYFGA, pointed to a pair of apple trees that had been freshly planted by the 8-to-11-year-olds the week before.

“We planted these two trees last Friday and we’re going to plant two more [Friday with this session of campers],” Georgia said. “The basic idea is, we’re planting the seeds, this produces fruit. This is going to give back.”

Giving back was an important theme at this year’s camps, and when campers were divided into groups for the week, one was named Team Give Back.

McPhee and the counselors subtly frame many of the everyday activities according to the broader themes they’re trying to teach.

The result: Many campers begin absorbing the valuable life lessons and acting accordingly.

The key, McPhee said, is finding different ways to teach different people.

“I think so often we grow up in a box style of learning. Teachers will often say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to learn today. Here’s the box I’m going to put you in so that you have to learn it,” McPhee said. “At camp, it’s unique because now we have a chance to say, ‘Well, we’re still going to do some learning, but let’s fit it to you and let’s see how you respond.’ We’re all different types of learners.”

Emily Jones, an instructor who works for the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife as the coordinator of the popular “Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Maine” program, said sometimes the learning process sneaks up on the campers.

“They don’t realize they’re learning this stuff immediately. After the fact, it sinks in for them, I think,” Jones said. “They get here thinking, ‘We’re going to have fun,’ which they absolutely do, but they learn lessons, too.”

Lessons like learning how to be a good listener, and to think of ways to help others.

And how to be a leader.

T.J. Neal, a second-year camper from Bradley, has absorbed that lesson pretty well, although he’s willing to debate that fact with you.

“I still don’t think of myself as a leader,” the 13-year-old Neal said.

McPhee quickly pointed out some of the ways he has shown his leadership capabilities, and Neal grudgingly admitted the camp director might have a point.

Neal is, after all, already looking toward the future and other possible roles he could fill at the camp.

“I’m a STB-CIT right now,” Neal said. “Soon To Be Counselor In Training. I’m going to be following Coach Kev around.”

Coach Kev – McPhee – grins at the notion. Trying to develop a mindset in which campers want to give back to others is a key component of the camp experience.

Wednesday’s exercise illustrates that: During the morning meeting, McPhee challenged all 50 campers to choose another camper, and to embark upon a secret mission.

“Find a way to give back to that person in terms of being helpful,” McPhee told them. “Whether it’s through water safety or simply trying to get their water bottle and fill it up without them knowing.”

At the end of the day, McPhee said he’d ask the campers if anything kind had been done for them during the day.

During the camp week, there are plenty of times when McPhee sees proof that the counselors’ words are being heard.

“It is about fun when they first get here and we certainly maintain that, but I get excited about that time when they say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. There is a message. I’m not sure what it is yet, but we’re gonna get there,'” McPhee said. “And then from there, it’s an open door, where we can say, ‘It’s not as much about a specific message as it is about being aware and appreciative of what Maine has to offer. The outdoor learning component is such a wonderful tool.”

There are, however, a few complaints about the MYFGA camp.

Well, one complaint, at least.

Just ask Andrew Libby.

“I wish it were for more than a week,” Libby said.

Then he walked away, smiling, to join the rest of his team.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.

“They don’t realize they’re learning this stuff immediately … They get here thinking, ‘we’re going to have fun,’ which they absolutely do, but they learn lessons, too.”

KEVIN MCPHEE