Summer Camp Mission Statement

Camp Glen Brook's summer camp serves boys and girls ages 8 to 14. The program balances and harmonizes the needs of the bodies, minds, and hearts of the children as they grow and develop.

The goal of our program is to nurture in children the capacity for free thinking and action as adults. We do this through an underlying form of rhythm and structure. We believe that premature exposure to too many choices and ever-changing structures can give an illusory sense of freedom that can actually undermine the attainment of genuine and deep freedom in later life.

With few exceptions, children must participate in every camp program and activity, thereby engaging in a wide spectrum of experiences. Most often campers are expert in some activities and can encourage and help others find greater success, while in other activities they need the support and expertise of their peers. Through these and other experiences at Glen Brook, a true community is built - rather than a society of individuals only striving for self-enhancement.

Camp Glen Brook follows the educational aims and goals advocated by the philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner and carried out by many Waldorf schools throughout the world. The summer camp weaves together many principles of Waldorf education within a traditional New England summer camp program.

Philosophy

At Camp Glen Brook, the staff and counselors foster respect for self, for fellow humankind, and for the natural world of which we are stewards. We believe that heart, mind and spirit must be nourished richly and simultaneously. We value music and art just as much as academics and sports. We find that the deepest community can arise out of the strongest individuality when trust, tolerance, and understanding prevail. Above all, we love to have fun—because smiles and laughter and joyful optimism are the forge of community, relationship and our own humanity.

Camp Glen Brook is non-sectarian and families of all faiths are welcome.  Our philosophy acknowledges an underlying spiritual foundation of the world and we accept that each of us has a spiritual core to be recognized and nurtured. We begin each meal with a singing or spoken grace and all campers and staff attend a 30-minute weekly (nondenominational) service of offering and thanksgiving. The staff at Camp Glen Brook are open to working with parents to meet their children's special religious needs.