Who cleans camp? How are campers involved?
At camp, we believe that a sense of community and belonging relies on shared purposeful work. Chores looks different at each camp, as each camp has their individual set of daily and weekly community jobs. Below is a typical list of chores campers will be in charge of during their time at camp.
Daily Chores -
Pre-meal setup:
At the three bell, campers assigned to pre-meal set up will be at the dining hall to help set up the tables and assist the cooks in putting the food out for serving.
Dishes:
There are two dish stations at the lower camps, Hobart station and Pots station. Hobart station cleans all the dishes small enough to be cleaned and sterilized by our Hobart machine. This typically includes plates, bowls, cups, silverware, serving platters, and serving utensils. Campers work together to stack each dish on a rack, spray it down, run it through the Hobart machine, and put them away once they are dry.
The Pots station is in charge of cleaning all the pots and pans and sheets used by the cooks to prepare the meal. Similar to the Hobart station, campers spray down each pot, wash and sterilize it in the sink, and put them away. This process is started at the three bell before the meal and finished after the meal.
Along with the teamwork learned when everyone has a clear role to play, campers also learn to work with their peers - letting them know how to stack dishes to make their life easier, sending back unscraped bowls, etc.
Kybo Clean/Restock:
Each day, one to two groups of campers head to each Kybo (see article on Kybos for clarification) at camp to make sure each toilet has enough toilet paper, sawdust, and sanitizer. Kybos are swept and organized to prepare for the day. It's not a demanding chore, but the community relies on them for keeping our toilets stocked!
Weekly Chores (typically done every 5-7 Days) -
Camp Sweep/Lost and Found:
Armed with a trash bag, gloves, and help from their counselors, campers are sent to do a sweep around camp, picking up any trash and lost and found items. Once campers are finished with the sweep, they lay out the lost and found items in a public area. Then, as others are finished with their chores, they are asked to look through the items and collect whats theirs!
Cabin Clean:
Once a week, cabins get together to clean their living space. This typically includes putting away clothes, sweeping the cabin, maybe even picking some flowers for a bouquet! Some camps put their own twist on this - at SAM camp a group of peers will take part in cabin inspections and give whimsical ratings such as ice cream flavors. At TL, cabin cleans are part of "Chornings", guided by the mythical "Chorelord" and at FS cabins may compete for the coveted "Golden KYBO seat"