When I say Character you say Development

Let's talk about Character Development!

The Character Development Learning Institute (CDLI) is a grant that Mystic Lake YMCA Camp received initially for our summer camp program. CDLI has five areas of focus, they are:
Emotion Management - Empathy - Personal Development - Relationship Building - Responsibility 



YMCA of the USA partnered with CDLI to fill the Character Development gap. These five focus areas were proven to be the most important for the CDLI and Y-USA felt their organization's values and practices aligned as well. 

After receiving the grant, Mystic Lake implemented different improvements into our 2019 summer program to incorporate Character Development into the curriculum. An example is All About Me sheets - these are papers campers filled out to tell their cabin a few different things about them to help build relationships and there is a spot for a weekly goal to incorporate personal development. These sheets were created to show similarities and differences of campers living in the same cabin and to start conversations to create deeper connections. Our staff training and materials provided to staff were also strengthened to  provide more knowledge to staff to improve the experience offered to campers.

We have now received a second grant for our Outdoor Education program and cannot wait to continue utilizing it! 
There are ways all five focus areas can fit into what we do here during Outdoor Education. The areas are listed below with examples and descriptions:

Personal Development ⟶ Verbally identifying and writing goals of campers can be a good way to create goals and help youth see and understand their personal development. Staff and peers following up with youth about goals and progress made can help hold youth accountable to increase motivation and positive results. Setting climbing goals on the rock wall or an overall goal for the duration at camp.  

Empathy ⟶ Accommodating different needs and wants within activities. Tailoring activity choices and curriculum taught in activities to make them more relevant to what they are learning in school and that it correlates with their age. 

Relationship Building ⟶ We are able to help youth grow friendships with one another through use of team building and conversations we get started. At camp, we encourage both new and old relationship building and provide opportunities for kids to form said relationships.



Emotion Management ⟶ Allowing time to debrief at activities and being sure to stress how important understanding, recognizing, and identifying emotions are.

Responsibility ⟶ We can teach youth to be more responsible and the importance of using it in the things we do. Ways to do this way by providing them with leadership roles and giving them more ways to be helpful.




Growth within our curriculum is very important. There are so many ways to incorporate more character development into our programs here at Mystic Lake! Thanks for reading!! 

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Hello hello!

Here are a few more staff members who will be here with us this summer - enjoy!

Hi, my name is Sophie and I am excited for my first year as a counselor!

I am looking forward to making memories and meeting the campers every week, and my favorite of the four core values is honesty because it lets you be yourself!, 

Hey, I'm Jayson, and this is my second year as a counselor. 

I'm really excited for camp this summer after a long year at MSU. I'm excited for the fun pontoon rides we'll go on and our cookouts. With all the fun activities we did last summer, I can't wait to do them all again while creating some new adventures as well.

Hi! I'm Sasha, I've been at Mystic for six years and this is my first year as a counselor. In my free time I like to explore, swim and read. My favorite parts about camp are the swimming in the lake and hanging out in the craft shack. I'm super excited for cookouts and shaving cream fights at the A field! Can't wait to meet you all!!

Hi my name's Christian and this is my first year at this camp as a counselor. I attend Macomb Community College and was a national qualifier of 4 states for wrestling this year one thing I am looking forward to this year is meeting all new people from many different backgrounds my favorite core value is honesty always telling the truth is the key to my good side.

My name is Dani, I've been going to Mystic Lake as a camper for two years and this will be my first year as a counselor! My favorite part of camp is seeing new bonds form and watching old ones grow stronger! I enjoy playing games and going on walks in my free time and am looking forward to being surrounded by a great environment and even better company this summer! See you all soon!

We are ready for a great summer with GREAT staff members!! We cannot wait to see all of our campers and provide lots of fun while helping them foster new friendships and learning new skills. 

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Hi pals! 

 Hey everyone, my name is Devin aka D-Money for short! 

I have been a counselor for two summers and I’m excited for my third summer. I’m looking forward to meeting old and new faces this summer and making a positive impact in there life’s.  My favorite part of camp is foil dinners and just watching kids really come out of there shell as the week goes on. I’m excited for this summer at mystic lake and can’t wait to see you there!

 Hi, my name’s Tristan. 

This is my first time on camp and my first trip to America so I’m super excited for a lot of new experiences and meeting new people, especially the campers. Also I love getting outdoors and being creative, looking forward to seeing you all this summer!

Hi everyone, my name is Juliann! 
This summer will be my fifth year at mystic and first year as a counselor! I am over the moon and can not wait to meet you all. My favorite memories from camp are pontoon jumps, spur of the moment nature walks, and stargazing over mosquito bridge. See you soon!

Next Friday cannot come soon enough for our next blog post!!

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Hello fabulous Mystic Lake fans! 

Hi, my name is Taylor! 

I can’t get enough of Mystic Lake! I was a camper for 9 years, a counselor for 4 years, and will be returning for my 5th summer as the Equestrian Director! My favorite part of camp is tie-dyeing in Arts & Crafts and taking a swim in the lake, especially with the horses! I am looking forward to smacos and making ever lasting memories with the campers! An interesting fact about me is that I met my best friend at camp over 5 years ago. 

Hey everyone my name is Thomas! 

This will be my second summer as a counselor at Mystic Lake. My favorite parts of camp are cookouts and getting to know campers and helping them experience new things. An interesting fact about me is that I am currently spending the semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. I'm excited for the summer and I can't wait to be back at Mystic! Hasta pronto! 

My name is Miles White I am 17 years old. I am from St. Johns and I was a junior. I love theater and anything nerdy. I have gone to camp for 8 years. I think my first counselor was Chris? But the counselor my second year was Blaid. My favorite part of camp is the surrounding area of the main lodge because there's always something to do. I love to sing and play the guitar.





Thanks for reading, see ya next Friday!!

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Welcome to the best blog EVER!

Hey guys, I’m Amelia and I have been going to Mystic for 10 years as a camper and this is my first year as a counselor! This summer I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of new people but also reuniting with the old and eating lots of smacos along the way. Out of everything though, my favorite part of camp is all the smiles and fun that is shared throughout the 8 wonderful weeks. Can’t wait for summer 2k19!

Hi y'all! 

My name is Sherry and this will be my first summer working at Mystic Lake! I'm looking forward to hammocking in my free time and enjoying the sun! A fun fact about me is that I used to do competitive cheerleading! Looking forward to this summer!☀

Hi I'm Dom! This summer will be my second year on staff at Mystic and I can't wait to be back! Mystic is awesome, I have so many fantastic memories of last summer, from cookouts to canoe trips. My favorite part of camp is team building challenges, watching new friendships being formed whilst working as a team to complete fun challenges! 





Next Friday you can find more staff introductions for our 2019 Summer Staff - HERE :) 

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Welcome back!!

Hello! 

My name is Fletcher and I was a camper for five summers, and this will be my second summer as a counselor! Last summer was awesome for me because I got to meet so many new, unique people and it helped me to be more accepting and more loving of my fellow citizens of Earth. I’m super excited to have another summer like that! I can’t wait to go on pontoon jumps and spin the wheel with all of you this summer!

Welcome back Casey!

“I have been a counselor at Mystic for 3 years and will be returning for a 4th as a village director! My favorite part of camp is seeing the growth of each camper while they are here and seeing how they grow each year or just by the end of each week. My favorite core value is responsibility because it can be used in so many different ways and I love doing a shout out when my campers are being responsible!”

See you all NEXT FRIDAY!! 

2019 Summer Staff Introductions

Hello fabulous readers — 

  

Say hello to Diana!

Hey y'all!! This is my first summer ever at Mystic! I was born and raised in Nebraska, which means that the past few summers spent at YMCA Camp Kitaki. I absolutely love doing anything outdoors and my favorite place in any camp has to be the barn! I am beyond excited to spend my summer in Michigan getting to know all you amazing people! See you soon!

Welcome back, Chris!

I was a camper for 6 years, and this summer will be my 3rd as a counselor. Heading up to Mystic this June, I’ll be most excited to conclude weekday adventures with nights of stargazing in the back pasture. An interesting fact about me is that I’m the best connect four player in the Midwest (this is unofficial but I’m sure it’s true), and that I will have no problem proving it to anyone who may be so unfortunate as to challenge me!

Hi I'm Brynne!

This will be my tenth summer at Mystic Lake. I was a camper for 8 summers and this will be my second summer as a counselor! I'm looking forward to pontoon jumps and more games of tong tag! My favorite part of camp is Friday night when I get to see the amazing impact a week at camp has had on all my campers and of course, the Bruno Story. I'm excited for another great summer at Mystic Lake and I can't wait to see you all!

Hope to see you again Next Friday !!