Leadership campers in helmets and harnesses in front of the 12-foot Wall
Ages 15–17 · by application

Leadership: your turn to lead.

For older campers ready for more: serving the community, taking on big challenges together, owning your care, and setting the example for the younger kids.

What is Leadership?

More than camp. A chance to step up.

Leadership is a separate program for campers ages 15–17. You still get the pool, the cookouts and the camp traditions, plus a week built around service, teamwork and independence.

Serve Leadership spends mornings off site, giving back to the community around camp.
Grow A teambuilding challenge every afternoon, building up to the 12-foot Wall.
Own your care Keep learning at Med Ed. Some Leadership campers are still learning to infuse, and that’s okay. There’s no rush.
Set the example Younger campers look up to you. Help lead Word of the Day, hand out the daily snack, and help run kickball.
Teamwork in action

Every challenge takes the whole group.

Leadership campers build trust one afternoon at a time, from walking the boards to the 12-foot Wall, and put it to work on morning service projects.

Leadership campers working together to walk a set of wooden boards across the grass
Walking the boards: the whole line moves together, or nobody moves.
Two lines of Leadership campers facing each other with arms out for a trust fall
Trust falls: every pair of hands matters.
Leadership campers boosting a teammate as he reaches for the top of the 12-foot Wall
The 12-foot Wall: everyone helps everyone over.
Leadership campers in front of the Meridian Fire Department after a service project washing the fire trucks
Service project: washing the fire trucks at the Meridian Fire Department.
A Leadership week

Service in the morning. Challenges in the afternoon.

Here's what a recent Leadership week looked like. Service partners and Med Ed topics change from year to year.

Monday
Morning Meridian State Park
Afternoon Low ropes
Med Ed Self-infusion class
Evening Movie night
Tuesday
Morning Service project: BARK
Afternoon Trust falls
Med Ed Med Ed
Evening Cookout at Stargazing
Wednesday
Morning Service project: Helping Hands Food Pantry
Afternoon Escape room
Med Ed Getting ready for adult care
Evening Kickball & barn basketball
Thursday
Morning Service project at Camp John Marc
Afternoon The 12-foot Wall
Med Ed Rest & get ready
Evening Party Night, CIT graduation & closing campfire
Traditions & jobs

Some things are just for Leadership.

Years of camp traditions build up to this. These are the moments younger campers can't wait to be old enough for.

Opening & closing campfires Leadership starts and ends the week around a campfire at the fishing pier.
Snack crew Leadership organizes and hands out the daily snack to the whole camp.
Word of the Day & kickball You help lead Word of the Day and help run kickball for the younger cabins.
Cabin visits Leadership visits every cabin to tell younger campers what the Leadership program is all about.
A helping hand at Med Ed Younger campers who want help from an older camper can get it from Leadership.
Welcoming the next class A pizza party with the graduating 14-year-olds, next year's Leadership campers.
What comes next

From camper to CIT to counselor.

At 17 you become a CIT, and the CIT year is built to get you ready to be a counselor at 18.

Ages 15–17 Leadership Serve, grow, and lead for up to three summers.
Age 17 Counselor in Training CITs arrive a day early for counselor training, help lead the Leadership group, and graduate at Party Night in front of the whole camp.
Ages 18+ Counselor Lots of our counselors came up through Leadership. Come back and give the next kid the camp you had.
How to apply

Ready to lead?

Space is limited, and your application is how we get to know you. The first step in being a leader is owning it: you fill out the application yourself, then a parent reviews it and signs the permission forms with you. Application details come through camp registration in CampDoc, starting with your hemophilia treatment center.

15, 16 or 17 by the first day of camp
A patient at a participating hemophilia treatment center
Your Leadership application, in your own words
Two recommendations from teachers, coaches or community leaders (not relatives or friends)
A $25 service project fee that you earn yourself, through chores, a job or other work. It pays for the week's service projects.
Everything in by May 31. Complete applications are considered in the order they arrive.
How registration works