Jon Kuypers, Camp Director, YMCA Camp Abnaki – North Hero, Vermont
Jon speaks with a counsellor about the fishing class as Camp Abnaki’s mascot, Mama Manzo, makes sure all is well on the dock. ILO Photo/ John Isaac When you walk into the wide open field between Madewehsoos Village and the Administration Building, the entire expanse is buzzing with activity.
Welcome to Camp Abnaki.
“When you come to camp,” Jon Kuypers says “you don't worry about the news, you don't worry about the pressures of school or family. It's a time for kids to grow and to learn how to be comfortable in their own skin. To spend time playing, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes.”
For the last 17 years, Jon Kuypers has worked as the summer Camp Director for YMCA Camp Abnaki in North Hero, Vermont, just 22 miles south of the Canadian border.
Nestled in Lake Champlain, this all-boys camp is surrounded by spectacular views of Vermont’s Green Mountains and the stately Adirondacks of New York. The name Abnaki refers to a member of the Algonquian people of Maine and Quebec.
Jon says that walking around Camp Abnaki is like “walking into the past. You see these buildings painted green white and 40 acres of grass. As you walk over the hill, you see the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain in front of you. Unlike other camps, half of Abnaki’s property is open fields.”
A camper explains the design he carved into his walking stick for tomorrow’s hike. ILO Photo/ John Isaac Jon says you can really “feel the open space” with “kids running in the fields and playing games. You can see the community that you are in. We take pride in helping the kids become a better person. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Pursuing his degree in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont, Jon spent many summers at different YMCA camps around the country. He always knew he wanted to work with young kids and when the opportunity arose, he took it.
Jon said that he wanted to “come back to camp and provide kids with an opportunity to be outside and have that summer camp experience. I guess, selfishly, part of what I do is to recreate my childhood for these kids: a time where we didn't worry much about the outside world.”
However, it is not all fun and games. Jon says “summer camp counsellors work long, hard hours for other people. You cannot think of yourself anymore. You have to think of what is in the best interest of a kid. So you do your job thinking of other people and when you do that in life that's going to make you a better employee, make you a better husband and better father when you think of other people.”
That sense of respect and personal growth is also reflected in Jon’s expectation of the campers. “I talk with the kids about our character and what values are important to us. We talk about caring for others, honesty, respect and responsibility. Our camp motto says ‘Help the Other Fellow’. This is how we build a sense of community.”
This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Camp Abnaki had to close all operations for the first time in its’ 120-year history. However painful, they knew it was the right decision for the campers, their families, the staff and it also helped keep Vermont a safe place.
Although confident of this decision, Jon said there is a big sense of loss at the camp. There are normally 900 campers and 75 staff, mostly college students, all looking forward to the summer.
“Camp Abnaki averages about 68% retention from year to year. Some sessions will have 75-80% kids that have been to camp before. We have three and four generations of campers that come here quite often,” Jon reminisced.
Speaking from his office in Burlington, Jon is still “thinking every day about the lost opportunities this summer to help kids build relationships and to get to another place, especially at a time of struggle.”
But Jon learned an important lesson during the Covid-19 lockdown. “I've learned how much the campers give me energy and motivate me. I think I always knew it and I've always been able to focus on what's best for the kids. That's what drives decisions but it's been difficult to sustain the energy without working directly with people.”
This difficult time has also made Jon and his colleagues more determined to meet the challenges ahead.
“The plan is to take the most up-to-date medical knowledge and to research what camps are doing to operate safely.” Jon believes they will “identify all of our procedures and policies soon. By looking at all the different situations we might face, we can create new policies that will help us operate effectively next summer.”
A counsellor helps his campers prepare for the next activity just before lunchtime. ILO Photo/ John Isaac For Jon and his staff, the focus is on teaching the campers skills as well as the importance of working together. “They want to be a better archer, a better canoer or a better artist. But they are also learning the soft skills about being a better person, more compassionate, understanding the importance of community and the expectation of helping other people,” stated Jon.
Looking out over Lake Champlain with a smile, Jon reflects on the experience he hopes his campers have year after year.
“I believe they take these skills back home, back to school and there they will be a stronger member of their family, a stronger member of their class. I really believe that learning to be a better person will have its effects potentially all around the world. And that's what motivates me.”
