Camp Aurora 2016

July 11, 2016

Contributed by Tamami Sugawara

Camp Aurora 2016, located on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, was a resounding success. This year, we welcomed 66 campers, grades 4-12, from across New England, and 22 adult staff for seven days of inspiration, fun and friendship. Perhaps the best way to experience the spirit of Camp Aurora is to check out our video and pictures posted by happy campers, which may be found at our Facebook page soon.

This year, the theme of camp was “Illuminate,” which was all about channeling our God given inner light, or value, and being able to cultivate a stronger sense of self so that we can shine brightly for others. We wanted campers to leave camp feeling empowered, loved, and closer to our Heavenly Parent.

With a youth, middle, and high school camp all happening simultaneously during one powerful week, high school campers are paired with younger buddies. It is an incredible way to practice giving and receiving love. Some major buddy activities we had were a camp fire, a 75-foot slip and slide activity, capture the flag and of course, visits to the Scoop shop, a homemade ice-cream shop. The friendships that are created at camp last throughout the year and enable campers to feel what it means to be one family under God.

Our youth camp spent the week learning how to shine brightly through their friendships, their own talents, and to recognize their unique value through God’s eyes. They also had lots of fun and games!

Both youth and middle school camp groups entertained the whole camp with their skits based on Aesop’s Fables or Bible stories. Their creativity knew no bounds with the stories being contemporized, including a guest appearance by Donald Trump who was struggling with the same issues Nicodemus had 2,000 years ago. The costumes were ingenious.

The middle school camp took our theme, Illuminate, to the next level by learning about both the Bible and Divine Principle, to understand how the words can shine a light on the world we live in today. They took time to explore the current culture we live in, and how we can bring our culture of heart that we create during camp, back to home and school.

The high school camp was pushed to their limits through many challenging and empowering activities. They were encouraged to go beyond what they believed they were physically and emotionally capable of, in order to prove to themselves how valuable they are and how valuable each and every person is. They also had lots of fun with chants, watermelon polo, and sports. They left knowing their inheritance from True Parents is totally relevant to their everyday life.

Our camp was a major success. The core staff and counselors definitely had God working through them to make a life changing impact on our campers. Our campers walked into Camp Aurora shining, and they walked out of camp like beautiful beams of light.

Camp Aurora has allowed me to recognize that I can create my own story. I get to choose how to view my life and I want to create something awesome.

A huge thank you to our True Parents whose love and inspiration are the foundation of our camp. We appreciate all of our staff for volunteering to support their younger brothers and sisters. Finally, we want to express our gratitude to our sponsors for their support of the scholarship fund. You helped many campers attend camp who otherwise could not. Please check out the photos; their smiles say it all!

We are looking forward to our Winter Retreat and, of course, Camp Aurora 2017.