From Linkin Page
John Tilley
From The Camp Coniston webpage:
YMCA Camp Coniston has celebrate over 100 years of building healthy spirit, mind and body for all. The camp is a community composed of individuals with different background and experiences. An organization helmed by local, regional and world leaders and Innovators.
John Tilley, CEO started his presentation talking about the role Camp Coniston had back in the mid-90s. They welcomed protestant and catholic children from Northern Ireland, and children with Irish heritage to talk about division and conflict in Northern Ireland. At this time, Senator George Mitchell (ME) was working to broker the peace accord in Northern Ireland. He came to meet with these children to get a firsthand account of their views about the conflict/unrest happening in Northern Ireland. John believes that this exchange for views helped Senator Mitchel eventually reach the Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998
He then transitioned into talking about the camp today. He had been asked to tell us how they are managing during the pandemic. It quickly became apparent that creativity is at the centerpiece of managing the beautiful piece of property through a crisis.
John let us know that kids from Hanover and Lebanon were in the top 10 zip codes of kids coming to Camp Coniston. He reflected on how they have missed having overnight camper on the property. They miss watching kids jump from the high dive in front of some spectacular sunsets. It seem to epitomize the carefree days of summer for kids as they challenged themselves to jump from the high dive. A reminder that children need an opportunity to grow and develop with their peer group. The kids learn rules, work to do challenges safely, and learn to trust others and themselves.
Kid who come to camp, not only learn the skills of the out of doors, but also learn simple skills like how to use a broom, to clear tables, and clean up after themselves. The children learn how to make friendships and develop strong relationships with others.
In February/early March, plans were underway to fund raise to expand the dining hall. John had headed to San Francisco to talk to a donor who was interested in helping with the project. Then the Covid shut down started. John headed to San Francisco on a fully occupied aircraft, only to return on as plane that was almost empty. It wasn’t long after that that he came to terms that the camp would not be able to function as it had in the past.
This summary from the Camp’s web news page in John Tilley’s words describes in detail what happened this summer:
JULY 2020 COMMUNITY UPDATE
It’s been almost two months since we announced the closing of Camp for the summer.
Those two months feel like years. Years of quarantine. Years until the end of school. Years of watching the world grapple with hatred, racism, and ultimately—love.
While our goal is always to work for others, it is difficult not to make these times personal—especially when it is easy to feel like all we have is ourselves.
So we have set about to intentionally bring a little light to what can feel like a very dark time.
A generous donor has enabled Camp to open this summer for Community Days at no charge. These days at Camp are open to essential workers, local families, and the community in which Coniston exists. We hope grandparents can feel safe to see their grandchildren for the first time in months. We hope families can be together and boost their mental well-being at the lake. We hope to share our beautiful facility with local day camps and perhaps help their programs with the 15 summer staff the grant enabled us to re-employ. Find more details here.
As you may have heard, the Coniston Community has banded together to make certain Camp is here in future summers. While there is still work to do on the fundraising front, another donor has stepped forward to encourage the Coniston Community to volunteer near their homes this summer. There, campers, alumni, families, and you can sponsor your favorite program area by volunteering close to home this summer. Your children can help a neighbor, your family can work in a soup kitchen, teens and college students can work to bring justice for others. Those hours will help color in a beautiful hand-drawn map of Camp and keep their program areas “on the map.”
I want to state that I am unequivocally committed to making Coniston an antiracist organization that is welcome and reflective of our larger community. To that end, we have begun to examine our training, culture, and traditions operationally. In addition, we have assembled a board committee to promote diversity, equity, and anti-racism at the organizational level.
On August 7, we will host Carolyn Finney, PhD, author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. This event will be open to community and board members and will be uploaded to the camp website so that all community members can watch and participate.
We are also preparing and grappling with opening Coniston’s five afterschool sites that serve over 200 families throughout the Upper Valley as we all prepare for what school schedules will bring this fall.
In conclusion, I look forward to the constructive changes 2021 will bring to our community. With over 800 applications already in, we can tell our families are as well. Our efforts at creating a small light during this time are reinforced by the fact that the first program to fill for next summer was a Service Trip. The concept that we can make a difference in the lives of others is one that lives in our community.
I look forward to a world where those lives help change the world in which we live.
With much love,
John
This summer the camp has served over 3,000 individuals. All of the camp’s employees and volunteers have worked to keep the community together. On one of the building facing the lake are the values of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility. These words describe what is most important to the camp community.
John shared several stories, that reflected many of the emotions we all have felt recently:
- Anxiety, related to the what’s and what ifs
- Anger and hurt due to feeling out of control
- The missing…not being able to touch and see those we care about.
It was reminder that this these thoughts, feeling and emotions are common, and ones we can work through even in the land of social distancing.
John invited all of us to consider watching Virtual Vespers. The videos can be found on the Camp Coniston’s Facebook page. Click Here
We would like to extend an invitation for you and your family to join together with the Coniston Community for our weekly Virtual Vespers.
Just like every evening at Camp, a little after 5:00pm (EST) the Camp bell rings and cabins make their way in silence to Boys & Girls Vespers. To so many Conistonians, this reflective time as we come together and sit by the lake is an extremely important time. Vespers begins by a counselor who shares a personal message or life lesson that helped shape them into the person they are today.
John encouraged us to listen to a presentation by Middlebury College professor, Dr. Carolyn Finney, author of Black Faces, White Spaces. Coniston is working hard to be a more inclusive community and willing to put in the work to get there. Click Here Finney did presentation at the camp this summer.
After a walk down to the lake, to take in the full beauty of the camp, it was time to head back to Lebanon.