And in a phenomenal show of in-camp networking, we’ve found that these new, Pandemonium-inspired friendships have a waterfall effect when one camper meets a friend in their color wars team, they can then introduce their whole cabin to that new friend, and so on, making the whole community infinitely more interconnected.Ĭolor wars have a long and rich tradition in the summer camp world, with most camps adapting their own individual style and beliefs into their version of color wars. While decorating their team’s site, preparing for the fun and games, and learning cheers, everyone gets to hang out with people they might not cross paths with on a regular day. Though of course we have a lot of great, all-camp events throughout the session, the Pandemonium teams offer a fantastic way for campers to make new friends without being overwhelmed by camp’s all-together size. The purpose of those cabin trips is to not only show campers the joys of exploring nature, but also to create a shared experience amongst their own little unit to bond them together.Īfter the cabins and villages have had these opportunities to feel really comfortable and friendly on the smaller community scale, our color wars event is a great way to broaden that scale a bit.
Each cabin group will have experienced the minor ups and downs of living together by now, and about half of the cabins have gone on their cabin trips.
By this mid-point of the session, the cabin groups have come together really well. Teams are purposely created to offer a diverse, melting-pot style roster of campers and staff so that everyone has a chance to branch out and meet people of different age groups and backgrounds. The entire camp woke up feeling ready to take on Pandemonium with gusto! After dressing in their team colors, each camper met up with her Pandemonium team to learn cheers and get to know their team members. While there is the usual brand of color-coordinated-to-the-extreme outfits, lots of singing and cheering, and funny games, there is also the constant and underlying theme of “Color Your Days Bright.” The whole camp divides up into five teams: Red Hearts, Orange Suns, Yellow Stars, Green Clovers, and Blue Fish. During Pandemonium, the entire camp takes a two-day hiatus from projects and the regular schedule for some special events. It so perfectly sums up what Birch Trail is all about, and seeing the campers integrate that philosophy into what they do at, and take away from camp brings me great joy. Pandemonium centers around one of our favorite sayings here at camp: “Color Your Days Bright.” The phrase is painted on signs, printed on t-shirts, and repeated almost daily here. But, we can tell you that the ceremony is really, really cool and that it helps bring the whole camp together in the spirit of unity and fun that pervades every aspect of the Pandemonium experience. Because it’s a special camp secret, we can’t tell you the details of course. A gloriously warm summer night ushered in the magical, secret ceremony that kicks off the two-day event. Pandemonium 2011 has begun! No, I’m not referring to the general state of fun and excitement that exists at camp pretty much all day, every day, but 1st session’s color wars extravaganza, called Pandemonium.
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