Life Experiences at Camp
- Fostering positive decision-making skills
- Team work
- Being able to take safe risks in a controlled and structured environment
- New activities, such as dancing and singing
- Opportunities to perform in front of groups
- Opportunities to express opinions
- Managing personal belongings
- Sleeping away from home for five days
- Learning to share resources with fellow campers and learning to compromise
- Practicing “supervised” independence
- Being away from television, radios, DVDs and other media
- Opportunities to lead
- Competing in a healthy environment
Preparing Your Child (and you) for Camp
Take the time to look at and explore the Victory Junction website with your child. Show or read any available information about Victory Junction. This will allow your child to preview their camp surroundings and ask any questions about camp.
Give information about camp: Research has shown children leaving home for the first time can be given a sense of comfort by knowing crucial information such as the length of the week. Encourage your child to take on this short term challenge that will turn out to be a great experience.
Validate the feeling: There have been countless stories of children missing home at some point during their camp stay. It’s a very normal feeling! Should your child begin to show anxiety or worry, it can be effective to let your child know that many children miss some aspects of home, and there are many, great ways to deal with this feeling such as...
Bring a keepsake from home: Encourage your child to bring something from home that will help him/her cope with any unease. Be sure the item is not expensive or against camp rules (see packing list). Some great keepsakes may be pictures of family and friends, or a favorite stuffed animal or blanket.
Prepare your child for contacting home: To help prevent homesickness and promote an independent growing experience, Victory Junction does not allow children to call or email home. We encourage campers and their families to write letters to each other. Prepare your child for this form of communication and be sure to pack a supply of envelopes and writing material (postcards work great!). Victory Junction will pay for any postage on camper mail, so write away!
Words mean so much: Letters from home can be a comforting relief to a child, or they can further promote a child’s anxiety. The words you choose can make all the difference between a camper growing in independence during the week, or struggling to enjoy the experience. Be positive in your letters, encouraging your child to enjoy camp. Avoid communicating how much you miss them. This will only cause a child to miss home more.
Encourage a positive attitude: Build up the camp experience and explain to your child it may be challenging, but it will be an experience to never forget!
Avoid making the deal: The single most important method of promoting a camp experience is to not tell your child that you will pick them up the first day they do not like camp. Making this deal with your child and yourself may give them less reason to invest in the camp experience. In the event homesickness is severe, an Assistant Camp Director will contact you quickly and devise an action plan to help you and your child with this challenge!
Typical Day at Camp
Victory Junction’s schedule is packed full of fun and exciting adventures and provides campers with an opportunity to pick the activity they are most interested in performing. Although each week’s schedule varies, the following is a sample day at Victory Junction.
- 7:00 a.m. Pole Position - Rise and Shine! Pole Position is a group of program areas open before breakfast, which can include fishing, playing in the Michael Waltrip Operation Marathon SportsCenter, creating a project in Arts & Crafts or visiting Jessie's Horse Power Garage. For campers who may be a little tired, they can sleep in until breakfast time.
- 8:15 a.m. Breakfast - After Pole Position, it’s time to visit the Fuel Stop for a healthy breakfast. With a busy schedule ahead, it’s essential for campers to properly fuel up. At Victory Junction, meals are prepared family style so campers may serve their unit. Once breakfast is finished and the tables are cleaned, it is time to gear up for morning aerobics which includes dancing and stretching.
- 9:45 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. Camp Program Rotations - Each camper unit hits the trail for a new program area each morning. Activities may be adapted to campers’ abilities and comfort levels. Two program activities will take place in the morning.
- 12:30 p.m. Lunch Time - Campers join in the Fuel Stop for lunch. After the group has finished eating, campers and staff gather to hear about morning accomplishments that have been put in the golden ticket box. Lunch wraps up with everyone singing camp songs and then retreating to the cabins for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
- 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Recharge Time - This is a time when the cabins are quiet and calm to give campers time to rest after a busy morning.
- 3:00 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. Free Choice/Half Camp Water Party – Each camper and his/her counselor may select a program area to enjoy for the first half of the afternoon. Following their choice in activity, campers and counselors take a dip in the temperature-controlled water park.
- 5:30 p.m. – Cabin Time
- 6:00 p.m. Dinner - Time to refuel with a nutritious dinner and top it off with dancing!
- 7:00 p.m. Evening Program - Each evening, the program changes but with the promise that the activity will be fun!
- 8:30 p.m. Evening Cabin Routine - Campers, volunteers and counselors settle in for the evening. At the cabins, nurses will check on each camper and disseminate medications, as needed. After preparing for bed, counselors initiate a game of ‘silent bear,’ a game to see who can be the quietest while passing a bear from bed to bed until it is time to turn the lights down. Afterwards ‘cabin chats’ begin which allows campers to share stories from the day’s adventures.
Missing Home
Please visit the American Camp Association’s online CAMP resource for families,
www.campparents.org.
To help prevent homesickness and instead promote an independent growing experience, Victory Junction does not allow campers to call or email home, but we encourage campers and parents to write letters to each other. Prepare your child for this form of communication and be sure to pack a supply of envelopes and writing material or post cards. Victory Junction will pay for any mail from the camper. Due to the mail system it is recommended that you send any intended mail before camp. Mail may also be given to staff on arrival day. If you would prefer to pre-write your letters we can deliver them each day to ensure your camper receives letters from home.
Mail should be addressed to:
Camper Name
Victory Junction
4500 Adam’s Way
Randleman, NC 27317
Packing list
- 6-7 pairs of underwear
- 2 sets of sleepwear
- 6-7 pairs of socks
- 6-7 t-shirts (that can get dirty!)
- 4-5 pairs of shorts
- 1-2 pair of long pants
- 1 swimsuit (one piece suits for girls)
- 2 long sleeve shirts or light jacket
- 1-2 sweatshirts
- 1 raincoat/poncho
- 1 pair flip-flops
- 1-2 pairs of sneakers (close toed shoes) no roller shoes
- Rain wear (boots, coat, etc.)
- Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, deodorant, etc.)
- Disposable Camera (w/child’s name on it)
- Medications - IN ORIGINAL CONTAINERS
What Not to Pack:
- Radio, walkman, CD player, iPod/mp3 player
- Pets -not allowed at camp
- Food, candy, etc.
- Roller blades, roller skates, skateboards, scooters, roller shoes
- Cell phones, pagers, video cameras
- Any potentially dangerous items such as, knives, cigarettes, fireworks, matches, laser pens or lighters.
- Cash - no money is needed while at camp.
- Linens, blankets, pillows and towels (we will provide these)
- Note: If any of the above items should arrive by mistake, they will be secured until departure day. We recommend that you do not send any valuable or expensive items such as jewelry or watches.
- Victory Junction is a TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, DRUG & PEANUT FREE facility. These substances are not permitted on the grounds at any time.
Medical Emergencies
There will be at least one physician and eight staff and volunteer nurses on camp at all times during your child’s stay. If your child should become sick or injured while at camp, he or she will be treated by a member of our medical team. You will be given names and contact information for those members of the medical team that are assigned to your child at check-in. The best time to reach us is between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 1:30 and 5 p.m. while camp is in session.
Do not be concerned if a nurse is not in the office when you call. Many duties take us to different areas of camp. Please leave a message and a nurse will get back to you as soon as possible.
A member of the medical team will give you a call if:
- We have a concern about your child’s health or physical well-being at camp.
- Your child is ill or running a fever and needs to stay in the Body Shop for a good portion of the day or overnight.
- We have any question about your child’s medications or about your child’s response to a medication.
- Your child is ill or injured and we want to discuss care planning or the need for off-camp medical attention.
