With just over two weeks left until the Campers drive down Camp Road to CSL, I can’t help but think about the programs that will be taking the campers out of camp this summer and into the nature that surrounds us in the Fingers Lakes and Upstate New York. I believe that these out of camp experiences are amazing opportunities for our campers in order to see the world around them and see the great things that nature has to offer.
Last summer was my first year at CSL, I joined the Tiyulim program as the assistant director. I was extremely excited for the chance to participate in the revamped program and put my skills in outdoor education to work. I was nervous starting at a job I had never done before at a place where I had never worked before, but by the end of my first summer at CSL I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my time any other way.
The anticipation for this summer has been driving me crazy since October when I signed on for another summer at CSL. I’ve put a countdown on my phone, letting me know how many days, hours, and seconds it would be until I arrived. Whenever I had a free moment I would look over last year’s materials considering what we did well, and what could use improvement. As the days passed I would get increasingly excited for the potential the program has. At the first of the year, Aaron and I started talking about hiring a staff. I met with some great people and have 4 amazing young men to help lead this year’s trips. All of them have a background working in camps, as well as having a concentration in school in outdoor recreation, natural resources, or environmental science. They are all extremely capable of helping move the program to bigger and better places.
In April I started planning for the summer, I would spend my afternoons at the JCC deciding on what trips to take and what the campers would be learning while on their adventures. CSL is very lucky to be located in such a beautiful area, the local state parks are a great asset to the program, I look forward to exploring them to their fullest potential. I cannot wait for the campers to experience the extended trip to the Adirondacks and take in the amazing views from atop one of the peaks, right down to the Cayuga group campout where some of the campers will experience their very first night of sleeping in a tent.
I have been in camp mode for weeks now, the countdown is almost to zero...and that’s only the beginning.
See you soon,
Josh Van Horn
Tiyulim Director
Last summer was my first year at CSL, I joined the Tiyulim program as the assistant director. I was extremely excited for the chance to participate in the revamped program and put my skills in outdoor education to work. I was nervous starting at a job I had never done before at a place where I had never worked before, but by the end of my first summer at CSL I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my time any other way.
The anticipation for this summer has been driving me crazy since October when I signed on for another summer at CSL. I’ve put a countdown on my phone, letting me know how many days, hours, and seconds it would be until I arrived. Whenever I had a free moment I would look over last year’s materials considering what we did well, and what could use improvement. As the days passed I would get increasingly excited for the potential the program has. At the first of the year, Aaron and I started talking about hiring a staff. I met with some great people and have 4 amazing young men to help lead this year’s trips. All of them have a background working in camps, as well as having a concentration in school in outdoor recreation, natural resources, or environmental science. They are all extremely capable of helping move the program to bigger and better places.
In April I started planning for the summer, I would spend my afternoons at the JCC deciding on what trips to take and what the campers would be learning while on their adventures. CSL is very lucky to be located in such a beautiful area, the local state parks are a great asset to the program, I look forward to exploring them to their fullest potential. I cannot wait for the campers to experience the extended trip to the Adirondacks and take in the amazing views from atop one of the peaks, right down to the Cayuga group campout where some of the campers will experience their very first night of sleeping in a tent.
I have been in camp mode for weeks now, the countdown is almost to zero...and that’s only the beginning.
See you soon,
Josh Van Horn
Tiyulim Director
