Fostering the environment for students to make friends is always one of the most rewarding tasks for a camp counselor. For parents knowing that their son/daughter will make friends at camp provides tremendous peace of mind. At Nordic Terrain Academy we are proud of friendships that are grown at camp and are excited when campers still maintain close friends years later, even if their studies take them around the world.
We understand that no activity will replace the excitement of making new friends. When a child returns home to their parents one of the first questions asked is “did you make any friends?” We want each child to shout out with joy “Oh, YES!!” Many of our counselors went to summer camp themselves and many of their closest friendships began in those camps.
As the world moves to be more globalized, a network of friends from several cultural backgrounds allow your son/daughter the opportunity to experience a world of knowledge. At Nordic Terrain Academy we fully embrace a global and diverse camper population. It is through this diverse experience that one of our key leadership qualities can be achieved – empathy.
Best friends are the friends that can empathize with you the most. Those friends see the world through your eyes and can stand by your side providing support and care. A key characteristic of NTA’s leadership training program will be teaching camps to see the world from different perspectives. Sharing a room with campers from Spain, Japan, USA or Norway is an exciting experience that will connect campers for years to come.
Our staff is a perfect example of the success a group of international friends can have. Hailing from countries around the world and connected through the love of education and adventure, our counselors provide a perfect example for young adults to model. With counselors and friends around the world each student will experience a true international community.
We love hearing from former campers that stay in touch with camp and the friends they made in Norway. Mr. Santori our Head of Economics received this message from a former camper during his time working in Switzerland “All is well in university, although I do miss camp. We still have our whatsapp group and we are meeting up in Boston in May. Thank you for a wonderful summer, I can’t believe how close of friends we all became” (camper, 2017). It is these messages that mean the most. The joy of friendship gives you the strength to face any challenge, in school, at work or in your personal life.
Imagine the last day of an amazing two weeks at camp, all the experiences are still fresh in your memory, you sit on the dock watching the Nordic summer fade across the lake, surrounded by new friends that feel like old ones. You feel a surge of confidence that one day no matter where you go to university you will make friends, that you can always contact, reminisce and catch up with in the near future. The world seems a little smaller and far less scary.
Justin Santori
