Camp Kupugani

Camp Kupugani is a multicultural summer camp for young women and young men, in girls-only, boys-only sessions and recently added blended session, with an emphasis on teaching them to recognize and eliminate stereotypes. It is located in Leaf River, Illinois and is the only private, residential summer camp facility in the United States under black ownership.[1] It is also an American Camp Association member.

History

The area of White Eagle Camp was originally timberland and included a mill, built in 1837 and now on camp property. In 1951 the 4-H Camp of Northwestern Illinois purchased 110 acres (later expanded to the present 124 acres) and created the campgrounds.[2]

Owner

The camp's owner and director is Kevin Gordon,[3][4] the Canadian-born son of Jamaican immigrants. He has a degree in psychology from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been involved with camping since 1990; before coming to Kupugani he worked at camps in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and California.[5] His wife Natasha Jackson is the food service manager.[6]

Program

Kupugani, located at Camp White Eagle, serves children age 7 to 15. It offers 2-week and 4-week sessions for girls only, 2-week and 4-week sessions for boys only, and a 2-week "blended" session for both boys and girls. The camp also offers a family camp, a mother-daughter weekend, and a parent-child weekend experience. It was originally founded as a girls' camp; sessions for boys were added in 2009, and the blended session piloted in 2016.[7]

An important feature of the camp's philosophy is its diversity education program, designed to allow children from diverse cultures and backgrounds to form a community while having fun, being empowered, and learning critical social skills. In addition to traditional camp activities such as hiking, water activities, and sports, the curriculum focuses on team-building and accessing different cultures to self-expression and self-esteem. Like most summer camps, it is "tech-free", with campers not allowed to use cell phones, computers, or iPods.[8] Kupugani has been widely recognized in the media, including features in Ebony Magazine, on the Tavis Smiley Radio program, and on WCPT Chicago radio, as well as articles in "Afrique" and "Insight News".

Membership

The camp draws its population from a wide range of children. In addition to campers from as far as Japan, Spain, and England, others have joined them from California, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia, and Wisconsin, in addition to children from the camp's region of Northwest Illinois. The campers' ethnic backgrounds are a mix: including Caucasian, Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latina, Asian, South Asian, and Biracial, including of Native American and Middle Eastern descent.

References

  1. ↑ Extensive research of the major camp associations—American Camp Association, Association of Independent Camps, Midwest Association of Independent Camps, and Western Association of Independent Camps—has revealed no private residential camp majority-owned and directed by persons of color. For a person of color to even direct—much less own—a residential camp is rare: a 2007 ACA nationwide study reveals that, of over 500 respondent accredited camps, less than 1% of directors are black, and 95% are Caucasian.
  2. ↑ "Camp History". pp. Camp Kupugani website. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Talmadge, Ashley. "Drop-off day at summer camp: Are you "parent-ready"?". Calgary's Child. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Feiler, Bruce (July 19, 2013). "The Care-Package Wars". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Camp Directors". Camp Kupugani website. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Henderson, Shirley (August 2007). "Growing Up Green". Ebony. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Kupugani Multicultural Camp". Camp Kupugani website. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Talmadge, Ashley. "Going Tech-Free at Camp: Kids Unplug and Interesting Things Happen". Valley Parent Magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

External links

Coordinates: 42°08′49″N 89°28′11″W / 42.146944°N 89.469722°W / 42.146944; -89.469722

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