Camp Rising Sun Clinton
Tall trees shade the quiet driveway connecting the main areas of activity at this campground for young women, which is located in Clinton Corners, NY. Directly inside the gate, on a rise overlooking several acres of open land sits a large barn-like building where campers gather throughout the day for meetings, instruction sessions, indoor sports (there is a full-size indoor basketball court), theater productions and good conversation. Meals are served in the attached dining facilities.
Recreational fields lie beyond a dip in the landscape, leading the way to a semi-circle of cabins where campers pursue their interests in art, nature, journalism, music and other activities. At the center of the cabins is a large outdoor stage used for theatrical productions and special camp events. A beautiful pool facility is a short walk away.
The girls' tents, on wooden platforms, cluster together on a nearby hill overlooking a small lake that offers fishing and canoeing as well as ecological niches for environmental study. Numerous trails wind through the forest surrounding the lake. Immediately outside the campgrounds, the farms and residences of the township of Clinton join with village crossroads nestled in this terrain of fields and forest.
The core program:
- Team Work: Campers work together in peer-led teams to address the daily maintenance operations for the running of camp.
- Instruction: Campers may join any one of a variety of presentations offered by staff, visiting alumni, guests, or other campers on subjects including: world affairs, personal growth, leadership, philosophy, ethics, cultural differences, music, art, drama, nutrition and fitness, nature, and individual interests.
- Project Time: Campers work in self-chosen, peer-led groups on construction and other projects aimed to create some benefit for Rising Sun and for succeeding generations. Different leadership styles are modeled, project management skills are practiced, and staff and peer feedback helps project leaders and participants understand how behavior affects outcomes.
- Evening Program: Interactive programs serve the goals of mutual understanding and of intellectual and artistic development and are opportunities for leadership and fun. Most evening programs are student planned and executed.
- Outdoor Experience: Outdoor activities include hiking and canoeing camping trips, swimming, tennis, and international team sports.
- Unstructured Time: Several hours of unstructured time are available each day during which campers can enjoy a cross country jog, yoga, or a variety of sports, continue Instructions or projects, cool-off in the pool, walk and talk in small groups to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchange ideas to better understand differences in viewpoint with other campers and staff. Through informal discussions, campers grow personally and intellectually.
- July Production: A major dramatic or musical production which involves a wide cross-section of campers is performed once during each summer. The breadth and demands of the effort teach new skills and have a galvanizing effect upon the program.
- Council: Each Saturday evening a Council is conducted around a large campfire during which staff present talks about lessons learned through living, and program leaders for the subsequent week are announced. Council is a non-religious though solemn event which encourages introspection and subsequent discussions.
