Our Mission
“Kupugani” is
a Zulu concept meaning “to raise oneself up.” The fundamental point of Camp Kupugani is—in
a residential camp setting—to expose girls of varied backgrounds and ethnicities to each other.
Living, playing, and working together are the best teachers of instilling bonds of friendship and trust.
They represent an important step towards breaking down societal barriers that prevent positive interaction.
Camp Kupugani provides a safe atmosphere where children are individually empowered via enhancing their
communication skills and engaging in community building. By way of carefully selected program activities,
we bestow upon them the tools to maximize their potential, free of the sometimes-limiting restrictions
of school and predisposed social patterns. At Camp Kupugani, girls will have fun while changing their
world.
"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." - Audre Lorde
The Core Values
- Excellence (Do your best)
- Personal development / empowerment (Be your best)
- Community (Show your best)
- Fun
- Safety
- Environment
These values guide our decisions, activities, actions, and expectations of campers and staff. Each one is connected and related to each other. They are concepts we live by everyday.
Excellence (Do your best)
We strive for the best and encourage others to do the same. We have high standards and bring with us a great deal of knowledge, expertise, and commitment. Camp requires a spirit of cooperation and a positive attitude. By having a staff of caring, moral and ethical role models, as well as a program that demonstrates tolerance and acceptance while still providing clear limits, we allow campers to excel.
Personal Development / Empowerment (Be your best)
At camp, everyone learns important life lessons. By planning healthy, developmentally appropriate activities and learning experiences, in which campers make discoveries through experiential education, we encourage healthy risk-taking and challenge each person as an individual. We build confidence and self-respect by providing suitable structure, strong moral and ethical role models, and opportunities to learn physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and social skills. Campers enhance their personal sense of security and strengthen their self-confidence as we provide opportunities for leadership and personal growth. Each child is uplifted by our youth-based empowerment practices that support autonomy and take children seriously.
Community (Show your best)
Camp friendships
are based on honesty and a deep sense of caring. As a result, campers and staff alike develop the most
meaningful relationships … ones that last a lifetime. You learn the true meaning of community
while at camp. You feel connected with others and gain respect for each person. We celebrate the uniqueness
that each individual brings to camp but also realize the common ground that we all share. By providing
caring, support, and guidance, we maintain an atmosphere that enhances supportive relationships. We
also ensure that every camper enjoys the opportunity to belong by providing training for cultural competence,
sensitivity to inclusion, programming that enhances cultural understanding and interaction, and recruitment
practices that result in diverse staff and campers.
Fun
Enthusiasm and a positive attitude at camp help create a fun, energetic, spirited, environment. Our staff leads the way in providing tons of contagious liveliness each day!
Safety
Safety is our top priority. We ensure both the physical and psychological safety of our campers by providing safe and health-promoting facilities, practices that increase safe peer group interaction and decrease confrontational interactions, and training to address put-downs, bullying and harassment. We model behaviors that accept and affirm all. Additionally, as an ACA-accredited camp, we comply with ACA standards for certification, as well as state and county health and safety regulations.
Environment
We take seriously our relationship with the environment and convey that attitude to our campers. In addition to providing learning opportunities through experiential education, we teach the campers service to the environment by modeling good practices that are respectful of the world in which we live.