Kevin Gordon

At Camp Kupugani, our multicultural overnight summer camp in the Midwest (in Leaf River, IL, two hours west of Chicago and 75 minutes south of Madison, WI), we are all about parents having positive connections with their children. Connecting with your child can sometimes be hard.  Sometimes you might feel compelled to focus on teaching them “life lessons” and less just enjoying your time with them. Well, you can have both!  Bullets below from a recent article from iMom, with the full article available by clicking here.  Find a “fishing […]

At, Camp Kupugani, our multicultural overnight summer camp in Leaf River, IL–less than two hours from Chicago, IL and Madison, WI–we believe in helping parents provide their children with the tools to be productive and self-sufficient.  Generally, as proponents of independence and empowerment, children (and adults) should strive for positive behavior not from fear of punishment nor desire for a reward, but because they intrinsically want to do what is right.  ParentSpeak: What’s Wrong with How We Talk to Our Children–and What to Say Instead, by Jennifer Lehr, provides a […]

At our residential multicultural summer camp in the Midwest–located less than two hours from Chicago–we urge girls to be the best they can be while empowering other girls to do the same. Although we now have blended- and boys-only sessions to complement our girls-only sessions, we started with a single two week girls-only camp in 2007. We take great pride in helping our girls maximize their own and others’ potential. Indeed, especially when society can impose additional challenges that come from men and boys, this world needs women who are […]

Our summer camp located in the heart of the Midwest makes empowering our campers our number one priority.  Culling from a recent article, we summarize a few tips on how to help empower your child to become a strong self-advocate. Minimizing your own involvement while helping your child be involved in her/his own education is key to helping them grow and be ready for life after they leave your home’s cozy confines.  Bullets below, with the full Washington Post article at this link.  Teach your kids how to advocate for […]

At our Midwest summer camp (west of Chicago), we try to create a community that functions like a good family. The best families recognize that there should be intentionality to help make that happen. A recent article from Tesh.com underscores some strategies that work well to create loving and respectful households. Bullets below, with the whole article available at this link. #1: Share your family’s story. Helps kids feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. Knowing what the family has gone through and overcome, prepares kids to face […]

As a parent of a pre-teen, a director of a summer camp, and as a person who wishes he could have done even more to stop bad things from happening to good people, events of the past few years have in my mind, served to normalize sexual assault. As a parent of a pre-teen, a director of a summer camp, and as a person who wishes he could have done even more to stop bad things from happening to good people, events of the past few years have in my […]