KODA Camp’s Notoriously Inclusive Traditions
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Ever wondered about why KODA Camp is always mixing up teams and seating arrangements? Get the inside scoop here!
Campers with all personalities
KODA Camp Midwest is well-known for constantly working to encourage campers of all personalities and backgrounds to mingle and bond.
Over the years, several traditions have developed to encourage a camp community where campers are at least familiar with each other, if not friends with each other.
Switching up traditions
Some of these traditions include mixing up seating arrangements at meal times, switching which teams work with–or compete against–which during activities and the KODAthlon, alternating activity group sizes (individuals, pairs, teams, and the entire camp), and developing teams with diversity and inclusion in mind.
A very common question staff get is “why?”-- campers often, understandably, want to sit with their friends at meal times and do activities together and many other summer camps do not have similar traditions. The reasons why KODA Camp Midwest has these traditions all tie back to one of the most essential values that it strives for: inclusivity.
Multicultural environment spices things up
KODA Camp Midwest brings together campers and staff who are all similar in having at least one d/Deaf parent, but have differences in other areas of life. Campers and staff may come from entirely different places–including other countries like the UK or states from across America–which makes the KODA Camp community multicultural. A big difference influenced by someone’s culture (and their parent(s)’ culture) that causes passionate conversation each year at camp is regional signs. Campers and staff often debate over which regional sign is “better” or makes more sense, like the signs for “pizza” and “cereal”.
Camp attendees also differ from each other in age, gender, interests, preferences, and hobbies just like any other group does. KODA Camp Midwest encourages campers to hang out with others who differ in these respects in order to foster an inclusive environment where each camper feels safe and comfortable to be authentic to themselves and discourage the formation of cliques.
In each team, you will find campers with different ages, skills, personalities, and backgrounds, which provides a valuable learning experience to each camper. Through developing diverse teams, campers learn how to work together with people who are different to them towards a common goal, work to their strengths while developing skills challenging to them, and celebrate the unique qualities each person brings to a group.
Meals and KODA Talk
Campers aren’t only encouraged to be inclusive in their teams, however. During mealtimes, their seats are also often switched around so that the same campers don’t sit with each other too often. Staff members also sit with different campers each meal so that they can get to know everyone.
While developing friendships is one of the major goals and highlights of KODA Camp Midwest for many campers and staff, encouraging everyone to talk to people other than the friends they have already made fosters an open-minded, empathetic perspective and even new friendships that might not have been expected.
This is especially the case when it comes to discussions during KODA Talk, where sharing and hearing other perspectives and experiences are great opportunities to bond over unexpected similarities and learn more about the beauty in our differences.
In conclusion: Why do we do this?
Overall, KODA Camp Midwest’s traditions are invaluable to the camp experience and are some of the most important efforts made towards the continuous improvement of inclusivity in the community. Camp wouldn’t be the same without these traditions welcoming every camper to shine and flourish!
Want to learn more about KODA Camp Midwest’s focus on celebrating all K/CODAs?
Check out our policy on transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse campers and what KODA Love and being a K/CODA really means to the camp community!
About the Author
Clarice is a volunteer for KODA Camp Midwest who focuses on social justice practices. They attended as a camper for three years, were a CIT in 2019, and still wholeheartedly love KODA Camp! Clarice lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota and studies psychology. In their free time, they love drawing, writing fanfiction, watching anime and video essays, hiking, and cooking new and challenging dishes.