Why Choose Kamaji?

1. You can actually act like a KID!

Be goofy, be silly, be you…

It might mean wearing a tutu or a fake mustache to your activities. It often means a spontaneous sing-a-long in the Dining Hall or skipping to the washhouse- this is NORMAL at Kamaji.

2. You choose the activities you want to take every week.

Sometimes at home kids are defined by being a “soccer player”, a “dancer” or a “theater kid” … Kamaji allows you to be SO much more than that. Our campers enjoy trying all different activities. If you want to try horseback riding for the first time and you decide you love it, you can sign up for it every week after that.

If you discover you LOVE ceramics, great, you can keep signing up for it! Kamaji girls don’t have just one “thing”; they can LOVE the waterfront activities AND art AND dance AND the climbing wall!

3. The counselors are like Cool Aunts.

Kamaji counselors are great. They will be the first ones to jump in a mud puddle with you after it rains, be your buddy down at free swim or let you dress them up in a ridiculous costume to wear to dinner. But they are also the first ones to give you a hug if you look like you need one. They are the ones to talk to if you don’t feel well or if you miss home. You are never alone at camp.

Typically, about half of our counselors grew up at Kamaji so they know the ins-and-outs of camp; the other half might be new to camp and can relate with EXACTLY how you feel! Like I said, Kamaji counselors are the greatest.

4. You learn to do a LOT at Kamaji.

The activities are fun to do but they are also fun because you are learning a new skill. It feels rewarding to accomplish something you’ve never done before. In our sailing program you will learn how to actually rig a boat and sail it by yourself (eventually!).

As a new waterskiier, it is so fun to learn how to stand up on your skis. It is so exciting when you learn how to shoot your arrows to hit the target in archery. One of our goals is that you know more on the last day of camp than you did on the first.

Kamaji is not a competitive environment but we do like to celebrate your accomplishments, whether it be climbing to the top of the climbing wall, passing the swim check or skiing around the lake on one ski!

5. Camp Kamaji has Tribes! 

Everyone who first comes to Kamaji is initiated or joins one of our six tribes. Each tribe is represented by a color of the rainbow: Red (Ishkaday), Orange (Waubun), Yellow (Mundahmin), Green (Metig), Blue (Geshig) and Purple (Nanahtahga). Once you join this tribe you are part of it for the rest of your life!! Tribes are made up of girls and counselors of all different ages and cabins. Tribes are all lead by campers, it is a wonderful leadership opportunity and connection for campers all across camp.

We try to do something with our tribe at least every other day. Sometimes it is a meeting after lunch to learn a new song or we get together after dinner to play goofy relays. Not only are you connected to the other girls in your tribe but you connect with over 100 years of young women who attended Kamaji before you!

6. It is OK to come to camp and not know anyone.

It can be scary going away from home for the first time and not knowing anyone at camp- but that won’t last long! We LOVE that girls from different schools, different cities, different states and different countries all come to Kamaji. Kamaji helps you make connections with campers and people in many different ways.

First, you will get to know the girls you live with in the cabin (who are your age). Then, when you choose your activities, you will be mixed in with campers of all cabins and ages, so you can meet new people throughout your activity day. We also have a different all-camp Evening Program each night so there is a chance to meet other campers and do fun games with them then. And don’t forget, we have our Kamaji tribes! It doesn’t matter if you are one of the youngest members of your tribe, you can be friends with some of the oldest girls in camp. There are lots of ways to meet friends at Kamaji, and we help you to do that.

7. Kamaji celebrates Courage. 

It can be hard to do something new or different. And sometimes it is scary because you worry about what other people will say or what they will think of you. It takes guts to get up on stage to sing a song or perform in a dance. We recognize this at Kamaji.

If you forget the lyrics or if you mess up your dance steps…you’ll hear the audience sing along with you or clap along to the music.

When there are campers that are working hard to learn how to swim, you’ll see other campers (whether they are cabinmates or not!) coaching them and yelling encouragements from the docks. At Kamaji, we celebrate the courage it takes to do each of these things! This is one of the reasons people say Kamaji is the camp for “nice girls”.

8. Kamaji has fun camping trips.

Every Kamaji camper goes on an overnight camping trip with their cabinmates, counselors and a Wilderness Trip Leader. Most of these trips are canoe trips and they are designed to be fun for that specific aged camper. Our campers find this a great chance to spend time in nature, discover new strengths and skills, bond with their cabinmates and cook over the campfire. Lots of memories and laughs happen on these trips.

If you love camping, you can sign up for other trips too! We have hiking trips, climbing trips, horseback riding trips and kayaking trips. You can sign up for these trips if you like the activity and can participate with girls from all different cabins. Our campers really enjoy their camping trips but are also excited to come back to camp to return to their in-camp routines.

9. Kamaji has really fun All-Camp Programs.

Every night we like to do something as a whole camp. Each night is a little bit different. We have been known to host Carnival Nights, an all-camp Mud Run, Capture the Flag, World Cup soccer games, Candyland Night, Sponge Wars, a Color Run and we have a Campfire program each week too. No matter what it is, it is always fun and a great chance to do something all together.

10. We, the Directors, want you to love camp as much as we do.

Camp Kamaji is a family. Kat grew up at Kamaji as a camper, a counselor, a Unit Director, and then as the year-round Associate Director for 10 years before choosing to run it with her husband, Jason. Kat knows nothing else as well as she knows Kamaji!

Kat works every day to ensure that her campers have the same fun, safe and memorable camp experience that she had.

While Jason did not grow up at camp, he decided camp, Kamaji specifically, is so important that he made it his full-time job. He has seen firsthand how special the experience has been for Kat and wants to be part of creating that for campers now. Plus, Kat and Jason feel camp is SO important, that they are raising their children, Caleb, Felicity, and Ethan at Kamaji…(Caleb and Ethan, just until they are old enough to go to their own boys’ camp!)

Kamaji is quite literally run by a family and we want you to be part of it too. It takes a village, join ours!