How do friend requests work at camp?
When signing up for camp, campers are able to put down the names of other campers they would like to stay in the same cabin with. We call these requests “Cabin Mate Requests“.
We strongly suggest limiting these requests to a single buddy (or, at most, a group of 3 if your child is part of a strong friend trio.)
Talk With Your Friends Ahead of Time To Make a Plan
Friend requests need to be mutual. Make sure to TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS before signing up for camp, and settle on who is going to request who. In addition, if you’re signing up during Pre-Registration (and we definitely suggest you do!) you will want to make sure each friend request lists the same alternate session options. This is one reason we encourage limiting friend requests – the larger the group you’re attempting to go to camp with, the more difficult it is to coordinate with everyone.
But won’t camp be better/easier for my child the more friends they go with?
Sending your child to camp can be a little scary, and you may worry about their ability to make friends and feel included if you send them with a single buddy or on their own. But helping campers build relationships with others is one of our main priorities and focuses at camp. It’s something we’re really good at! From the moment they walk into that cabin, our staff are trained to intentionally build a community where every single camper feels seen, valued, and included.
How going with “more friends” can actually make the camp experience worse.
Going to camp with a ton of people they already know can actually REDUCE THE MAGIC of the camp experience for your child. Camp is this incredible, unique chance for a fresh start. It’s a place where your child can be a new version of themselves. They get to try new things without being stuck in the same old roles or expectations that their friends from home might have for them. Coming with a single friend means drama from school or the neighborhood gets left behind. It frees your child up to make real, authentic new friendships. And it really helps prevent those little exclusive cliques from forming in a cabin. Many of the relational issues we witness at camp are caused by pre-existing history and social dynamics in large groups of friends.
For all these reasons, while it’s awesome to send your camper here with a buddy, we otherwise recommend you allow them space to make new friends at camp. And then get ready to hear about the dozen of new friends they made when you pick them up at the end of the week!
Avoid Friend “Chains”
Chains occur when each friend within the group of requests does NOT request the same people. For example, Friend A requests Friend B. Friend B requests Friend A and Friend C. Friend C requests Friend B and Friend D. All of these requests wind up “chained” together and can lead to very large “chains” of friend requests.
VERY IMPORTANT: Chains of friends larger than 5 will be automatically split into smaller groups by the camp staff.
Avoiding chains is very simple – you just need to talk to your other friend requests and make sure each one lists the exact same group of friends.
And remember, if you’re just coming with one buddy, you don’t have to worry about chains at all. You list them and they list you!