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Why a Campership program isn’t enough - Anti-Racism at Summer Camp

Travis Allison

Supporting campers with financial need

Thanks to historically racist systems, the correlation between race and socioeconomic status is high. In a 2014 study, the Pew Research Center found that the average white family has 10-15 times more wealth than the average family of color, and was increasing. 

When we think about how to serve more campers of color, it’s clear that offering financial assistance is vital. Black families, Latinx families, and other families of color are more likely to be the ones who need help to attend camp. 

However, many camps offer financial support for campers who can not afford camp and then pat themselves on the back for solving diversity.

Depending on the business model, not every camp is going to be able to provide financial assistance That’s fine if that is a decision we make. BUT if we are going to offer financial assistance, just offering free tuition as a way of “increasing diversity” is not enough. 

A “campership” program alone is not going to provide all the support that some campers need.  By not giving campers all the support they need, they are not being set up for success. They will not have the amazing camp experience we want for them and they will not want to come back or recruit their friends which is ultimately our goal for any camper. 

So what else needs to happen? 

Financial aid/campership application process

First, our financial aid application process needs to be as easy and non-invasive as possible.

      • Is the application accessible for folks without access to the internet?

      • Is the application accessible to English Language Learners?

      • Do we really need to see copies of tax returns? 

Remove opportunities for implicit bias to impact decisions on who gets aid and who doesn’t. Giving aid on a first-come, first-served basis seems fair enough, but it might not work if applicants don’t know about your program at the beginning, or are unable to plan farther ahead. Not knowing what will happen to your family from paycheck to paycheck makes it much harder to plan a year or even six months in advance. 

If your camp sells out immediately when registration opens, consider holding a few spaces for these families to register when camp gets closer.

A Lottery for all eligible applicants can remove bias rather than making selections, or make sure your selection process is quantitative, with the same anti-bias practices used for hiring.

Other equipment/supplies support

Beyond giving financial aid to cover tuition or registration fees for camp, there are numerous other expenses involved in camps that might exclude campers in need:

  • Gear like a sleeping bag, swim gear, or specialized equipment

    • Set up a way for campers who need it to borrow what they need

    • Lost and Found can be a good way to stock it, as long as everything is in good condition and not obviously hand-me-downs

  • Food

    • Provide lunch and snacks for free if it is normally charged separately 

    • Eliminate differences on how campers get or access lunch or snacks

  • Transportation

    • Provide free bussing service 

    • Make sure pick up and drop off times are accessible to a variety of work schedules

A gear library is also a way to improve environmental sustainability goals. If all campers have a chance to pass on gear that is outgrown, but still in good condition, then there is no need to buy new every year, regardless of financial status.

If a camper gets free lunch at their local community center, and we provide camp but they have to bring a lunch, they still aren’t as able to attend camp. If full pay campers can buy lunch, provide free lunch for those who need it. 

Set up an allowance for them to access the snack bar/camp store so they aren’t left out if all their friends are buying snacks. This works especially well if your canteen is cashless, and you can set up a debit account for them.

Confidentiality

Set up systems so only the fewest number of people know who the campers on camperships are, limited to the accounting department, registrar, and upper directors if possible. If counselors and program directors don’t know the financial background of their campers, there is less opportunity for their internal biases to affect their campers.

To keep this confidentiality, eliminate things that only financial aid campers have to do. For example:

    • Any lists should not have financial status shown

    • If there is free transportation, have the option for paid campers to use it also, so not everyone on the bus is on campership

    • If there is a gear library for campers that don’t have stuff, make it available for anyone who is missing something.


It doesn’t do any good to leave the financial status off the rosters, if only the campership students ride a bus, and are singled out differently as the “bus kids”. 

Train counselors on how to intervene when conversations among campers might point out massive differences in the financial status of families. Some campers might feel uncomfortable with other campers talking about privileges like trips or other extravagances. 

If counselors recognize this and can redirect the conversation without focusing on the camper who feels uncomfortable, it will be a better experience for that kid. 

Finally, work some lessons on financial privilege into your general programming, but do it in a way that doesn’t single out campers without the privileges you are targeting. Activities like the “Privilege Walk” force campers without the privilege to be used as an example. Token service trips like an afternoon at the food bank can reinforce stereotypes and an “Us vs Them” mentality. But there are ways to teach campers about privilege. Teachingtolerance.org Abolitionistteachingnetwork.org and zinnedproject.org are three great resources to start teaching these topics. 

Let's go beyond a simple campership program and make sure that our campers with financial need have all the resources they need to have a great time at camp. 

~LEILANI NUSSMAN

I am a mixed-race Kanaka maoli (Hawai’i) and white summer camp director. I use she/her pronouns. I live on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish people, past and present. I speak for myself and from my own lived experience. I still have work to do.  

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A Note From Travis

We are thrilled to be welcoming Leilani Nussman as a writer on the Go Camp Pro blog! Leilani is a Camp Pro from the US Northwest and she has spent her summer as part of our Camp Mavericks discussion on Racism, Privilege and Summer Camp. I was THRILLED when she asked if she could capture her thoughts on Anti Racism and summer camp in this space.

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