A special day of fun-themed activities celebrating the value and impact of Kindness at Camp!

To support your camp’s involvement in Camp Kindness Day, ACA has produced a #CampKindnessDay Backpack, complete with programming ideas, FAQs, social media tips, quotes, and other information on how your camp can celebrate Camp Kindness Day. Programming activity ideas created by KindnessEvolution.

Backpack contents:

• Camp Director FAQ

• Programming Ideas and Activities

• Example Social Media Posts

• Logos and Social Media Graphics

• Join and Share Your Plans

Be part of the nation-wide evolution! Plan now to add #CampKindnessDay to your camp’s programming on July 17.

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Camp Director FAQ

Who Is a Part of Camp Kindness Day?

Camp Kindness Day is a cooperative effort between ACA and its affiliates — ACA, Illinois; ACA, New England; and ACA, New York & New Jersey — and KindnessEvolution and Kikori.

What Do We Have to Do to Participate in Camp Kindness Day?

• Schedule Camp Kindness Day into your programming on July 17.
• Help spread the word in a unified social media campaign by tagging #CampKindnessDay into your social media and other communications.

When Is Camp Kindness Day?

Wednesday July 17, 2024. On this day, camps will incorporate themes of kindness, compassion, generosity, and care into their programming.

Where Will Camp Kindness Day Take Place?

Camp Kindness Day is open to camps across the country.  In addition to incorporating themes of intentional kindness into your programming, this is also an opportunity to share the day in your social media and other communication.  Tag your posts and pictures with #CampKindnessDay so that collectively we can share the movement!

Why Is Camp Kindness Day Important?

This is an opportunity for the camp community to join together to demonstrate the great work that camps are doing to teach kindness in engaging, simple, repeatable, and high-impact ways that live on in the lives of campers and staff when they return home.  

How Can My Camp Get Started?

Access these resources below:

• a list of activity ideas you can access for free on Kikori to incorporate into your programming or customize for your camp's unique culture and “special sauce.”
• a list of ideas that you can incorporate into your programming or customize to better suit your camp's culture
• social media tips and resources

 

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Programming Ideas and Activities

Incorporate Camp Kindness Day into your programming! Use or adapt these ideas or come up with your own unique ways to celebrate Kindness at your camp! Resources developed by KindnessEvolution and Kikori.

Sign up for your free Kikori account to access all the ways to play, materials needed, SEL standards for each activity, reflections, and more.

 

Letter Writing Booth: Write to someone you appreciate and let them know why!

• Ways to Play: Scheduled activity where a counselor guides the campers through the process of thinking of people who have made a difference in their lives, directing them to identify a few specific things about the person they chose ,and writing and sending them a letter. They could get in partners and read the letters aloud to one another. They could write the letters during rest hour and be guided by the bunk counselor. They could also write a letter to someone they appreciate who is at camp and deliver the letter to them or read it out loud to them.
• Download Helpful Prompts

 

Make a Camp Video: Interview campers/counselors about kindness, or do something as simple as one group wave or pose.

• Last year, during the first ever CampKindnessDay, many camps filmed videos of campers and counselors talking about kindness to post on their own social media accounts. Some created elaborate videos, others created videos as simple as campers waving and saying Happy #CampKindnessDay. This is your chance to be creative to highlight kindness at camp.

Inspirational Rocks: Painting rocks and writing inspirational words or qualities each camper values or a quality that they appreciate most about themselves.

• Ways to Play: Organize a scavenger hunt with counselors hiding the rocks and a younger and older camper teaming up to search. Have each camper pick one inspiring word on a rock that means something to them and arrange partners so they can share about it with each other. Can also gift one of the rocks to someone else at the end of the day.
• Download Inspirational Rock Ideas

Appreciation Communication: Ways to Play

• Camp Appreciation: Tell three people why you appreciate or like them.  This could be the director, the chef, the nurse, or a bunkmate. Be specific: not just “you are kind.” But “I appreciate that you brought my plate up last week at dinner.” Write down what you appreciate about your camp, which can be used for social media posts.
• Bunk Appreciation: In the bunk, write memorable moments or qualities campers appreciate about their bunkmates, put them on stickies, and glue them to a poster.
• Counselor Appreciation: A counselor blindfolded in a room and, one by one, campers come up and put stickies on the counselor’s back and say the quality they appreciate about him or her — and glue the stickies to a piece of paper that is presented to them. Rotate counselors.

 

Storytelling "Kindness Pop Up" Tent: Read/share stories about everyday people doing extraordinary things. Stories provided by KindnessEvolution

• Ways to Play: Kids pop in and hear a story or share some stories at a morning or evening lineup. Put copies of these stories at each dining table to generate conversations over lunch or dinner. Pick favorite stories and ask them to post on social media channels #CampKindnessDay #inspiration
• Download Inspirational Stories

 

Kindess Quotes: Now in custom bookmarks

Join in this special day:  Incorporate a kindness-themed activity into your program.

 

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Example Social Media Posts

Use these posts to help build awareness leading up to Camp Kindness Day.  Customize them or create your own. Be sure to use the tags so we can get the hashtag to trend!

• Post #1: New Peace Hands Graphic
  This summer, Camp { } is excited to participate in #CampKindnessDay. We are joining camps across the country on July 17 to intentionally focus our programming around kindness.
• Post #2: Interactive — tag another camp  
  #CampKindnessDay is when friends share kindness at camp. Today we’re celebrating kindness with our friends at @ INSERT CAMP NAME

• Post #1: New Peace Hands or Backpack Graphic
  Next week, (NAME OF CAMP) will be celebrating #CampKindnessDay. Join us on July 17 as we celebrate the practice of intentional kindness at camp!
• Post #2: Interactive — Share your favorite kindness-themed GIF (GIF Challenge) and ask your audience to respond with their favorite kindness-themed GIF using the #CampKindnessDay hashtag

• Post #1: Informational w/ graphic of your choice 
  Kindness in the camp community is visible in every smile, every word of appreciation, and in countless acts of empathy and friendship. It happens every day, but we are taking time to recognize it on July 17. #CampKindnessDay
• Post images of campers demonstrating kindness at camp
  Celebrating #CampKindnessDay Today

• Camp Kindness Day — Share pics, videos, & stories of what you’re doing to celebrate #CampKindnessDay, and participate in our virtual game of tag!
• An important way to demonstrate kindness is to show interest in people that are different from ourselves and to actively listen to their story. #CampKindnessDay
• Kindness starts with thoughts. Train your mind to think beyond your own individual concerns to those of others. #CampKindnessDay
• For every individual to feel welcomed upon arrival, in the dining hall, in their dorm, and at the campfire circle. For every individual to be asked to participate, to share their opinion, to share their story and whole self. For every individual to feel valued as a member of a community. That is kindness at camp. That is inclusion. #CampKindnessDay

 

Additionally, we have several "Kindness" quotes that you can incorporate into your social media and other programming materials and activities. Download Kindness Quotes. 

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Logos and Social Media Graphics

 

Join and Share Your Plans

Let us know you are participating in Camp Kindness Day so ACA can support you with timely updates and programming ideas for your camp's participation on July 17.

Join & Share!