Camp Robin Hood

Camp Robin Hood is the greatest gift a parent can give their child. It has given my girls confidence and helped them to establish positive identities, lifelong friendships and the tools to tackle any challenges life throws their way. When I asked my 9 year old to describe Camp Robin Hood she said, “Camp Robin Hood is a camp full of joy.This camp is not only filled with fun it is filled with once in a lifetime experiences.”

So glad summer is almost upon us, so I can make my annual trips to Robin Hood. I was a camper and counselor there in the '60's and 70"s, and have not missed a summer of visiting since, with this year being the 51st straight. It is a wonderful place and I have being lucky enough to make many lifelong friends there. Breathtaking views from the waterfront and terrific facilities abound!!

I worked for Camp Robin Hood last year and loved it so much I am returning again this summer and hope to continue for years to come. I worked for the infirmary on camp so I got to meet all the staff and most of the campers. It’s easy to see the staff care so much for the campers, a lot of them being Camp alumni themselves. It is such a unique and gratifying summer job. The kids’ cabins are constantly in a cycle of upkeep and improvements keeping them updated, clean, and safe. The fields, courts, waterfront, and other facilities used around camp like the dining hall, arts&crafts, workshop and more are very impressive. I went to a different camp as a kid and this place amazed me when I arrived last summer. It was more that I ever could have expected. Daily Camp life at Robin Hood revolves around so much tradition and history that after even just one year I feel like part of the Robin Hood family.

I have spent the whole summer 3 years in a row working at Camp Robin Hood. Those Summer's have been some of the best times of my life. I have met people from around the world. Friends that I still communicate with frequently. The bonds that staff form together are great and the bonds the staff makes with the campers are immeasurable. Hard work is part of the gig at camp but being able to go for a sail, pabbleboard, or a swim at the end of the day made it all worth it. Work hard, play hard is how I like to think about it. I loved my summers that I worked at CRH As a parent of 1 former and 1 present camper, I could not be more happy with the summer fun my boys had. When I did see them on camp, in between activities or in the dinning hall, my youngest was always stoked and had to tell me how much fun he had at whatever activity he had just partaken in. It is non stop activities each day for the campers. The "no screens" policy allows kids to be kids without the presents of electronics getting in the way of REAL social interactions. Both the boys didn't mind being "unplugged" for the summer. Now if I could only get them off their phones at home.

I was employed by this camp for a summer. I don't know where to start with what has to be the worst run place I have ever seen.The facilities are not as good as other camps in NH area for the price tag they are placing on it. But this problem is nothing when compared with the egotistical owners of the place. I am involved with managing a large team of my own back home, I was hoping to learn more about management styles over the summer, but all I got was a lesson on how not to do it. They want nothing to do with you at all unless you are a former camper who has lined their pockets or a mindless yes man/woman willing to do everything they say without any challenge or question. If you challenge them at all they will make you feel like you made a mistake approaching them at all. In a working environment challenge and questioning should be encouraged by management in order to improve, motivate and empower your staff yet here it is discouraged and seen as something negative. This led to many staff feeling frustrated, not listened to and felt it was a "them vs us" environment. Nearly every week the staff were left wondering if one of us were going to get fired for some crazy reason. At 2 staff meeting DC even stated "people will be fired this week". What a horrible thing to say, it is clear they have no idea about staff moral, team building, empowerment or collective action. There would be times when staff would be called to the office and we would not see them or hear from them until they contacted us off camp telling us they got fired for reasons that were often made up. When a person is fired they are often just left at a local bus stop, this was a great deal of stress for many international staff. They manage through an autocratic style of fear mongering and bully tactics, leading to a often divided staff. This management style is proven not to work in modern day structures yet they stick by it. They preach a "no bullying policy" yet when I went to them with a bullying issue happening outside of my group I was told to "worry about my own group and stop sticking my nose into places". When a young person has trust to confide in you it should not matter what group you are with, it should be dealt with regardless of what group you are with. This was just one of many examples of them not practicing what they preach. While I lasted the full summer, many times I found myself wishing to go home because of the management style but was always talked into sticking it out by fellow staff. The kitchen staff were amazing to their credit. They managed to feed large numbers efficiently and all the girls working in the office were lovely. But that just 2 of the very few positives I can take away from the experience as a whole. Its a real shame, the camp itself has an amazing location on the edge of the lake and I was super excited when I first arrived and seen that fairy tail like sunset. But behind every cover there is a story, and the story of Camp Robin Hood is no fairy tail.