Campers descending down the Hunt Trail on Mount Katahdin in July. (Photo courtesy Kieve Associate Director Caddy Brooks)
Kids go to school to educate their minds. At Kieve and Wavus, we also nurture their hearts.
Bringing people together in a spectacularly beautiful place many of you know and love, Damariscotta Lake, they disconnect from the pressures of their regular lives and foster personal growth and resilience through fun and explorative in-camp activities and increasingly challenging wilderness trips.
The summer of 2023 brought an incredible group of kids ages 8-17 hailing from nine countries and 37 states. Nearly 100 of these campers are from right here in Maine – many of whom we already had the pleasure of knowing through their school’s time at The Leadership School during the academic year.
Each of them ventured into the woods and waters of Maine on trips ranging from Hog Island on Muscongus Bay to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Appalachian Trail. For us at Kieve Wavus Education, it’s magical to watch them get to know their home state in new ways while also pushing themselves to new limits, forming unbreakable bonds with their cabin mates from all over the world, and deepening their appreciation for the wilderness.
If history has taught us anything, then these Mainers will hone skill sets at camp that will empower them to contribute positively to their own communities across the state by promoting the values of kindness, respect for others, and environmental stewardship.
Camp has officially wrapped, but our campuses in Jefferson and Nobleboro are always buzzing no matter the time of year. Starting days after summer camp comes to a close in mid-August, we begin welcoming a diverse set of mission-aligned programs for first-generation college students to veterans, LGBTQ+ youth, and so much more.
Come September, The Leadership School, Kieve Wavus Education’s school year program that teaches Maine students our experiential approach to social-emotional learning curriculum known, as EASEL, is in full swing. We look forward to a fall full of opportunities to connect with students, teachers, and our greater community.
