Schedule

These weekends are designed for Counselors and Staff to work alongside the Board to get Camp ready to open each year.  We invite individuals, organizations, and groups to volunteer for the work day on Saturday.  9am-4:00pm on Saturday includes donuts & coffee, a pot luck lunch, and lots of laughs while you work.  Counselors and Staff will lead various projects around camp that day like staining cabins, raking leaves, picking up sticks, or organizing program areas and supplies.  Sometimes we are assisting the board with larger projects like installing landscape timbers, gardening, or repairing buildings/equipment.  Around the work day, counselors and staff will brainstorm special days, do some counselor training, and other fun things to get the program ready for the new season.

These volunteer weekends are a great way to meet new staff, catch up with friends who live farther away, and just “get your camp fix” to reboot for the new season.

Register for Volunteer Weekend #1

These weekends are designed for Counselors and Staff to work alongside the Board to get Camp ready to open each year.  We invite individuals, organizations, and groups to volunteer for the work day on Saturday.  9am-4:00pm on Saturday includes donuts & coffee, a pot luck lunch, and lots of laughs while you work.  Counselors and Staff will lead various projects around camp that day like staining cabins, raking leaves, picking up sticks, or organizing program areas and supplies.  Sometimes we are assisting the board with larger projects like installing landscape timbers, gardening, or repairing buildings/equipment.  Around the work day, counselors and staff will brainstorm special days, do some counselor training, and other fun things to get the program ready for the new season.

These volunteer weekends are a great way to meet new staff, catch up with friends who live farther away, and just “get your camp fix” to reboot for the new season.

Register for Volunteer Weekend #2

Leadership and Counselor Workshop focuses on life skill development for young adults.  Our theme, clinic & general session speakers are selected, recruited, and organized by a group of our seasoned Counselors,  Camp Staff/Board Members, and Leadership alumni.  These leaders volunteer time over the winter months to help plan the sessions, theme, and Day of Service.  Leadership Workshop can be a life changing experience for those who really commit to learning and sharing with their peers.  Leadership speakers will help each of push the boundaries of our comfort zones, encourage us to look at the world from different perspectives, and help us understand our impact on communities we are part of at Camp, and in the outside world.

Leadership Camp is also the training week for our Volunteer Counselor pool that helps us make magic for younger campers all summer long.  If your emerging leader thinks they would like to move into this next step at VBYC please reach out with questions.   New counselors must be entering 9th grade next fall, submit two letters of recommendation, and a personal essay to be eligible.  These documents can be returned in the spring just prior to season opening.

Register for Leadership And Counselor Workshop

Great Bear is a wonderful week of outdoor adventures and socially interactive growth for children in grades 3-6.  This is typically a full session so energy is high and Camp friendships are fueled by crazy shenanigans supervised by our amazing Camp staff.  We spend most of our days outside – exploring nature, playing games, swimming, boating, and all of the other amazing classes and activities that a traditional camp experience should include.  Great Bear has been a favorite of families for generations.  All of the classes listed are offered during this early youth session.

Service projects are incorporated into each session of the summer with age appropriate activities and issues discussed.

Register for Great Bear Early Youth

Wolverine for campers grades 5-8 is designed to give youth an opportunity to learn about themselves and meet new friends while enjoying a slightly more challenging program.  An opportunity to explore involvement in Leadership/counseling will be a very small part of the week with an option for more focus for those interested.

Traditional Camp classes and Special classes – classes offered by Camp staff to give more exposure to skills learned in other classes or completely new ideas focusing on an area of special skill they have –  offer Wolverine campers a unique opportunity to get to know the staff a little better.

Service projects for this age group will explore ideas about ways they can make a difference in their school and community.

Register for Wolverine Middle Youth

Little Bear is a mini 3 night camp designed for children in grades 1-3. It gives young campers a taste of camping fun without the anxiety of being away from home for “a whole week”.   Program is adjusted to accommodate the abilities of this young group.  For instance, the waterfront will be open for swimming and water games, but there will be no canoeing and kayaking for this group unless they sign up for a special activity. Target skills will not use bows or rifles, but sling shots, rubber band “guns”, and other fun stuff at the Frustration Station (rock throwing range).  Eye hand coordination, dominant eye, and other activities that teach kids how to aim/throw/shoot at things in a safe way will be the focus.

Little Bears spend most of their day in creative play, singing, dancing, exploring outside, and making new friends.  The Little Bear sessions are so much fun and bring joy to staff and counselors in ways that lift us up and rejuvenate us!  The staff has been especially happy that we added a second Little Bear session towards the end of summer.

Register for Little Bear #1

This four day workshop is for your high school age child who is up for a real challenge and possesses an adventurous spirit. Enrollment is limited to those who have attended our Leadership Workshop in the past AND been a volunteer Counselor in one of our traditional programs at least once. We volunteer, brainstorm ways to improve programs for VBYC, and get to know each other on a different level.

We really missed the counselors at the 4th of July parade last summer, so we look forward to walking with them in the parade this year.  We will most likely spend some time in South Haven after the parade, eating ice cream, walking the beaches, and talking to locals along the way.

If your emerging leader was not able to attend the Leadership and Counselor Workshop, this session will allow them to participate in the training required to come back for another session as a CIT or Counselor later in the summer.  Reach out to mail@vbyc.org with any questions about this amazing session.

Register for Advanced Leadership

This is the “sister session” to our Frontier week.  Discovery will be a challenge in living together with a diverse age range and a journey of self-discovery.  Pushing boundaries, trying new things, and exploring our natural world.  Special Classes for this session will be created with the idea of completely new experiences at Camp in mind.  Special Classes allow campers to get to know our staff on a more personal level as the ideas are staff generated and focus on discovering new things, looking at things from new angles/perspectives, and growing leadership skills for their age group.

*Youth enrolled in Discovery and Frontier may also enroll in Sleep Over Saturday.  The Saturday between Discovery and Frontier will be limited to 40 campers.  The program will be altered slightly to include games, meals, and other fun things that we can’t do with a whole camp.  We will spend a lot of quality time together on Saturday, along with some much needed rest time, while we prepare to greet our Frontier friends on Sunday.

Register for Discovery Middle Youth

Only for those enrolled in BOTH DISCOVERY & FRONTIER

The Saturday between Discovery and Frontier will be limited to 40 campers.  The program will be altered slightly to include games, meals, and other fun things that we can’t do with a whole camp.  We will spend quality time together on Saturday, along with some much needed rest time, while we prepare to greet our Frontier friends on Sunday.

Register for *Sleep Over Saturday

Frontier is the “sister” camp to Discovery.  This week of traditional camp program will branch out into even more outdoor living skills – especially fun for the more advanced camper. Nothing dangerous, we promise!  A great session for new campers as well – this program offers exciting activities, fun, and adventure for everyone.

Special Classes for this session will be dominated by frontier skill building like rope tying, reading a compass and a map, dipping candles, or exploring our 60 acres of nature trails.  Fire building, canoe tripping, water filtration, and emergency first aid are examples of topics we’ve used in past seasons.

*Youth enrolled in Discovery and Frontier may also enroll in Sleep Over Saturday.

*Youth enrolled in Frontier & White Pine may also enroll in Sleep Over Saturday/WP.

Register for Frontier Middle Youth

Only for those enrolled in BOTH Frontier & White Pine

The Saturday between Frontier & White Pine will be limited to 40 campers.  The program will be altered slightly to include games, meals, and other fun things that we can’t do with a whole camp.  We will spend quality time together on Saturday, along with some much needed rest time, while we prepare to greet our Frontier friends on Sunday.

This additional overnight gives campers in this age/grade group the opportunity to stay at camp for three weeks in a row!  Reach out to mail@vbyc.org with questions.

Register for Sleepover Saturday/WP

White Pine is a great session for adventurous souls.  Traditionally an early leadership session, we focus more on the fun and hide the learning inside team & individual challenges, games where critical thinking and leadership develop, and allow them some more input into additional activities that can be offered.  As we build on existing skills, introduce them to new ones, and engage them in creating fun program ideas, we live and breathe camp values and accomplish goals together.  It sounds like work but it is all fun all day long.

While we have taken the “focus” off of the leadership learning, we will still offer opportunities in CIT training for those interested in  the chance to come back at Little Bear 2 or Explorer as a volunteer junior counselor.  This has become a fun way to dip their toes in counselor training topics and experience a leadership role at camp at a younger age.

*Youth enrolled in Frontier and White Pine may also enroll in Sleep Over Saturday.  The Saturday between Frontier and White Pine will be limited to 40 campers.  The program will be altered slightly to include games, meals, much needed rest time, and other fun things that we can’t do with a whole camp.

Register for White Pine Middle Youth

Little Bear #2 is a mini 2 night camp designed for children in grades 1-3. It gives young campers a taste of camping fun without the anxiety of being away from home for “a whole week”.   Program is adjusted to accommodate the abilities of this young group.  So the waterfront will be open for swimming and water games, but there will be no canoeing and kayaking for this group  unless they sign up for a special activity.  Target skills will not use bows or rifles, but sling shots, rubber band “guns”, and other fun stuff at the Frustration Station (rock throwing range).  Eye hand coordination, dominant eye, and other activities that teach kids how to aim/throw/shoot at things in a safe way will be the focus.

Little Bears spend most of their day in creative play, singing, dancing, exploring outside, and making new friends.  The Little Bear sessions are so much fun and bring joy to staff and counselors in ways that lift us up and rejuvenate us!  The staff has been especially happy that we added this second Little Bear session!

Register for Little Bear Two

Explorer will help children in grades 3-7 grow socially, physically and emotionally through recreational activities, cabin challenges, and all camp activities. The Explorer session is for those who want a crazy last hurrah for their summer.  We will continue to learn and improve upon camp skills, encourage leadership, and build community, but with a specific focus on nature and outdoor living skills. This includes the opportunity for an overnight at our property down the road…now called Yonder Way…sleeping in a screened in pavilion or tents outside, making tasty treats over the open fire, and spending REAL quality time in the great outdoors.  This is something extra the campers sign up for – no one is forced to participate. (But they get to use the nicest bathhouse….shhhhhh!)

NOTE:  This session ends on Friday at 5pm

Register for Explorer

Take time for just YOU! Join us at VBYC for a weekend of fun, fitness and renewal. We will offer a mixture of traditional camp activities, craft classes, fitness activities, and free time. Enjoy delicious meals and sleep in rustic cabins with detached bath facilities. Cabins sleep a maximum of nine. We have so many activities packed into one weekend, it is hard to do everything.  The most important thing is that this becomes your weekend.  Relax and kick back with a book and only come out for meals, or jump in and do it all.  It’s up to you!

21 and over please.

Reach out via mail@vbyc.org if you have any questions!

Register for Women’s Wellness Weekend

This mini-retreat is specifically intended as a fun weekend for the folks who counseled this summer.  We will spend some fun chill time together just catching up, review the summer, and get a head start on planning for 2024.  All activities and meals included throughout the weekend although we may ask for donations of snacks and such to support all the fun. We will also follow up with folks interested in joining the VBYC Ambassador Program/Leadership Planning Committee.  VBYC in the fall is spectacular – you won’t want to miss this!

Looking forward to our 3rd annual Cider By the Campfire that Saturday – feel free to join if you are staying in the area.

Again this session is only for those who volunteered as a Counselor for one or more sessions this season.

We look so forward to spending this time with you!

Register for Counselor Reunion Weekend 2024