The final day of Camp Swift-Session 1 began with a quick and delicious breakfast for our campers and counselors. As soon as their final meal at camp was over, each cabin engaged the many superhero powers they've been developing over the last week and came together to work as a team to clean camp and prepare for the journey home. 

This week was a fun-filled, superhero themed opportunity for our youth to learn more about the personal characteristics that they can grow in to become the person they want to be in the future- their own personal superhero! Each camper spent time individually exploring the endless possibilities of their potential as well as learning new life skills like character building, goal setting, and how to work better in a team through improved friendship skills. 

Using their improved friendship skills, the campers worked together and participated in numerous programs focused on developing the tools necessary to effectively work together towards a common goal. From rescuing their dessert from the clutches of the Riddler to determining the best ingredients for a stellar superfood smoothie, cabins of campers loved working together to achieve a common goal. 

​Each of the values that are intentionally weaved into the Camp Swift programming add value to the lives of each camper and are values that will benefit them even after they come home and throughout their everyday lives. Although we say a tearful goodbye to the first session of Camp Swift, campers and counselors look forward to staying connected throughout the school year through the Swift Out-Of-School programs and events. We hope you'll also stay connected with us by following our  blog !  

Today started with a healthy and delicious breakfast. Campers enjoyed a Chef Zane specialty; Breakfast Burritos with homemade salsa, and hashbrowns. The campers say the breakfast burritos are "awesome"!  The morning's activities were jam-packed with Superhero Capture the Flag for our oldest unit; science, ropes course, and the rock wall for our middle unit; and canoeing for our youngest unit at the lake. 

​For lunch, our campers and staff will be enjoying another Chef Zane specialty, made-from-scratch chili! Like with all meals campers also have the healthy option to try out the salad bar and/or a bowl of fresh fruit salad that includes honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon, and oranges! Y-U-M!

The final afternoon of activities at Camp Swift included Shaboogie and cabin time for the oldest campers, “Water Wars” for the middle unit and canoeing for our youngest cabins. Each camper wrapped up their last activities of Camp Swift with a ton of fun and excitement. 

The last night of Camp Swift is a very special night. It is a celebration of the highest level! The campers were invited to Café Swift for dinner where the dining hall was transformed from an everyday mess hall to a magical superhero themed adventure dinner. The room was completely decorated throughout with the superhero theme. All of this was in anticipation of the Camp Swift Carnival!

Camp Swift Carnival is a night filled with games, dance parties, and prizes. Every camper gets to participate in the fun. At the end of the evening, the entire Camp Swift community gathered for one of the final highlights of camp –  The Camp Swift Video! The video is a montage of pictures, videos and songs from the past week of adventure and excitement. Once the night wound down, each cabin went back to their bunk to reflect on their memories they made along with the friendships they will have forever!

Today is the first full day of Camp Swift! For breakfast, the campers had delicious eggs, turkey bacon, hash browns, and fruit. After breakfast, campers returned to their cabins to get ready for Golden Broom. Golden Broom is a program that focuses on responsibility, teamwork, and goal-setting, where cabins compete to win the Golden Broom. In order to win, campers must work together to make their cabin as clean and organized as possible, while also showing creativity for the judges. As a bonus, it helps make sure that campers keep track of their belongings throughout camp. 

​Throughout camp, cabins participate in Shaboogie, a special Camp Swift program that teaches campers about the superpowers that are already inside them. Campers create their own superhero and participate in activities that showed campers how the superpowers they already have can help them achieve their goals in life. It is a program that campers love and often one of the most meaningful programs at Camp Swift. 

While the campers were having fun all morning, staff members were busy preparing special cabin time programs like Water Olympics and Water Balloon Battleship. After a busy morning and lunch, campers had rest hour. Rest hour is a time when campers get to know each other and prepare for afternoon fun! ​

Throughout camp, campers get to go to a lake in Prescott and go canoeing! Groups will spend either a morning or an afternoon on the water, learning how to paddle and playing games. For many of our campers, this is the first time that they get to go canoeing, and an opportunity to build teamwork skills and their belief in themselves. The best part of canoeing is that campers build stronger relationships with their cabins! The oldest boys and girls and were out on the lake today. 

The youngest unit had unit time in the afternoon, where they had Water Olympics! There were four events as part of the water Olympics, including water balloon toss, slip n’ slide, the frozen t-shirt game, and one top secret water sport!

The youngest unit’s night program is called The Riddler. It is a superhero themed program, which builds teamwork skills as well as problem solving skills. Youngest unit completes a series of riddles to save dessert from being taken by the Riddler! The oldest unit’s night program is called Infinity Stones, where campers work together to retrieve stones that represent the core values of Swift. Campers build relationships with their cabin through problem solving and believe in their own abilities more and more throughout the program. The campers even get to use their own superpowers to help collect the stones!  As the first full day of camp wraps up, all campers and counselors are eager for what's to come tomorrow...the best day of camp for many...GRILLED CHEESE DAY! Don't forget to follow all the fun around lunch time tomorrow! 

"Fun is just the start" at Swift Youth Foundation and first session of Camp Swift is off to a great start! The Support Staff kicked off this action packed week in Prescott, AZ around 12:30 PM on Thursday and from the moment these awesome adult volunteers arrived, food was being prepped, programs were being organized, and relationships were being formed. 

Every camper was assigned to a cabin and learned about their new super powers. For lunch, Chef Bubba and support staff prepped penne pasta with the choice of bolognaise or veggies. Campers also had the option to enjoy a salad and fruit. Activities began right after lunch, from meeting new friends to taking a trip to Keppies, the free clothing and necessity store. Once acclimated, cabins began programs at the ropes course, gaga pit, swimming pool, and art where campers made their own tie dye. At each program, staff works to bring in the idea of “perceived competence,” the ability to create a plan and execute it.

Before dinner, campers cheered their favorite camp songs and learned new ones. Youngest and middle unit enjoyed a burger bar in the lodge for dinner while oldest unit set-off for the overnight where they enjoyed hot dogs and s’mores under the stars. Youngest unit ended the night with the Infinity Stones evening program and middle unit took a trip through the Riddler program. Camp Swift’s staff goal for 1st session is making ordinary moments extraordinary (MOME), check back each evening during Camp Swift for just how we make the ordinary, EXTRA-ordinary!