Taking Initiative

It’s hard to believe that it’s already Wednesday in the 2nd week of Main Camp! This week our theme is “Initiative,” which means acting to improve a situation without having to be asked to do so. In other words, it’s the ability to do things independently and without prompting. In our FCC Code, living with Moral Compass means taking the initiative to do the right thing, act with integrity, tell the truth, and take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Boys can take responsibility at camp by thinking ahead, leading by example, and looking for ways to help others - for example, sometimes campers take initiative by doing their cabin chores before being asked, or work on steps to further their own goals for the summer by signing up for preps and trips.

In woodworking this week, boys have already been showing initiative through the projects they’ve started. Lawton and Jack were both working on their capstone projects to achieve the level of Warrior in woodworking. Lawton was busy creating measurements for a handmade foosball table - he wanted it to be like the ones we have under the Dining Hall, but half the size. He had taken initiative to make up the measurements on his own since a template didn’t exist, and had been adjusting them as he went. When I asked why he chose a foosball table as his Warrior project, he said he wanted to make something to share with the community.

On the other side of the woodshop, Jack was taking initiative to help a fellow camper out with his wooden tray, even though he had his own project he could have been working on. Jack’s Warrior project was going to be a chess table with handmade pieces, and he had just gotten started on the first part of his plan. First was going to build a table with a chess board on the top face, and then hand chisel/sand the individual chess pieces. He thinks the chess set will be a multi-summer project that he’ll work on independently. Since Warrior is the highest progression level in an activity, it’s common for boys to spend more than one summer on a single project, displaying the responsibility and perseverance it takes to earn that level. “That Warrior project was started last year,” Jack said as an example, pointing to a giant Connect-4 board that a camper named Quinn had been working on.

Counselors shared several other examples of boys showing initiative this week. Foushee said that during their “Tri-State Trek” backpacking trip, one of the FLINT campers, Thomas, took great initiative to help the younger campers. “Sorrel campers would go to him with questions as if he were a counselor, and he would take initiative to help them out,” Foushee said. Robert had been covering Cabin 9 while their counselor Sam was off, and was impressed by the independence the boys displayed. “I saw one boy who did at least 3 morning chores, just noticing things that needed to be done and taking the initiative to do them,” he said. Robert had also been taking initiative himself, by working on the skit for Sunday’s Campfire as early as Tuesday so they could be more prepared.