At Camp Southern Ground, it’s all about balance – structured mornings, and afternoons where campers get to choose their own adventure. In this blog, Chief Program Officer (and long-time Camp Director) Matty Cook shares how those small choices can lead to something big.
If you’ve ever watched your child try something new, really try, with a mix of excitement and uncertainty, then you know how meaningful those moments can be. At Camp Southern Ground, we design for those moments.
Each day has a steady rhythm. Mornings are filled with shared experiences, high ropes, archery, biking, time in the water, and time together as a cabin. There’s structure and support and a true sense that we’re all in it together.
And then, each afternoon, something shifts. The schedule opens just enough for campers to step into choice. Not every moment of the day, but some of the most important ones for sure.
Campers choose from a set of activities created and led by our summer staff, all talented, thoughtful young adults who bring their own interests and hobbies to Camp with them. That might look like a soccer clinic with an experienced coach, or a clothing design session with a fashion student, maybe some time spent learning circus arts, exploring the forest, or even building and launching rockets.
What matters most is not just what they choose. It’s that they get to choose in the first place! In those moments, something deeper begins to grow.
At Camp Southern Ground, everything we do is grounded in our 5-Character Culture: curiosity, friendship, teamwork, responsibility, and independence. These aren’t just ideas we talk about; they’re qualities we intentionally build through experience. Choice is one of the most powerful ways we do that.
When a camper chooses an activity, they begin to practice independence. When they try something new, curiosity comes to life. When they step into a group of peers, sometimes new peers, they build friendship and teamwork. And when they commit to what they’ve chosen, they begin to develop responsibility. Over time, these small decisions add up.
Campers begin to feel more confident in themselves. They start to believe, “I can try this. I can figure this out.” Eventually they’re saying, “I did this!” with pride in their effort.
They begin to understand that their voice matters, and that their choices shape their experience…today, and well into our future.
In a world where children are often guided from one scheduled activity to the next, this kind of ownership is increasingly rare. Camp offers something different. A balance of structure and freedom. Of guidance and trust. And something beautiful happens in that balance.
Campers explore. They stretch. They return to the things they love. They discover new interests… and new parts of themselves along the way. They also begin to widen their circle of friends.
Because these afternoon activities bring together campers from across cabins, friendships begin to form naturally through shared interests and experiences. Not assigned or forced but chosen.
As our founder Zac Brown often reminds us, “Everyone deserves a place where they feel seen, valued, and like they truly belong. That’s what Camp Southern Ground was built for.”
That sense of belonging doesn’t happen by accident. It grows in spaces where young people feel both supported and trusted… where they are given the chance to step forward, make choices, and discover who they are and who they are becoming.
So yes, our schedule is thoughtful. It’s structured with care. But within it, there’s space for something even more important: A young person choosing their path for the afternoon… and, in doing so, beginning to shape their own unique path forward.
