Fantastic Friday

Blue skies and a fresh breeze, after some welcomed cooling rain today. After waking up to this morning, we loved the breakfast including sausages and French Toast and juice. Energized for the day, the campers moved on to their team activities on a day focusing on positive self-image (and no mirrors!). The LITs visited some seniors at a local senior center with the seniors enjoying the girls' conversations and songs! This afternoon had camptivities including pool, crate stacking, aerobics, mud volleyball, and shrinky dinks in arts and crafts! Another great day!

I'm alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic...I'm alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic! Goooood morning folks! The weekend is nearly upon us, as is the heat we have been expecting and looking forward to as a reason to do even more water activities! Adrienne's currently on a secret mission to cover the mirrors at camp so the ladies can feel empowered and recognize that inner beauty is of critical importance. Here's a clip of the positive team building they've been doing already!

Hot fun in the sun at camp!

Announcement time...announcement time...listen to Kupugani, it's announcement time!!! It's Thursday already? Wow, camp is going so fast! Early bird nature walk was lovely and peaceful, and there is already talk about who is going where for activities this afternoon...looks like water activities will be popular today as the temperature keeps on rising! Well, team time has started, so I'm off to enjoy the girls empowering themselves in the morning with stand-ups and leans!! Yaaaaaay camp!

Another great day in the books!

Hello hello! Another awesome day at camp--amazing weather, with the girls shining like the hot sun!! A productive morning was spent learning about conflict resolution; the girls used great "I statements". Pool time, crate stacking, fishing, tie-dye, and challenge hike comprised the fun afternoon activities,

and then Natasha made a great dinner of mac and cheese, rice, barbecue chicken sandwiches, and cornbread...yum! Well, the campers have been sleeping for a while, and it's getting time for me as well, night folks speak to you all tomorrow. Hey Ho, Kupugani's got soul! G'night! xxx

Teams, camptivities, and great evening activities make our day!!

A great first full "regular" day at camp...river walking and floating, fire building, rock climbing, archery and pool time! Camp Kupugani...these days just get better and better, no wonder we all love camp! And, after Natasha's tasty lasagna dinner, we all continued our bonding with Diversity Bingo and cabin time

. Time for bed! J Catch you all tomorrow xxx

Kupugani 2012 Has Begun!

Yee hah!!! Camp Kupugani 2012 is here! The campers arrived yesterday, having a nice potluck with families, before hoisting the Camp Kupugani flag to fly high. Later that evening, we had a beautiful opening campfire. Today, the girls enjoyed their first full day in their summer homes :) A busy schedule...Today, there were swim evals, camp tours, and morning and evening group activities. Natasha's homemade baked chicken for dinner; WOO HOO! Camp is back and better than ever!

why we celebrate instead of tolerate

tol·er·ate [tol-uh-reyt]

"to endure without repugnance; put up with"

"to experience, undergo, or sustain, as pain or hardship"

"to endure or resist the action of without serious discomfort"

"to allow to be or to be done without prohibition, hindrance, or contradiction"

Examples of TOLERATE

Our teacher will not tolerate bad grammar.

I can't tolerate that noise.

The government cannot tolerate lawlessness.

How can you tolerate such laziness?

These plants tolerate drought well.

I don't like my boss, but I tolerate him.

Those are a few quick examples of some online dictionary definitions of tolerate.

For me...

I tolerate the strong smell when passing by newly fertilized corn fields.

I tolerate the expressions on certain faces if I'm somewhere where I feel unwelcome.

I tolerate when people make rude comments.

I tolerate intrusive questions when made with ill-intent.

I tolerate the seemingly interminable wait times when on hold with certain large companies on the phone.

I tolerate when people make inaccurate assumptions about me.

Ask you can see or feel from reading the above. “Tolerate” doesn't have a very positive connotation. That's why at camp we prefer to set our goal higher—to “appreciate” difference, “cultivate” free thought, “celebrate” those who may not share similar surface characteristics.



Instead of “enduring with repugnance” or “tolerating” those who have a different look, we celebrate them.

Instead of “resisting with serious discomfort” or “experiencing pain or hardship” when presented with an alternate viewpoint, we appreciate the different perspective.

Words and how we use them make a difference. They shape our experience and help define our outlook. By “appreciating” and “celebrating” instead of tolerating, we can go a long way to empower everyone, not just those who look, talk, and think similarly. A world where difference is celebrated instead of tolerated is a world I'd like to see everywhere.