Our Mission, Vision and Philosophy

Our Mission and Vision

At Camp Tuku, our mission is to provide a mindfulness approach to the camp experience for kids; a program designed to integrate the mind, body, and heart, giving kids skills early in life to help them nurture inner resilience. With a focus on developing mindfulness skills, our unique summer camp experience offers a great opportunity for kids to learn and practice simple, fun tools for the development of self-awareness, as well as practices that will enable them to respond more effectively to the inevitable stress of every-day life. At Camp Tuku, we aim to nurture the mind, body, and heart in the following ways:

MIND 

Daily mindfulness and meditation exercises encourage campers to cultivate self-awareness and open their minds to an innate capacity for peace and emotional stability. By unplugging from the mental barrage of digital media, and actively blending traditional camp activities with mindfulness exercises, kids strengthen their connection to not only nature’s resources but also the innate resources of their own minds.

BODY

Fun and engaging activities such as hiking, cooking, challenge courses, rock climbing, yoga, swimming, gardening, and music will provide campers with multiple daily opportunities to grow their self-confidence as they challenge themselves both physically and mentally. All meals will be healthy AND yummy, and campers will participate in the seed-to-table experience of growing food in an organic garden and interacting with farm life.

HEART

We offer a social-emotional learning curriculum aimed at building resilience. This curriculum is delivered through team-building games and activities. Children will learn how to better express their emotions, such as appreciation and compassion for themselves and others. They will practice how to communicate effectively and develop creative solutions in a fun and collaborative environment.

As children leave Camp Tuku, they will return to their daily lives with more confidence and an assortment of practical tools that will help them lead happy, healthy lives for years to come. They will be empowered to make conscious and deliberate real-time choices that reflect their unique brilliance. The laughter and learning experienced at Camp Tuku will blossom into friendships that kids will want to continue nurturing long after they’ve said goodbye!

Core Tenets Of Our Philosophy

Our curriculum, which has been designed with input from renowned mindfulness expert Susan Kaiser Greenland, is based on several core tenets that will help children, counselors, and staff to realize their inherent potential to be mindful, loving, creative, and resourceful individuals. They will use new mindfulness-based tools to access a wider perspective and make effective moment by moment decisions.   This will not only impact their own individual development but also make them even more compassionate and effective citizens.

Whether campers are engaged in a fun and challenging activity or simply relaxing with friends, they will be encouraged to embrace the following principles:

  • Compassion for Self – To cultivate an attitude of kindness, forgiveness, and compassion toward themselves.   Knowing that its okay to not have all the answers to all the questions and situations but to know how to go inward to calm and ground themselves to access the answers.
  • Generosity/compassion for others – To cultivate an attitude of generosity and compassion toward others, campers will begin each day with positive thoughts by wishing their family and friends well.
  • Connection to the field – To be aware of the electromagnetic field that surrounds them and obtain intuitive intelligence that could guide them to make the best moment by moment decisions for themselves and others.  They will know that they are never truly alone and will see themselves as a part of an interconnected and interdependent system.
  • Do no harm – We will create a healthy ecosystem by practicing sustainability. For example, we will tap into renewable energy sources, conserve resources, grow our own organic vegetables onsite, raise free-range chickens, reuse/recycle materials, and minimize our carbon footprint whenever possible.
  • Open-mindedness – Campers are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and observe and embrace their own unique similarities and differences without judgment.
  • Adventurous spirit – We will challenge campers to break free of their comfort zones by trying new activities.
  • Confidence – We will help campers build confidence by becoming masters of their own minds as they work to hone their skillsets.
  • Collaboration and teamwork – Using the resources provided by nature, campers will work with each other to solve problems and advance their common goals.
  • Innovation and creativity – Drawing on the inspiration found in nature, we encourage campers to cultivate curious minds that are capable of imagining solutions and creations that do not yet exist.
  • Path to happiness – We will coach campers to explore the causes and elements of happiness.