My name is Ben and this is my first year as a international camp counselor at YMCA Camp Matawa! Woohoo! It is my first time doing anything like this, as England doesn’t have any sort of summer camp for any young children to get away from there home life and let themselves go and have fun.

The whole idea of a summer camp appealed to myself as I completed a first diploma in sport, where I had the chance to teach kids from ages 4 to 16. I had never been to America before, so Camp also gave me a chance to see a different way of living and to get to know new people from around the world. I didn’t realize how fun and exiciting this opportunity was until I arrived to a warm welcome once I got off the bus in Milwaukee and into the world of YMCA Camp Matawa.

At first I was very quiet and a bit jet lagged, so I didn’t understand that this would be my best summer of my life at the tender age of 22 ! I got the chance each week to work with different campers from different areas, different backgrounds, different ages and with so many different personalities that all got mixed together and became one cabin by the end of every week. This really did open my eyes to what I would like to do in the future and I got to learn a lot about myself and what type of person I am. I learnt so many new skills and I built relationships with each camper and counselor throughout the summer.

Camp Matawa is already classed as my second home and I want to give that sense of atomsphere to anyone and everyone that chooses to visit or stay at camp. I am so happy to have chosen this experience and that they chose me to continue the tradition of the YMCA and I always hold the four values throughout my life Caring, Respect, Responsiblity and Honesty.

This summer was very much my first at camp but definitely not my last !

Thank You

Ben Middleman

We just finished an amazing Frontier Olympics! The kids participated in seven different events with their cabins and they had tons of fun! The results are in and the winners are….

Cup Slide Challenge: Tie for first place between Hickory East and Esker East!
Bucket Pass Challenge: Tie for first between Hickory East and Hickory West!
Cup Stack Challenge: Esker East!
Matawa Trivia Challenge: Hickory East!
Football Toss Challenge: Tie for first between Hickory East and Drumlin West!
Marble Pass Challenge: Esker East!
Plunger Walk Challenge: Hickory West!

We’re looking forward to our campout tomorrow night! We’ll be learning about the constellations in the sky and going on a nature scavenger hunt. Don’t forget to check the Matawa website for pictures throughout the week!

Today the Trekker Village will be going on their camp-out. We are super excited for the foil dinners, smores, the games, and other activities. One thing that the staff appreciate about the campouts are the starry nights and the awesome reflections that we lead. The evening reflection is about differences. We pair the campers up with other campers that they may not talk to and they initiate a conversation and learn about each other. After, the buddies present their partners to the group so that we can all learn about each other. At the end of our reflections, the campers seem to have made new friends with their buddy and realize that they can be friends with anyone. They come to the realization that we shouldn’t pass judgement and that were all different. The Trekker Campout is where memories are made!

In the Spirit of the Trekker Village

We say KNEE to you!

Wow, we had an excellent start of the week! We had fun playing some new games, singing some songs, and building strong friendships quickly. As a village, we are all excited about the Trekker Camp-Out, Capture the Flag, our three activity periods, and the greatest race in the world. This is going to be an amazing week! Keep a look out for updates about the Trekker Village!
We Say Knee to YOU!
~ The Trekker Village

What an awesome! Everyone is making friends and building new friendships with cabin-mates, village-mates, and camp in general. We started the morning with our Monday “Routine,” where your camper(s) had cabin teambuilding, village teambuilding, and their swim test. After, we rocked the dining hall with many chants and cheers for counselors to do goofy things such as: kiss the buffalo, or sing the Barbee Song. Then we settled down for a nice, relaxing rest! From siesta, your camper(s) started their daily activities! Then as we say here at Matawa, “4:15 for the rest of your life” is our free swim, where the pool was hopping! It was a pretty warm day and it was nice to have a dip in the pool! Dinner time we had Matawa’s favorite meal, TACOS! Again, the dining hall was rowdy and we had good food and even better company, our cabin-mates. From dinner, we then had cabin activities, where your child’s cabin the opportunity to have an awesome time with cabin-mates. To cap the day off, we spent it playing our favorite camp, CAPTURE THE FLAG! It ended in another tie! What a day! Your camper(s) are off to bed and we are sure they are ready for some good sleep, ready for day two of the best time of their lives!

In the spirit of Matawa ~

Your Village Directors!