At Camp Lapham, each morning begins with family breakfast, daily announcements, and ?shout-outs.? Leaders then perform service (site clean-up, equipment set-up, etc) before transitioning to two morning program blocks: one ninety-minute block of Leadership U, and one ninety-minute block of Land Adventure. After mid-day lunch and siesta, teens participate in two afternoon blocks: Community Action and Water Adventure. Components of these leadership and outdoor education blocks include:
?. Leadership University (LU): curriculum focused on supporting youth to develop essential skills related to critical thinking, personal agency, collaboration, resilience, self-regulation, and a growth mindset.
?. Land Adventure: hiking, ropes courses, mountain biking, archery, and wilderness adventures which reinforce SEL skills introduced during LU blocks.
?. Community Action (CA): builds greater understanding of social issues and how they impact youth perceptions of themselves, others, and the world.
?. Water Adventure: instructional and recreational swimming, boating, fishing, and paddle boards.
Participants wind down the afternoon with C5 Café, when the entire cohort gathers for coffee-house style poetry readings, inspirational quotes, musical performances, and shout-outs?all student-developed and student-led. Dinner is a celebration of the day and almost always involves a spirited dance party and friendly performance competitions. After an hour of free choice time, the Evening Program begins. This curriculum integrates LU and CA content; teens engage in such multi-day leadership and teamwork challenges as Restaurant Wars, the 24-Hour Production, and the Costume Ball. The day concludes with Insight, a student-led discussion that reflects on the day?s challenges, successes, and lessons learned. Teens then have a half-hour of quiet reading or personal time before lights out at 10:00pm.