The Bubble of GRP

By Anne Izard on February 28, 2017

“Bubble” doesn’t usually have a good connotation in the context of communities, but I think GRP is a wonderful bubble, one that I’d love to see expand far beyond the Green River Valley. To me, the bubble of GRP is a kind of utopia where campers and staff embrace the basic Woodcraft Laws written long ago by Ernest Thompson Seaton of the Boy Scouts of America. These four values of beauty, truth, fortitude, and love are what sustain the stability and growth of a community. If we GRP’ers share these values with others, then perhaps the bubble can grow…and not seem so much like a bubble.

To me, the values are common sense, and they are circular: beauty and fortitude, for example, seem to start with the self and then resonate with others, while truth and love seem more initially outward-oriented before being understood and embraced within oneself. Each value connects with others, and each invites different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to come together. That’s the value of community, and I like to think that we can use these basic Woodcraft Laws from GRP to enhance our other bubbles near and far. It’s just one reason we say ‘I’m my best me at GRP.’

Written by Camp Dad, David M.

Anne Izard

Anne has worked at Green River over the years at summer camp, expeditions, and the school programs as a counselor, expedition leader, mentor, and program director. Anne’s related camp experiences include working as a counselor and program assistant at Camp Ton-A-Wandah in North Carolina, an expedition leader for Wilderness Ventures and an environmental educator and expedition leader for the Teton Science School. Prior to returning home to GRP, Anne was the Director of Education for the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton, Colorado. Anne and her husband, Steve, are both actively engaged in the American Camp Association, The Association of Environmental Education, and The North Carolina Youth Camp Association. When Anne is not working, she can be found trail running, paddling, cycling, or backcountry skiing with her husband Steve, their sons, Phen and Hawkins,daughter, Alida,and golden retriever, Irie Bird!