Most communities are accidental. The best ones are intentional.
I've spent 40 years in summer camp as a camper, counselor, and director, studying what makes people belong, grow, and thrive. Camp figured this out long before corporate culture tried.
What We Talk About
Community
Camp creates belonging on purpose. The rituals, the shared struggles, the small moments of joy. None of it is accidental. These same principles apply to every team you'll ever lead.
Technology and AI
I believe AI makes summer camp more necessary, not less. And I believe camp professionals who embrace technology will serve their communities better. Both things are true.
Leadership
Camp is the best first job a person can have. It teaches young people to lead before they have titles, to solve problems in real time, and to care for others as a daily practice.
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Meet Matt Kaufman:
Camp Professional, Innovator, and Author
Matt's Books
The Campfire Effect: How to Engineer Belonging in a Disconnected World
What if the secret to thriving teams, classrooms, and families has been hiding at summer camp all along? This book explores the neuroscience of belonging and offers practical tools for building communities where people flourish.
Coming February 2026
The Summer Camp MBA: 50 Leadership Lessons from Camp to Career
Fifty lessons that camp teaches better than business school. For camp directors who want to develop their staff, and for anyone who wants to understand why camp alumni tend to become strong leaders.
