One of the claims often made by those of us in the camping world is that by spending time at camp, children can significantly change their lives for the better. What we generally imply is that they become more responsible, more creative, more balanced, and more resilient in their ability to live their lives and that they learn to integrate values and beliefs that they may not have access to as clearly in the non-camp world. It is clear that we provide an environment in which campers and counselors grow and change, but it may not be as easy to define how that change takes place or how we ensure that our environment will foster that change. Many of the situations that change our lives are the direct result of our interactions with a specific person or group of people who allow us to see both ourselves and the world in different ways. In moments of personal transformation, these people have a powerful impact on our perceptions — they believe in our capacity to be more than we are currently being, and they expand our perception of what is possible in our own lives and in the world.

These people are Life Changers. They nurture relationships within which others can grow and explore, and although their personalities may be very different, there seem to be common characteristics or attributes that exemplify people who have such a powerful impact on our thinking.