Life at Kiniya
Our girls are grouped into two divisions based on grade and age. The Juniors, usually girls ages 9- to 11-years-old, are the youngest and our Senior girls are typically 12- to 15-years-old. Within each division, girls hike in small groups together, participate in camp activities, and are asked to meet certain standards to achieve their Camp award. Girls will compete against each other in three divisions for sports to ensure balanced competition with their age group.
The final camper year and the first year in our Leadership Development program is the Aide summer. The Aide is part of the leadership team of a cabin in a Junior or young Senior cabin and continues to participate in activities just as a camper would.
The Cabin
The Cabin is the nucleus of the Kiniya experience and each cabin is overseen by the cabin Leader, a Junior Leader or Assistant Leader, and an Aide.
The summer’s most important experiences happen in the cabin setting…vespers, overnights, cabin nights, inspection,…just to name a few. Cabins eat together family style in the Dining Hall three times a day.
In the cabin group the Leader acts as teacher, mentor, parent, sister, and coach. The cabin size, generally 6 to 10 girls to a cabin, allows for a great deal of one-on-one interaction.
Each cabin building at Kiniya is unique and brings with it it’s own personality, which makes the cabin a true home to the campers and Leaders. The cabin group truly does become a family unit throughout their summer.
Activity Time and Choice Time
Though the cabin is the center of Kiniya life, most time is spent out of it. Over our history, the Kiniya Program has evolved to offer many opportunities for campers to learn new skills. This is done through a combination of scheduled activity periods for
- Team Competition
- Individual Majors
- Arts Majors
- Wilderness Trips
However, each day also has two periods of choice time where campers can choose from any of the Kiniya Programs. For example:
- Archery
- Open Swim
- Golf
- Arts and Crafts
- Tennis
- Canoeing
Often, campers use choice time to relax in the pines making friendship bracelets or join a buddy for some waterfront activities. They may also use this time to rehearse for the Saturday Night or Wednesday Night Show.
Awards
Each division gives an “award” that recognizes campers for participating fully in the Kiniya program and working hard to live each day according to the Camp motto, “The Other Fellow First.” The Awards are designed to recognize specific age groups within the Division.
The Divisional Awards are:
- Junior Emblem
- Junior Pin
- Senior Star
- Senior Flag
Kiwi
One of Kiniya’s most well-known traditions revolves around becoming a Kiwi. Any member of the community, camper through Staff, who returns to camp for their fourth summer, becomes a Kiwi. Camp recognizes these people with our beloved Kiwi disc on a special evening dedicated to their time and commitment to Camp. This is truly an amazing experience for all and something that our campers always look forward to.
The Spirit
Every summer is commemorated in the camp yearbook called The Spirit. Click here to view our Publications page.
