Adults Need Summer Camp, Too

Conferences can be a lot like summer camp. At conferences over the last decade, Darren and I have found community, made great friends and learned tough professional and life sessions. That’s why we believe in creating spaces for learning, relationship building, risk taking and visionary thinking. We believe adults need summer camp, too.

We’re fresh back from Web of Change Cortes Island. Web of Change has been a big part of our lives and is one of our favourite conferences. Darren has participated in seven events and co-organized the recent Cortes conference. I’ve been a participant and also spent the last two years as Managing Director of Web of Change, supporting and helping to build the community of leaders working at the intersection of technology and social change.

Web of Change does a remarkable job fostering a deep sense of comradeship and mutual support. It’s something we’ve worked hard to create at Capulet-run conferences, like Fireworks Factory and Northern Voice. Being in fellowship matters. It can help us be more open to new ideas and relationships. It can give us more confidence to play around with ideas, be creative and envision big goals.

As kids, summer camp can be a truly transformative experience. We leave home as one person and we come back a different one. We can also find that feeling of excitement and possibility as adults if we find the right conferences.