The weekend of October 22-24, we welcomed CRS alumni from 2019-2021 to our campus for a fall retreat! This is the first time since 2019 that we’ve had campers at Camp, and many were meeting in person for the first time if they took part in our Virtual CRS program! View our photo album from the weekend below, and in case you missed it we have the weekend saved to our Highlights on Instagram – make sure you’re following us @crs_lajf!

Our Program Director, Laura, planned a fun-filled and instruction-packed weekend that served to deepen connections and foster further growth among our alums. Camp alums came from near and far and if they weren’t able to join us in person, there were plenty of opportunities for virtual participation.

Night one started with dinner and a round of alumni-led ice breakers, ending with a bonfire, s’mores, and campfire songs! We loved sharing in these Camp traditions with the group and seeing everyone work together to find their marshmallow sticks in the woods.

We kicked off day two with a morning of instructions that were facilitated by three of our alumni — Amy, Nidhi, and Victor. Amy’s instruction was focused on the significance of cave art and how it helps us to understand the development of our society. Nidhi demonstrated how to fence, getting her group moving and interacting! Finally, Victor led a group discussion on the negative and positive impacts of social media.

After lunch, we were joined by guest instructor, Curt Anthon, who led an outdoor tai chi class. Then, one of our Camp instructors, Justin Shin, made the popular Korean candy, dalgona, which campers enjoyed while they played games.

In the evening, we had campers lead even more games and we had a big group of alums who joined us virtually for a game of werewolf. Other options were a night-time owl walk out on our trails and a Bollywood film, Three Idiots, that one of our campers wanted to share with the group.

On our final day, campers got to help add their mark to a Camp Rising Sun mosaic that was started by our board and staff members. It was wonderful to see a project come together that connects so many different people in our global community.

We had an absolutely incredible weekend! Camp Rising Sun was once again filled with laughter and activity, discussions between campers on important global topics, and connection between peers who come from all walks of life.

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible! Big thanks to Chef Alejandro who provided meals throughout the weekend, our guest instructors, and our amazing staff.

We’re grateful to all of our campers for joining us — in person and virtually — for this unforgettable retreat weekend!

Check out the photo album below: