Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge ISLAND ADVENTURE Slideshow

(slideshow by J. Grayson)

In the most unlikely of places - the remote North Sea island of Langeoog - 78 6th to 8th graders found a family they never knew existed and discovered a treasure trove of life lessons and friendships that will last them a lifetime during Camp A.R.M.Y. (Adventure, Resilience, Memories, Youth) Challenge's seven-day Island.

Part traditional summer resident camp, part experiential adventure immersion and part eco-awareness-based program, the second-year camp gave kids a rare opportunity to experience all the benefits of an extended family, with a healthy dose of adventure and education to boot.

"The way we design Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge is all about youth empowerment," said program director Joe Marton of IMCOM-Europe Child and Youth Services. "We've based this camp on what kids themselves want, and it's our responsibility to come up with what's legal, affordable, generates participation and is developmentally appropriate."

"This year we've added two days and heightened the technology and environmental-consciousness aspects of the program," Marton explained. "Through hands-on work with solar and wind energy projects, they see with their own eyes that energy doesn't necessarily have to come from a traditional petroleum-based energy generating system.

"We also bring home to the kids the very real impact of man on the natural environment by including a service project to clean the beach of man-made trash."

Langeoog, a six-mile-long island of pristine beaches that lies off the northwestern coast of Germany, is a walk back in time. Only reachable by ferry, the island hosts no motor vehicles, only 2,200 year-round residents and a colony of seals who bask in a hidden paradise that few Americans ever visit. It's a perfect venue for kids to enjoy and learn at the same time.

"What we're trying to do is also build life skills that will be useful now and throughout their lives," Marton said.

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Travel & Events

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• army
• challenge
• ISLAND
• ADVENTURE
• Slideshow
• CAC
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