Operation Purple® Teen Camp @ Spark the Wave
All dorms and activity rooms are now fully AIR-CONDITIONED!
What is camp all about?
Camp is an intensive 6-day program (July 18-23rd) of leadership development & communication, military-themed elements, community service, environmental education & stewardship, team building activities, and summer fun! This camp brings military children together for an exclusive camp experience in a healing and enriching environment.
Who can participate?
All teens who have completed 7th grade through 11th grade are welcome at camp. Campers are the children of all Service branches, as well as the National Guard and Reserve, and the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration—and is offered free of charge to all participants.
Where does it take place?
This camp is held on the beautiful campus of Villanova University in Villanova, PA. The university is 20 minutes west of Center City Philadelphia in the historic Main Line area. All dorm rooms and activity rooms are fully air-conditioned. To learn more about Villanova University, go to www.villanova.edu.
What skills will you learn at camp?
- Effective communicatio
- Group leadership
- Motivating team members
- Planning and marketing a great volunteer event
- Getting a group to work more efficiently
- Increasing the impact of your group in the community
- Fundraising and budget planning
- Conflict resolution
- Diversity awareness
- Personal and group evaluation
- Presentation skills
- Understanding personality strengths/weaknesses and how to use them to your advantage
- Confidence to know that teens CAN and DO make a difference!
Who teaches these skills at camp?
This is a unique peer-learning environment and 3/4 of our staff are experienced high school and college student leaders! We keep the lecturing to a minimum and teach most of the concepts through a range of small group activities.
What is the average camper like?
There is no average camper! Spark the Wave prides itself on recruiting a diverse mix of participants and staff. Our participants come to us from a broad geographic, demographic, and economic pool. In addition there are youth with parents in every branch of service. We have found that exposing teens to young leaders from varied backgrounds creates a more comprehensive and dynamic learning environment. This diversity prepares teens for real-world experiences and helps to develop their communication and team-building skills.
Will we do community service at Wave Week?
Volunteering and service are very important aspects of a camper’s experience. Immediately, we ask our camp participants to put what they’ve learned into action. Through a series of service projects participants learn not only the value of service but begin to understand what it takes to plan and execute a successful volunteer project.
Will I get community service credit for attending this camp?
Many middle and high school students are required to perform a certain amount of community service hours before graduation. Spark the Wave offers up to 40 Community Service Hours for participation in our camps. In less than a week, you could completely fulfill your community service requirements!
A Typical Day
The daily schedule gives students a mix of learning, group projects and free time to spend with new friends. There’s also a lot of social time, a dance, talent show, and of course service projects where you’ll get to put what you’ve learned into action!
