Camp Highlander

Camp Highlander is a residential summer camp in Mills River, North Carolina devoted to the growing and nurturing of boys and girls ages 6-16 in a safe, fun-filled, and electronics-free environment. We are deeply committed to our families and our mission. We work hard to ensure the safest, most meaningful, and most exciting summer camp experience through our personal attention to every camper, our love for each camper and through our caring and competent staff.

An intentional and sound philosophy is behind everything we do at camp. It begins with an emphasis on inclusivity and kindness, parents and campers can feel a unique sense of community the moment they arrive. And because kids learn better when they are relaxed and having fun, we make sure that they are growing in ways and developing new skills more effectively than they could at home, in school, or through organized sports. Using fun and outdoor adventure as our delivery system, we focus on the Camp Highlander Core Values:

Courage - Dare to be Brave. Courage is found within you and realized through the support and love of those around you. Dare to be brave, try new things, stand by your friends. Be selfless. Be aware of the needs and interests of others.

Honesty - Speak Truth in Love - Honesty builds trust. Trust is the foundation of our family. Be kind to others, honesty is shown in our actions not just words. Speak and communicate in truth and love to your neighbor. Clear communication creates a safe space. Explain the “why” so others understand.

Integrity - Respect Yourself, Others and Nature - Integrity builds confidence. Respect yourself, others and nature. Lead by example.Win with integrity. Lose with integrity. Live a life of moral conviction, worthy of modeling. Choose a positive attitude.

Faith - Seek Truth and Believe - Seek truth and believe. Never stop dreaming. Faith is the ability to receive, find and make meaning in our lives. Faith is being certain of what is not seen and sure of what we hope for.

Love - It’s our mission. We seek for every person to leave camp having loved others and feeling loved by others. We do this by modeling forgiveness, promoting truth, holding campers accountable to be their best and implementing the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We always invite and include campers to participate and join in the group. Everyone is created equally with no favorites.

And we use our adventurous program and carefully designed cabin experience to help campers achieve nine valuable outcomes:

1. To always be safety minded. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
2. Have an increased sense of emotional safety and positive mental wellness.
3. Have an increased sense of environmental safety & conservation awareness.
4. Help foster a sense of belonging for everyone
5. Have increased social skills and positive relationships.
6. Have an increased sense of independence and decision making opportunities
7. Have an increased sense of responsibility for oneself and responsibility to others
8. To have experienced the opportunity of challenging activities
9. To have experienced growth and progression in skills, knowledge and abilities.

Outstanding Counselor Role Models
Our counselor team is at the heart and soul of camp. More than just counselors, they are mentors, role models, and friends to our campers. Many counselors return year after year, and all new staff go through a rigorous hiring process (background checks, (2) in-person interviews, references and social media stalking), plus an intensive online and onsite training. With Camp Highlander’s small, personal size and family atmosphere, the relationships that are forged between counselor and camper are tremendous.

Personal Attention - The Importance of our Cabin Unit
There is no getting lost in the crowd or feeling alone at Camp Highlander. A typical session includes 280 campers and more than 140 staff and leadership team members. There are enough campers for each camper to make a lot of new friends from all over the country and the world, but our community remains small enough that we get to know every child well. Our 8-10 person cabin unit are arranged by gender, age and grade so everyone is able to maximize friendships and fun. Our campers are treated as unique individuals and we work extremely hard to make sure no one falls between the cracks.

Coed and non-denominational
Because boys and girls learn differently and have different programming and social needs, we separate programs by gender. We are distinctly a girls camp and a boys camp. The boys and girls programming is integrated at meal times, and for all camp-wide events.