As you may have heard, Camp Nor’wester is in the middle of a big community survey.

It’s a chance to hear from all kinds of Nor’westers community members — current campers and staff, parents and grandparents, alumni and volunteers, donors and friends, folks who were on the island this summer and folks whose last summer at Camp was a very, very long time ago.

But you might reasonably be wondering: Why are you asking all these questions?

And perhaps even more importantly: Why are you asking them now?

Sometimes you just need to ask.

Over the years, we’ve heard from plenty of people who have something to say about Camp.

Sometimes it’s a big thing. Sometimes it’s a tiny thing.

Sometimes it’s, “I loved this part of Camp so much.”

Sometimes it’s, “Have you ever thought about doing this differently?”

Sometimes it’s, “I’m not sure if anyone else feels this way, but…”

Well, maybe someone else does.

One of the funny things about being part of a community that stretches across nine decades is that there are a lot of experiences out there. We can’t know them all. We can’t even know all the stories.

The survey is an invitation to share those thoughts. Not because we expect everyone to agree, but because understanding where our community sees things differently, and where there is common ground, is valuable.

The survey is one way of opening the door and saying:

Hey. What do you think?

2026 2nd Session Archers - Photo by Harlan

So, are we changing Camp?

Nope.

The intention of this survey is not to hand the community a list of decisions and ask everyone else to make them for us. The Year-Round Team and Board of Directors are constantly thinking about what Camp needs and where we should focus our time and resources. We have identified priorities of our own.

But we are also a relatively small group within a very large community.

And the world has changed since Camp was founded in 1935. The needs of young people (both campers and staff) have changed, too. Even looking back just five or ten years, there are things about the world around Camp that are different.

So this survey is a chance to pause and check in.

What has lasted? What still feels essential? What values have made Nor’wester what it is? And how do we make sure we’re adapting to a changing world without losing the things that make Camp, Camp?

One respondent put it this way: “Thank you for continuing to care. I think some of the questions in this survey are up to you to answer and prioritize instead of asking the community to do so via surveys.”

Yes. We agree!

These are questions we are constantly asking ourselves. But we don’t want our own experiences to be the only ones in the room.

Especially because the Nor’wester room is a very big room. We don’t want to make those decisions based only on our own experiences. Nor’wester stretches across generations and geography, and we want to make space for all of those perspectives.

Okay, but… why now?

Why take on a project like this right at the end of summer, when the Year-Round Team is still recovering from the busiest and most hectic time of year?

Because we care.

And because summer is fresh.

Whether or not you were at Camp this year, we hope there were moments this summer that made you think of Nor’wester - whether it was connecting with a friend, hearing waves crash, or enjoying a quiet sunset. For those who were on Johns, the memories are especially fresh. We want to capture some of that while it’s still close enough to the surface to remember the little things — the things you loved, the things you questioned, the things you’d change, and the things you hope never change.

For those who were at Camp this summer, we also send a post-summer survey every year. That survey focuses specifically on the immediate experiences of campers, guardians, and staff. If you were a camper, guardian, or staff member this summer, please take that survey - each version is linked above. We’d actually love for you to do that one even more than the larger community survey! Camp is for the campers. We place enormous value on the experiences of our current campers, families, and staff, and their feedback helps us understand what this summer was really like.

Taking a rest on Turtle Head (Orcas Island) - Photo by Harlan

A community that spans generations

One thing we’ve loved seeing in the responses so far is just how wide the Nor’wester community is.

More than half of respondents have been involved with Nor’wester within the last two years. But nearly 15% were most recently involved more than 20 years ago.

We need both perspectives.

If you haven’t been to Camp in decades, what made you stop and take the survey now? What stayed with you? What lasting impression did Nor’wester leave? And if you were to reconnect today, what might that look like?

Those questions are just as interesting and important as what someone who was at Camp this summer has to say.

Camp is for the campers. But campers become staff. Staff become parents. Parents become grandparents. People become volunteers and donors and board members and camp friends. They tell their nieces and nephews about Nor’wester. They introduce a friend to Camp. They bring their family back to the island.

We get new campers and staff largely through word of mouth. In a very real way, the strength of the entire Nor’wester community helps make Camp possible.

Community sand connection are at the heart of Camp Nor’wester. We want that connection to continue long after someone’s summer days on the island are over; we hope that this survey helps us understand what the looks like for folks.

Community members from many generations share a dance at Nor’wester’s 90th anniversary celebration in April, 2025 - Photo by Lars

What are we hearing so far?

There are still several days left to complete the survey, and we expect the picture to continue changing as more responses come in. This is a community survey so we want to give the community a chance to understand the results.

When asked what Nor’wester does well, outdoor experiences are at the top of the list, followed closely by a sense of belonging and community building.

When asked where Camp could improve, affordability is number one.

People are also interested in staying connected through expanded volunteer opportunities, alumni trips, and regional meet-ups.

And when we asked what makes Nor’wester special, a few trends have started to appear (they might align with what you already expect). People talked about longstanding traditions, the technology-free environment, immersive outdoor experiences, Cultural Connections, personal growth, rustic living, and strong community relationships.

There is a clear desire to preserve the authentic atmosphere and core values of Nor’wester for future generations.

At the same time, many respondents see opportunities to make that community even more accessible and connected. Suggestions have included strengthening diversity and inclusion, maintaining and improving infrastructure, increasing financial aid, raising Camp’s visibility, and creating more ways for alumni to engage.

So perhaps the message is something like:

Keep the good stuff. Make room for more people. Keep growing. Don’t mess up the magic. (We’re paraphrasing, of course.)

Word cloud depicting the top answers for Question 6: If you could describe Camp Nor'wester today in one word, what would it be?

And what about giving?

Affordability came up often in the early responses, which is hardly surprising. The cost of just about everything has changed, and making Camp accessible to families continues to be a challenge.

So we also asked about giving.

About 38% of respondents have donated to Nor’wester in the past two years. Among those who have given, there is a strong interest in hearing more about exactly what their gifts make possible, including specific Camp needs and stories about the impact of those gifts on campers and staff. That’s useful information for us, too.

Whales! One evening at Family Camp 2026 - Photo by Ana Maria

We’re still listening.

There is much more to learn from the survey responses. What we’re sharing here is only the surface, and these early trends may shift as more people participate.

That’s part of the point.

We don’t want to assume we already know what the Nor’wester community thinks, remembers, values, or needs.

So whether you agree or disagree with what you’ve heard so far, whether you have a big opinion or just a tiny thought, whether you’re a lifelong Nor’wester or haven’t thought about Camp in years, we’d love to hear from you.

And if you’re thinking, I don’t really have anything important to say, we’d encourage you to take the survey anyway. You probably do.

The community survey is open through September 21.

And if, for whatever reason, you don’t complete the survey but still want to share something with Camp, please reach out. Maybe surveys just REALLY aren’t your thing. Maybe you miss the deadline. Maybe you had a specific thought that didn’t quite fit into a survey question.

It doesn’t matter. We always want to hear from the community.

Send us a message. Email us. Text or call. Stop by the Seattle office. Find us at an event. Tell a Nor’wester friend who can pass it along.

There are lots of ways to be part of this community. And there are lots of ways to make your voice heard.

Thank you for taking the time to care about Camp Nor’wester.