Episode 83: Creating a Happier World with Woody
Chuck “Woody” Radke’s GAC story began in 1990 and continues to 2025. His wife “Tahoe” (Assistant Director) and son Will (Junior Counselor) will join him at Gold Arrow Camp this summer. Woody interviewed many alumni and authored the amazing Sierra Summers book about the history of Gold Arrow Camp. He has many insights about the impact of GAC on every generation of campers and staff.
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Episode 82: Creating a Happier World with Glitter
In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Amy “Glitter” Bolton about her long career as a year-round GAC staff member serving as our Office Manager and Registrar. Glitter’s is the friendly voice most parents hear when they call the GAC office. Glitter’s GAC story started in 2001, when she joined our staff as an Office Assistant. Her six-year-old son Turner joined his mom at camp for the first time last summer.
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Episode 81: Creating a Happier World with Evergreen
In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Becky “Evergreen” Johnson about the impact Evergreen’s time as a staff member and parent have impacted her life and her career. Evergreen’s GAC story started in 1995 (30 years ago!), when she joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), Evergreen will be serving as a Staff Coach during staff training week (we call it “Tweek”) and Session 1.
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Episode 80: The Magic of Camp (Happy Campers Book Excerpt)
This week on the podcast we’re featuring a short excerpt from the introduction to Audrey “Sunshine” Monke’s book, Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults.
Learn about the research-based, intentional practices behind the “magic” at Gold Arrow Camp in this episode, The Magic of Summer Camp.
About Happy Campers
Why are kids more optimistic, resilient, independent, and competent
after just a few weeks at summer camp?
Why do they feel less depressed, anxious, and disconnected at camp than they do anywhere else?
Why are so many campers heartbroken when it’s time to go home?
Veteran summer camp director Audrey “Sunshine” Monke, psychologist and parenting expert, shares what she’s learned from three decades of creating a summer camp that kids call their “happy place” and “second home,” a culture where research has proven kids become happier while gaining important social and emotional skills in just two weeks.
Based on thousands of interactions with campers, camp counselors, and parents, and on academic research in positive psychology, Happy Campers introduces a framework of intentional strategies to help parents create the same kind of transformational culture that kids experience at camp. Instead of raising a generation of kids who are overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, and unable to function as independent and responsible adults, parents can create an environment at home that promotes the growth of important character traits and social skills that kids need in order to have meaningful and successful lives. Complete with specific ideas to implement these summer camp secrets at home, Happy Campers is a one-of-a-kind resource for parents wanting to raise happy, socially intelligent, successful kids.
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Episode 79: Creating a Happier World – The GAC Philosophy
Join Sunshine, Chelster, Gem & Delta for a chat about Gold Arrow Camp’s Vision, Mission, Goals. Learn about the positive habits and character traits we want our campers and staff to take with them far beyond their time at camp. Learn WHY Gold Arrow Camp exists and about the vision we have of creating a happier world, one camper at a time.
Watch a video about Gold Arrow Camp here.
Learn more about the Gold Arrow Camp philosophy here.
Hear what campers say about GAC here.
Podcast Credits
Music by Henry “Dobro” Johns
Narration (intro & outro) by Henry “Bravo” Pederson
Produced by JRS Production Creative Audio
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Episode 78: Creating a Happier World with Speed
This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with Armando “Speed” Negrete about the lasting positive impact of his experience as a GAC staff member in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The communication and leadership skills he learned at GAC are professional skills Armando uses today as a Lead Public Safety Dispatcher (9-1-1), a track and cross country running coach, and a sports photographer. Armando also shares about how the skills he learned and practiced as a Group Counselor are ones he still uses and benefits from as a parent.
“I remember how incredibly in awe I was of the camp ground,
of all the different activities that Gold Arrow Camp offers.
I was just completely awestruck.”
Armando “Speed” Negrete
Article about Armando’s return to Fresno State to get his Bachelor’s Degree
Podcast Credits
Music by Henry “Dobro” Johns
Narration (intro & outro) by Henry “Bravo” Pederson
Produced by JRS Production Creative Audio
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Episode 77: Creating a Happier World with Bagel
This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with fourteen-year veteran camper and staff member, Ben “Bagel” Bronstein about the community and positive culture that keep pulling him back for another summer at good ol’ GAC!
Bagel shares about what he enjoyed about being a camper and what he still enjoys today as a staff member.
“Especially when I came back on my own, I really realized the community I could build on my own at camp and how special it was a place to do that.”
-Bagel
Podcast Credits
Music by Henry “Dobro” Johns
Narration (intro & outro) by Henry “Bravo” Pederson
Produced by JRS Production Creative Audio
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Episode 76: Creating a Happier World with Chelster
We’re continuing our podcast series on Creating a Happier World with Sunshine’s chat with our beloved Director of Camper and Parent Services, Chelsea “Chelster” Rowe. Chelster shares her GAC story and many insights about camp. Chelster has been on the Year-Round team at GAC for almost four decades and has experienced being a camper, staff member, director, camper parent, and staff parent!
Chelster talks about the importance of the GAC community, how much she enjoys getting to know campers and their parents, and how meaningful her career at camp has been. She also talks about some of the benefits of camp, including the increased confidence campers gain from trying new things, being independent from parents, learning to advocate for themselves, talking to adults other than their parents, and making decisions on their own.
Podcast Credits
Music by Henry “Dobro” Johns
Narration (intro & outro) by Henry “Bravo” Pederson
Produced by JRS Production Creative Audio
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Episode 75: Creating a Happier World with Airborne
Welcome to the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast’s 2025 Season! We’re kicking off the season with a series on “Creating a Happier World,” because our vision at GAC is to create a happier world, one camper at a time.
In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Aaron “Airborne” Johnson about many topics related to creating and being part of positive communities for kids. Airborne’s GAC story started back in 1999, when he joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), he’ll be at our Shaver Island outpost camp during Session #2, serving as our Shaver Host. In the role of Shaver Host, Airborne provides leadership and support for our campers and staff while they’re on Shaver Island, which is about 20 minutes from our “Main Camp” location on Huntington Lake. When he’s not at GAC, Airborne serves as principal of Ironwood Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona.
Resources Discussed
Sunshine & Chelster’s Parent Orientation that includes information about parent expectations, reviewing camper standards of behavior, camper medications, communication during your camper’s stay at GAC, and more!
5 Steps to Help Kids Resolve Conflicts, Sunshine Parenting:
Conflict Resolution Wheel
How Big is My Problem?
“Effortful Fun” Laura Vanderkam
Podcast Credits
Music by Henry “Dobro” Johns
Narration (intro & outro) by Henry “Bravo” Pederson
Produced by JRS Production Creative Audio
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Start the Year with Some GAC Goals
January is a great time to reevaluate priorities and set goals for the new year. One way to help children and young adults establish a strong commitment to a goal is to create a goal as a family. The Gottman Institute states, “Families who make goals together, keep goals together,” and Kelsey Down explains the benefits of creating a family goal:
“Many of our routines are built around work and family, but your autonomy and ability to make personal changes to your life can be undermined by your greater responsibilities. So if you want to exercise more or eat healthier, you are more likely to do so if your other family members exercise with you and eat the same things you do. But if you are the only one in your family that is actively working towards a goal, constantly removing yourself from your other family members’ habits (e.g. eating a salad during family pizza night) will eventually erode your desire to keep your resolutions. You might stick with eating salads for a while, but that pepperoni pizza will be more tempting when everyone else is enjoying it but you. You shouldn’t force your family to do what you’re doing, especially if they don’t want or need to, but you can easily find ways for you and your family to work together and achieve a common goal.”
If you want your children to unplug more or spend more time in nature, consider creating a goal in which everyone participates equally as a family, and framing the goal as a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).
After two weeks (or more!) at Gold Arrow Camp, many campers are motivated to continue some of their camp habits – like using their phone less or practicing the friendship skills they used at camp. January is a great opportunity to refocus on some of those practices and intentions. In Audrey “Sunshine” Monke’s book Happy Campers, Audrey writes about the power of bringing the magic of camp (and the habits we learn while going to camp) home. Here are five ideas inspired by our healthy habits at GAC to help your family come up with a family goal for 2024.
1. Complete the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge!
1,000 Hours Outside is a “movement to reclaim childhood, reconnect families, and live a fuller life.” The goal is to spend 1,000 hours outside in one year. 1,000 Hours Outside has free tracker sheets that are available to download. There are many benefits to spending time outside, however the National Wildlife Federation found that the average American child spends four to seven minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day. As a family, brainstorm ways to spend more time outside in 2024! Every Kid Outdoors provides families of 4th graders with free passes to all of the national parks. Create a list of different national parks, trails, hikes, local parks, and places to visit as a family, or plan a bigger outdoor adventure and go on a family camping trip!
2. Come up with fun, screen-free activities and set screen-time limits as a family.
Decide what would work best for your whole family (both parents & kids!), and come up with parameters that you agree on as a family. Maybe everyone agrees to plug in and turn off their phones by 8pm each night, or you could download an app that helps everyone in your family monitor their screen time and social media usage and create a family challenge (maybe with prizes!) for whoever uses their screens the least. In Happy Campers, Audrey shares a great conversation format for talking about screens with your children. As a family, consider brainstorming fun screen-free activities that you want to do together in 2024, for example, a card game every Wednesday night, or a hike or bike ride together every Sunday. Write your ideas down and post them somewhere you’ll see them, or create a checklist so you can check off as you try each person’s suggestions.
3. Set a family reading goal.
At Gold Arrow Camp, counselors read to campers every night (even our oldest campers!). Talk about which books each family member is going to read this year, or establish a daily or weekly time when your family reads together. For younger children, select a chapter book to read as a family. Make visiting the local library part of your weekly routine. My family enjoys following each other on Goodreads (a reading social media platform). When we see each other in person, we have lots of great conversations about what we’re reading and give each other book recommendations.
4. Establish a sharing practice.
At Gold Arrow Camp, campers share their highs and lows, or something else about their day, every night at campfire. In Happy Campers, Audrey discusses the benefits of daily sharing. Find a time for your family to connect and share each day. This could be sharing highs and lows, or responding to a different question each night at dinner. If evenings are busy, find a time when you are consistently together as a family (breakfast, right before bed, in the car) and establish a routine of sharing, listening, and connecting with each other!
5. Pick a theme for the year!
Each year at Gold Arrow Camp, we choose a summer theme. In 2023, our theme was Count on Me, and we talked about ways we can be more dependable and reliable people! Here is more information on choosing a family theme.
More Resources:
*Free PDF Download* Screen Time: 3 Steps to a Successful Family Meeting
The Gottman Institute: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions a Family Affair