Every summer, a small island in Newfound Lake in Bristol plays host to a group of boys ages 10 to 12. Camp Mayhew serves boys in New Hampshire who are living below the poverty line, in foster care, or who otherwise face challenges at home or in school. For three weeks, they spend time away from the life they know and in community with one another.
The camp is accessible only by boat. The boys spend the summer without screens, in un-air-conditioned cabins. They each wear the same uniform: a gray t-shirt and green shorts. Breakfast is served promptly at 8 a.m. to fuel a full day of activities.
On the last full day of camp, the boys sat lined up in the dining hall based on cabin assignment. Assistant program director Scott Hunt stepped to the middle of the room as they scarfed down French toast and bacon.
“What does it mean to reflect?” Hunt said. “To think about what's happened in the past. Right? And that urges us to think a little bit about our attitude, about how we approach the future as well.”
The campers are excited for the first stop of the day: the Mayhew Market. All summer, the boys complete chores and are rewarded with “Mayhew Money” that they can spend at the end of the session on trinkets and souvenirs.
Executive director Peter Saliba watched on as boys milled about, figuring out what they could afford.
“We're trying to give them financial literacy skills,” Saliba said. “The boys will purchase things and then when they realize that they don't have enough money, sometimes [other] boys will offer just to give money or sometimes there may be a trade involved. So, it could be some sort of favor later or sharing a dessert at dinner or something. It’s not completely altruistic, but it does help them work on their relationships with each other. Because every relationship is give and take.”
One camper, Quincy, gave away all his money to other boys so they could buy Mayhew sweatshirts, the most sought after items at the pop-up shop.
Other campers were sprinkled across the island, lounging at the beach or playing field games, including a Mayhew classic: Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy. Per the game’s legend, Canada and the U.S. are in a fierce battle over maple syrup. It’s basically Capture the Flag with industrial-size syrup jugs. It was at least 90 degrees that day, but that didn’t slow anyone down.
Eleven-year-old Ira made his way across the island for the game. He said Mayhew has been a place where he can set aside some of the worries he has at home, especially when it comes to his dad, who is facing housing instability.
“I don’t want anything happening to my dad, ‘cause I get all these nightmares about that,” Ira said. “I just really hope nothing happens to him.”
He said Mayhew has helped him better put himself in other boys’ shoes. The day before, he saw another boy fall and hurt his ankle during one of their activities, and decided to stop to help, realizing that kid might also have worries on his mind.
“I just thought about what he was going through at home, too,” Ira said.
As the boys bounced between activities, program director Greg Stoutzenberger was camped out on the main porch for most of the day with his black lab, Virgil. Stoutzenberger runs the day-to-day operation, roving between groups, helping counselors when they need extra support, and checking in with the boys.
“For some of these guys, school can be a challenge, home can be a challenge,” Stoutzenberger said. “Our hope is that they can come out here and experience some success and then take that success that they've worked on here and use it at home and at school, build up their self-esteem.”
Counselors often turn to Stoutzenberger when a camper is struggling. On this day, one boy was sitting away from his group and didn’t want to participate. Stoutzenberger pulled him aside and they chatted for a while, then the kid took some time to cool off away from the group.
“The cool thing about Mayhew is like once that happens, the counselor gives him a fist bump, gives him a handshake, gives him a high five, and welcomes them back to the group and just says like, ‘Hey, clean slate, let's try again,’ ” Stoutzenberger said.
Down at the beach, 11-year-old Cristo was chatting with other campers. He said the games and activities at Mayhew offer the boys a chance to challenge themselves, free of judgment. That included a race across the island they did the day before.
“Mayhew pushes yourself to make you a better person,” Cristo said. “The ‘All Island Run,’ which we had yesterday, was very fun. We ran an entire mile around this entire island.”
For many campers, Mayhew isn’t just a few weeks over the summer. The boys are also visited year-round by support workers who check in on them, maybe play a game of basketball or go out to eat. Staff try to get a sense of how things are going at home. Some former campers have even stuck with the program long enough to work here themselves as adults.
Executive director Peter Saliba said when the boys are back at camp, it’s a place where they can relate to their peers.
“These boys, for the first time in their life, are surrounded by boys like themselves,” Saliba said. “They exist in isolation in schools. They're labeled in schools because of their challenges that they have in their life. But here there's a great equalizer. They're all in the same boat. And so I think that lets their guard down. And they can be open to learning new things and new relationships.”
Around noon it was time for lunch: meatball pizza, Kool-Aid — known to the boys as “bug juice” — and a side of salad. There were some small squabbles about servings, but spirits were high as they reflected on the antics of the summer. Many of the boys were looking forward to the talent show that evening before heading home.
Stoutzenberger said he hopes the boys carry some of the lessons of Mayhew with them, and said the staff learn a lot from the campers, too.
“Just like we teach them patience, they teach us patience,” Stoutzenberger said. “Ultimately, our main goal is so that they can leave the island, leave the program and be better than how they were. That's for boys and for staff. That's our goal, is to try and be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.”
