Episode description

On this episode of Voices of eLearning Host, JW Marshall spoke with Danny Hundert, the Founder of Ivy Camps, about something that hasn't been discussed before - summer camps. The duo dug into Hundert's experience at summer camps and their role in the growth and learning of children.

After college and working at a couple of startups, Hundert decided to follow his passion - summer camps. He spent his youth at summer camps, then worked at them, so it felt natural to move into the next step of developing one.

"I grew up going to summer camp. I worked at a summer camp for ten years in high school and college as well," Hundert said. He decided to start a summer camp, which in his mind would be great, but it turned out that running a business is challenging. His first camp in Colorado, they scrapped to get enrollment into the camp, and they ended up having over 500 enrollees. That's when he knew he had a good idea for a summer camp model.

"We give a lot of choices to the kids," Hundert said. "We really emphasize following their passions, and the tenants I feel summer camp brings to kids. Of course, they're gaining skills, and they're learning. But, they get this sense of community you can't get elsewhere. You start to learn tolerance, acceptance, and above all else, self-discovery. If we can teach kids to follow their passions and to really pursue life with vigor, and excitement then we have done our job at summer camp."

Listen to the episode to learn more about Hundert's summer camps and find out why he took his camps from Colorado to Shanghai.