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Our Story

Who we are

Anokijig has been recognized for excellence in camping for 95 years. Founded in 1926, Anokijig has built a rich tradition of offering youth  experiences  that will  last a lifetime.

Anokijig is a Native American word meaning “We Serve” but for us, it is also synonymous with new friends, positive values, personal growth, great adventures,  and  outrageous  fun.  Blend all that with our dedicated and caring staff and you have a combination that can’t be beat.

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Summer Programs at Camp Anokijig are open to boys and girls ages 7 to 16.  Campers can come for four days, one week, two weeks, or for up to nine weeks of  summer fun. Anokijig is  not just another place to go, it is a community where the Anokijig spirit is shared and cherished by all who visit. 

 Besides a great Youth Summer Camp experience, Anokijig offers Teen Leadership Programs, Adventure Trips, Family Programs, Outdoor Education for Schools,  and Group  Outings.  If you long to travel or prefer to spend your quality time in the great outdoors, then an adventure at Anokijig is in your future.  Come see  the beautiful Kettle  Moraine Forest and the welcoming nature of Little Lake Elkhart……all home to Camp Anokijig. 

 Come join us, you will love it!!!   

The Anokijig Mission

Our Mission:

The Mission of Anokijig is to provide youth and families with an outdoor setting and community that is based on respectful values and dedicated to the development of positive life styles while learning new skills, experiencing personal growth, having outrageous fun, and developing an appreciation for our natural environment.

To serve this mission Camp Anokijig has adopted the concept of the 40 developmental assets as described by the Search Institute. Specifically we hope your child will get the following out of involvement in the Anokijig program.

· Campers should experience support and belonging through positive adult and peer leadership relationships.

· Campers should feel empowered through opportunities to serve others, plan, choose and  lead in a safe environment.

· Campers should experience consistent boundaries and high expectations with positive peer relationships, opportunities to excel and improve, and clear rules and consequences.

· Campers should learn and experience more opportunities for constructive use of time through programs that are interesting, fun, and challenging.

· Campers should increase their desire to learn and experience  new skills and activities.

· Campers should show an increased awareness and demonstration of positive character  traits (values).

· Campers should increase their social competencies through positive decision making, improved friendship skills, and the ability to choose socially acceptable forms of behavior.

· Campers should increase their sense of positive self-esteem through opportunities for demonstration of achievement, recognition, and competency.

· Campers will feel physically and emotionally safe and comfortable at camp.

· Campers will have fun!

The “Anokijig Experience” is significant and enduring.  It is filled with wonderful possibilities and opportunities.  For youth, Anokijig is a safe haven where they can be accepted for who they are without trying to be “cool.” It is an adventure and lifestyle that they will migrate to. It is a spirit and a feeling of family.  It is a force that can change lives and influence future horizons.  It is powerful, loving, nurturing, and there is very little else that will compare.

Imagine what you’ve always thought a summer camp to be like and you’re probably picturing a place much like Anokijig. It is amazing and can prove to be one of the most  important, enjoyable, and influential elements in a youth’s formative years.  Come join us, you will love it!

Anokijig Heritage

Founded in 1926, Camp Anokijig has been recognized for excellence in camping for 90 years.

Yesterday

Camp Anokijig was started in 1926 by a group of community leaders with a vision for the future. They started with only 20 rented acres and a small cottage on Little Elkhart Lake. Imagine the first group of campers and staff to arrive at this beautiful setting. Surely, they never considered that they were the founders of a camping lifestyle and traditions that would last over 90 years. Their efforts have benefited thousands of youth, plus because we have stayed true to their vision, Anokijig has been recognized for excellence in camping, youth service, and character development ever since.

camp-anokijig-history

Today

Camp Anokijig has grown to 396 acres of beautiful Kettle Moraine Forest surrounding three-fourths of Little Elkhart Lake.   Its core programs are Youth Camp, Adventure Trips, Teen Leadership, Outdoor Education, Family Programs, and Retreats. As one of the largest youth camps in the state, Anokijig has had a stellar record of successful years serving thousands of youth and families. Approximately 11,000 guests experience the Spirit of Anokijig every year.  The original founders probably never imagined how their vision would grow and become a world service organization with children gathering from all corners of our country and international guests coming to experience Anokijig and the values there in. 

Tomorrow

The future for Anokijig is still based on the original founders vision that was developed in 1926.  Their intention  was to always aim high and strive to serve more youth with programs that offer opportunities for personal growth while having a positive living experience in  the outdoors.  What could ever be better than: New Friends, Positive Values, Personal Growth, Great Adventures, and Outrageous Fun?  We know that the future is what we make of it and as long as we stay on course and steer a true heading guided by our moral compass, Anokijig will thrive for years to come.    Imagine – we are already focused on the next 90 years! 

Testimonials

Read what parents and campers have said after their experience at Camp Anokijig!

Parents say:

“She came back with her self esteem raised, more confident, and generally VERY happy! ...and this taught her some responsibility.”
“I noticed a sense of confidence and independence that she did not have before.... I can’t believe how much difference a week has made in her life.”
“He described his week 'like heaven on earth.'”
“We’ve been very pleased every year. Your camp is staffed by people who are truly caring. It’s nice to know there are people that one can entrust one’s children to. The camp knows what kids like.”
“He was initially frightened, but he ended up enjoying himself immensely. He continued to talk for weeks about his experience.”
“Very positive experience. Developed her confidence and independence.”
“He had great experiences, made good friends, and loved the food.”
“She came home feeling more responsible and sure of herself.”
“She had a wonderful time and very much wants to go back.”
“Pleased doesn’t describe it-ecstatic! He loved the experiences and the counselors and the other campers as well.”
“He loved it , and from what I can tell it was well- run and wholesome fun.”
“He came back with confidence that he did not leave with.”
“He is always so happy and self assured when I pick him up.
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Campers say:

“Camp is so fun, you don’t even miss home.”
“It's the coolest camp on the planet!”
“It’s got a lot of cool activities and you are never bored.”
“A great camp with good food and great activities.”
“The best time I’ve ever had where you meet tons of great people.”
“Awesome trips, the people are great, lots of fun, good eating, really cool.”
“It’s fun and awesome. Save your time wondering and just go!”
“The view is great. The counselors are nice and the activities are fun.”
“WOW!”
“I came to camp as a quiet person with no friends but in 2 days I had lots of friends.”
“It’s not what you look like but what you are on the inside [that counts].”
“Go there, you won’t regret it!”
“You should go there definitely.”
“It’s just plain FUN!”
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Leadership Team

We pride ourselves on having incredibly qualified, trained, and hardworking staff. “We serve!”

The Core Leadership Family

Finding a great camp for your child will cause you to consider many important issues, such as safety, programs, location, outcomes, and on and on.  No matter how much research you do, the bottom line defining the difference between great and average, between safe and reckless, between fun and boring is the staff.

All camps have a director and some have a few year round personnel with an influx of additional staff for the summer, but when considering camp staff, Anokijig hits the ball way out of the park.  Homerun! Nine full time year round professional staff with years of experience in youth work, outdoor education, and camp programming, just to mention a few.  These staff make up the core management team that is responsible for your children and the experiences that they will have at Anokijig.  They are highly capable and dedicated people who chose this profession because of their desire to serve children, and their love for the outdoors.  They are here because they want to make a difference while spending their lives doing something worthwhile.  Some came to Anokijig at an early age as a camper and returned after earning a college degree and gaining experiences in other fields. All of them bring one more important item to the table……they are from seasoned and loving families giving them a solid and well grounded  outlook when it comes to understanding and caring for children.  A crucial ingredient when considering the magnitude of responsibility and the level of trust you are bestowing on them.  The points of all of this……once you are here and you meet the staff, you will realize why kids love us and parents trust us!  

Summer Leadership Family

Each year, around May, the Leadership Family at Anokijig starts to grow in number, experiences, and enthusiasm.  Many of our summer leaders return year after year bringing with them a solid foundation of Anokijig values and lifestyles.  Some come from families with generations of campers and staff who we consider to be the guardians and bearers of the Anokijig mission.   All who join us for the season will have four things in common:  a dedication to working with children, an ability to communicate with them on a positive level, a lifestyle attitude that is engaging and productive, and a great respect for our natural world.  Some camps might hire a person just because they have a special skill like canoeing or archery.  At Anokijig, all our staff spends ten days at a formal training session so we have time to give them program experience, but in order to be chosen, they must demonstrate, exhibit, and convince us that they have that very special attitude about life that we have seen in the best of our leaders.  Without that spark, we recommend they seek out a less exciting camp.

All Anokijig staff will go through extensive interviews, background checks, previous employment reviews, reference checks, and training that will determine the best of the best.  Staff to Camper ratio far exceeds that which is recommended by the American Camp Association. 

Speaking of quality, many alumni staff come back and volunteer for a week or two just because they love it!

Darin Holden

Executive Director

Darin comes into the role of Executive Director after 27 years as the Program 

Director at Camp Anokijig.  Throughout his years as Program Director, Darin touched nearly every aspect of Camp.  He was in charge of summer staff recruitment and training, planning and supervision of rental groups, summer camp program development, marketing, and so much more.  Wearing his jack-of-all-trades hat, Darin can jump into any program area with ease, teaching campers skills ranging from horseback riding to sailing to archery.  Campers know, love, and respect him for his directional and organizational ability, as well as his unflagging positivity and strength of character.  Darin has been a solid member of the team through the ups and downs, a role model for staff and campers alike.  His years of experience at Anokijig and allegiance to the staff and campers make him uniquely qualified to take the helm of a ship he has dedicated his life to. 
This lifelong journey at Anokijig began far before Darin’s time as Program Director.  His love for Camp and the people started in 1978 as a staff aide, working in the dish room, and he never left.  He became a Junior Staff member, working in everything from Trail Crafts to Canoeing.  As Senior staff, he became the ski boat driver, and then Waterfront Director before starting as Program Director.  If asked what he loves about Anokijig, Darin would tell you he marvels at the strength of the passion for our mission that a visit to Camp invokes in people.  That and the pickles at the Trading Post.

Darin graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a B.S. in Allied Health with a Community Recreation emphasis.  He is certified in CPR & AED for the Professional Rescuer, First Aid, and Lifeguarding.  Darin is also certified as an EMT Basic (First Responder), a Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor, Instructor Trainer, and an avid horseback rider.

We at Anokijig are proud and excited to welcome Darin in his new role.  We are confident in his leadership and know that we are very lucky to have him as our new Executive Director.  With Darin in the lead, we will continue to change the lives of children for generations!  

 

Lodging

Camp Anokijig has a large variety of cabins and tents. Whether you’re nestled in the Kettle Moraine forest or overlooking beautiful Little Elkhart Lake, each campsite offers a unique way to experience the great outdoors!

Cabins

Voigt Lodge

Large bunkhouse with heat and electricity. Two big dorm rooms and one small bedroom. Outdoor campfire ring. Capacity is 44. Modern bathroom & showers nearby

Health Lodge

Year round cabin, five sleeping rooms, one bunk room, four bathrooms, shower, two fireplaces, heat, and electricity. Main level has 24 beds. Lower level has 20 beds. Spring and fall only.

Myers Lodge

Year-round two-story cabin. Electricity, heat, fireplace, and bathroom. Minimum charge: 2 adults and 2 children. Capacity: 36

Lakeview Cabins

Three year round modern cabins with beautiful campfire ring over looking the lake. Heat, electricity, bathrooms, and showers. Capacity is 34. (10-12-12)

Eastman Lodge

Log cabin with a smaller sleeping room and one larger bunk room. Fireplace, heat, and electricity. Modern bathroom and showers nearby. Capacity is 18.

Thunderbird

Two Longhouse Cabins with 20 beds in each. Electricity and heat. Campfire ring, and modern showers nearby.

MASH

One Longhouse Cabin with 20 beds. Heat and electricity. Campfire ring. Bathroom and shower nearby.

Platform Tents

Eight capacity Large heavy canvas tents with eight beds and mattresses in each. These are permanent tents set up on wooden platforms in groups. Each group of tents has a campfire area and a bathroom building with running water. Total tent capacity is 264

Tent Section Descriptions:

  1. Hickory Hillcrest: Six tents with eight beds each.
  2. Kingdom Of Moo: Six tents with eight beds each.
  3. Turtle Island: Four tents with eight beds each.
  4. Rippling Ridge: Five tents with eight beds each.
  5. Timberline: Six tents with eight beds each.
  6. Brave Village: Six tents with eight beds each.
 

Anokijig Videos

Video #1: Learn about our programs, our staff, and everything that makes Anokijig special!

Video #2: Experience what a week at Anokijig feels like. Catch the spirit…

Contact Us!

Ways to reach us:

anokijig@anokijig.net

Call us at (920) 893-0782 or

Toll-free at (800) 741-6931.

Any faxes can be sent to: (920) 893-0873

Where we’re located:

Camp Anokijig
W5639 Anokijig Ln
Plymouth, WI 53073

You can also contact us by email by completing through the form below.

Ways to reach us:

anokijig@anokijig.net

Call us at (920) 893-0782 or
Toll-free at (800) 741-6931.

Any faxes can be sent to:
(920) 893-0873

About

For questions about this website, please contact Anokijig Webmaster, or reach out through our contact page.

Where we're located:

Camp Anokijig
W5639 Anokijig Ln Plymount, Wl 53073

© 2023 Friends of Camp Anokijig Inc.

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