Meet Our New Summer Camp Director
Help us give a warm welcome to Elle Walker, our new Youth Programs Manager! Elle will lead our camps and educational programming to better connect our community with nature through inspiration, curiosity, and resilience.
Elle Walker is our new Youth Programs Manager, so she’ll be the master planner behind our camps and educational programming. She’s so excited to instill a love for nature in the next generation through engagement, fun, and compassion.
Her connection to the natural world began at a very young age—at just three years old, she started going to a camp at Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainsville, Georgia. There, she found her love for nature and camping. She went into the camp deathly afraid of bugs, but Elachee turned her fears into curiosities. Today, she’s fascinated with the lives of cicadas!
“Being here at Reflection Riding is bringing back the feeling of why I originally got into this career path,” she explains. “I’m ready to rock and roll honestly.”
“My favorite thing about camp is seeing the light within a child’s soul click on when they get in the wild. When they feel closer to the Earth and nature, they feel like a part of something bigger than themselves.”
Elle brings experience from many types of adventure camps across the nation! She’s kayaked with kids, guided them through rope courses, and canoed across glacier lakes in Alaska. She notes that many of these kids had rarely spent time outside, and fostering that outdoor connection is so important for a child’s wellbeing.
“In today’s world, social media, TV, and all platforms promote not going out,” Elle explains. “I think us coming back to our roots as humans is so important. We come from the Earth, and it’s in our nature to always come back to it. It’s so important for us to have places like Reflection Riding to realize what we’ve been missing.”
Time outside helps us reconnect with nature but also with ourselves. When we take that time to disconnect, we can realize the intrinsic beauty that exists in all living beings. “There’s so much pressure to be the best at everything, while coming to a place like this lets you be wild.”
As a child, Elle made memories at camp that left a lasting impact. Now, she wants to create those lifelong memories for the next generation. She recalls a full circle moment that showed her how a little bit of positive encouragement can stay with a child throughout their life. During her first year as a camp counselor, she had a particularly curious camper who asked questions about everything. Throughout that same summer, she received letters from her camper about how that one week was her favorite. Ten years later in a serendipitous location, Elle ran into this former camper. “You changed my life,” the camper told her. That one week at camp had inspired the camper to pursue a career in outdoor education and ministry.
“You never know what impact you’re having on a kid. They will always remember the feelings they had in that moment, and as a camp leader, you help make those lifelong memories for them.” Elle says.
Elle is so excited for this new role to expand Reflection Riding’s camp offerings and adapt educational programming. We can’t wait to see how our programs grow with her leadership and expertise.
Welcome to the team, Elle!
