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Sounds of Silence, Joys of Camp
July 2025
The Fresh Air Fund — Where NYC Kids Go to Breathe a Little Easier
Credit: Sneyder Curipoma
As summer begins, so does the excitement at The Fresh Air Fund, where thousands of NYC kids swap subway sounds for crickets and campfires. Each year, campers ages 8 to 15 head about two hours north to the Mid-Hudson Valley for a summer of lakeside laughs, leadership lessons and the kind of memories that stick around long after summer ends.
With five camps tucked into the 2,000+ acre Sharpe Reservation and a sixth – Camp Junior – set in Harriman State Park, campers get more than just a break from the city. They get swimming, art, ropes courses, guitar strumming, kayaking, farm chores and starlit hikes. And as a bonus, they come home with a whole lot more confidence, plus a deeper connection to the world around them.
This summer marks the first year Camp Tommy becomes The Fund’s official leadership camp for teens ages 15 to 17, with a focus on social-emotional learning, personal growth and exploring what it means to be a leader.
Fresh Air Fund CEO Lisa Gitelson recently joined EdCast to share what campers and their families can expect this summer – and how the experience continues to support kids’ confidence, learning and growth long after camp ends. She covers everything from the program’s roots and the importance of closing the nature gap to how counselors are trained, and the lasting benefits of time outdoors: stronger mental and physical wellbeing, new skills, and a deeper love of learning. (And a perk of working with The Fresh Air Fund is that we get to visit sometimes!)
Silence Is Golden
If your work-from-home days are punctuated by a cacophony of sound – the relentless lawnmowers of suburbia, the hair-raising jackhammers of construction or the constant intrusion of honking cars – then you know the value of silence. There are days when we all wish for some peace and quiet. But silence is more than just the absence of sound; it’s an effective tool for communication.
Whether it’s an awkward lull in conversation with an acquaintance, a pregnant pause in an interview or a friend ignoring your messages, silence can often speak louder than words.
When used as an invitation instead of a punishment, silence creates space for both parties in an interview to collect their thoughts and dig deeper into the discussion at hand. Interviewers use “active silence” to give their interviewees space to elaborate on a point and gain a deeper understanding of their communication style. It allows the interview subject to showcase their personality and can lead to unexpected insights. The best interviewers know when to sit back and let their subjects shine (or blunder into a misstep).
So next time you’re in a conversation or an interview and worrying about what to say next – consider not saying anything at all.
An Eco-Village Vacation
Credit: ecohomes.blog
Eco-Village
Senior Social Media Strategist Davin Turkewitz lived his values on a recent vacation. He explains:
On a recent road trip along the West Coast, I was lucky enough to spend a week at the Los Angeles Eco-Village, a 32-year-old institution dedicated to “raising the quality of community life while lowering our environmental impacts.”
Just as the flower children of the 1960s flocked to rural communes from cities and college campuses, a whole new generation of young people is fleeing the cost-of-living crisis by living in intentional communities like this.
The Eco-Village inspired me in many ways. The vibe is familial, the facilities are immaculately clean, and members enjoy rent prices that are a fourth of the local average, with all the modern amenities you’d imagine from a one-bedroom apartment. Residents and the community both enjoy a free bike repair shop, as well as fresh vegetables and eggs. The downside may be the elbow grease that goes into this much social cohesion: There are countless committees, and everyone has an opinion on almost everything.
Before visiting the Eco-Village, I engaged in a traditional pig roast in Santa Cruz. The next day, this single animal was enough to feed 60 people, with zero waste. Similarly, if we used resources like housing as efficiently as the Eco-Village does, we may have an answer to some of our society’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.
Make it Your Nature to Nurture
Senior Account Executive Ogo Sylla advises to nurture relationships with journalists:
“It’s not always about reaching out with good pitch ideas at the right time for reporters and providing them with reliable sources. Of course that is important, but reporters are people too and it’s good that your professional relationship with them is not entirely transactional. Reach out even just to say hello, congratulate them on a big story they’ve written, offer well wishes when they get a new role or join a new organization. A simple ‘hello’ or ‘congrats’ can go a long way.”
