How ‘The Goonies’ Inspired Me to Become a Camp Director

That’s right, the 1985 action/comedy The Goonies is (one of) the reasons I am a camp director today. It started a few summers after this classic movie’s release, at the Oakland Piedmont Jewish Community Center in California. I had grown up in the OPJCC summer camp, and now I was a first-year unit head. The evening programs were the highlight of our overnights, but they had gotten stale and I was tasked with creating new programs. As luck would have it, The Goonies was on TV and I was procrastinating.

If you haven’t seen The Goonies, it is a movie about a band of pre-teens who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon. Attempting to save their homes from demolition, they discover an old Spanish map that leads them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. During the entire adventure, they are chased by a family of criminals, who also want the treasure for themselves.

What goes into a great program? It was all there in The Goonies.

• A problem is presented. Perhaps something has been taken away from the group, or some misfortune or malfeasance has occurred. (The town of Astoria is being sold and the friends are all going in different directions.)
• A challenge takes shape. The challenge may be refused, at first. “No way, I’m not going to risk my neck for that!” (I’m not going on any more of your goonie adventures!) The challenge is accepted. The adventure begins. (Tie up the big brother and grab your bikes.)
• Helpers materialize. A helper might have special skills the hero doesn’t have, or he might have special insights or wisdom, in which case he takes the form of a mentor. (Everyone on the team has a role–Mouth, Data, Chunk, Andy, Stephan and Brian all brought something unique to the group.)
• Setbacks occur. The hero is tested, he makes gains, endures setbacks, fights for what is right, resists evil. The going’s tough! (They can escape at the well…but decide to press on.) The hero regroups and gains some ground again. Maybe she needs another visit to a mentor, or maybe she makes a personal breakthrough and overcomes a great inner obstacle, perhaps his or her own fear. (Goonies never say die!)
• The foe is vanquished or the elixir is seized. Eventually he defeats the foe or comes into possession of something that will restore the natural order—a cure, or new knowledge that will bring justice or the return of prosperity. (Chunk and Sloth save the day. One-Eyed Willie’s treasure is recovered and the town saved.)

Would it work? Would the campers believe? Our JCC building had closed the year before; we were running camp from a rented school. The week before our first overnight, we told the campers we were going back to the original overnight site, which camp hadn’t used for many years. While cleaning out the old building, an old box was found deep in the basement all taped up. On the outside of the box it was written: “Only open on the overnight.”

At the camp fire we opened the box and inside was an old framed photo of the JCC. As I was showing the photo, it fell and the glass frame broke. While salvaging the photo, campers noticed a riddle on the back. The riddle led them to a loose stone in the fire pit. Behind the loose stone was a treasure map. By this point, the campers were going crazy. I told them it was too late to go on such a big adventure, but they talked me into it.

The first clue led us to a huge bolder in the middle of the camp site. I told the campers the bolder was too heavy to move, but every camper helped to push that bolder over, and on the bottom was written the second clue. That clue lead to a big redwood tree that had another clue carved in to the trunk (looking back, that was not a eco-friendly thing to do.) After I guided them to the wrong tree and told them it was time for bed, the campers realized that I was in fact trying to keep the treasure all for myself. They tied my hands behind my back and took over the treasure hunt themselves.

Campers had to solve problems, complete tasks and work together to find and solve all the remaining clues (all without my help.) An hour later, we were in a dried out river bed digging up a treasure chest. Inside were old pictures of camp, sparkling apple cider, chocolate coins and a letter written from past campers to new campers, telling them to keep the old camp traditions alive.

We partied that night, eating chocolate, spraying sparkling apple cider around (a bad idea at 8:30pm right before bed) and retelling the story of our adventure. After we finally got the campers into their sleeping bags and to bed, I sat at the camp fire with Dan Hoard, my former camper and then assistant unit head, and we knew that we really nailed it. (I am laughing out loud right now thinking of Dan falling head over heels in to six inches of water while we were burying the treasure the night before.) It was such a great feeling; we didn’t ever want it to end. We started brainstorming other programs right then, thinking of improvements and ways we could get the whole camp involved.

The Executive Director got multiple phone calls from parents about how much their campers enjoyed (and believed in!) the evening program. As a camper, I had been in his office more than once, but this meeting was different – my mom was not called. The following year I was Program Director for the whole camp and two years later, Camp Director!

Three decades later, I have used that formula for many other programs: Shabbat Man, Star Wars–Return of the Jewdi, Harry Potterstein, Alien Invasions, Treasure Hunts, Pirate Days, Indiana Jew, and Israel Day, to name a few. The hero story is as old as time; you can find inspiration anywhere once you know how to recognize it. I just happened upon Goonies, which led me to the evening program, which led me to understand that camp can be more than just fun. It can be transformative.

What makes a great program? Take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Every camper wants to be a hero, find the treasure, and be part of something special. Despite setbacks and challenges, every camper can find that inner strength and vanquish the foe. Goonies never say die!