The Next Campfire
Stories of Scouting, Memory, and the Future of Camp
A reflective journey through Scouting, leadership, stewardship, burnout, and the enduring power of camp.
A reflection on Scouting, camp, leadership, burnout, memory, and the work of sustaining meaningful traditions.
Available in Paperback and Kindle Editions
What happens after the campfire goes out?
For generations, Scout camps have shaped young people through shared experiences, traditions, challenges, and friendships. Yet the camps themselves do not sustain those experiences. They endure because people choose to carry the stories forward, preserve traditions, and invest their time and energy in the next generation.
The Next Campfire is a collection of reflections on Scouting, camp life, leadership, service, burnout, renewal, and the power of storytelling. Drawing from decades of involvement in Scouting and a return to camp after stepping away, Kenneth Clough explores the experiences that connect us to places that matter and the responsibilities that come with sustaining them.
Part memoir, part reflection, and part invitation, this book examines why camp memories remain so powerful, how organizations navigate change, what happens when dedicated volunteers and leaders become exhausted, and why stories play an essential role in preserving culture and community.
At its heart, The Next Campfire is about continuity. It is about the traditions we inherit, the experiences that shape us, and the choice each generation faces: whether to simply remember the campfire—or to help build the next one.
Reflections on Camp and Scouting
Thoughtful stories and observations about the experiences, traditions, and relationships that make camp such a meaningful part of so many lives.
Leadership and Service
Insights from years of volunteer and professional leadership, exploring the rewards, responsibilities, and challenges of serving organizations larger than ourselves.
Burnout, Change, and Renewal
An honest examination of the emotional weight that can accumulate when people care deeply about a mission, and the process of rediscovering purpose after stepping away.
The Power of Storytelling
Reflections on how stories preserve history, strengthen communities, and help pass traditions from one generation to the next.
Sustaining Traditions for the Future
A look at what it takes to keep camps, organizations, and communities vibrant, not through nostalgia alone, but through continued commitment and participation.
Personal Essays and Memoirs
A collection of personal experiences, lessons learned, and moments of reflection that connect the themes of camp, leadership, service, and belonging.
Featured Excerpt
At its core, camp removes young people from environments
dominated by constant entertainment, convenience, and digital
connection and places them into a world that requires something
different from them. Scouts must learn how to live together, solve
problems, adapt, cooperate, communicate face to face, and become
comfortable with uncertainty and discomfort.
At camp, young people discover that they are capable of more
than they initially believe.They learn independence gradually and often without realizing it.
A first-year Scout who arrives nervous and uncertain on Sunday
afternoon may leave on Saturday carrying himself differently. He has
learned how to navigate camp, solve problems, work with others, manage responsibility, and function apart from home in ways that quietly build
confidence.
Those lessons matter.
The Next Campfire: Stories of Scouting, Memory, and the Future of Camp is available in paperback and Kindle editions.
This reflective collection of essays and stories explores the experiences, relationships, and traditions that shape Scouting, and the responsibility each generation shares in sustaining them for the future.
