Meet our experienced staff..
We look forward to making this the
sweetest, most meaningful, fun, awesome
Family Camp experience yet!

Doug Dolstad & Barbara Larson        Camp Directors and Hosts


Doug and Barbara welcome you to the Dolstad Family Farm, where hosting Family Camp is the fulfillment of a personal dream.  The 26 acre farm has been in Doug's family for four generations, and has been happily holding Family Camp families for three summers now. Every summer Doug and Barbara are adding new features to the Farm with the support and nourishment of families in mind.

Doug and Barbara are also serving as Camp Directors this year, and will be offering trainings in the Parent Program. They both love the immersion aspect of camp, and look forward to supporting parents in making the shifts to greater self-compassion that they often come to camp for.

Elana Sabajon     Parent Program Coordinator

I am cofounder of the Vashon Island NVC Family Camp and delighted to again play big at our 6th annual Intergenerational Family Camp in the NW. Each day is a new beginning to strengthen my communication skills and to deepen my commitment to connecting with more compassion. I dream of a world where cooperation, authenticity, integrity, compassion, care for others, meaning and purpose and a recognition of our interdependence are the natural way we interact with one another across all settings.

As the mother of two children, who inspired me for this journey, I work to create the kind of world I want them to live in. I hold a Masters in Counseling and am a Certified Trainer for the global Center for Nonviolent Communication.Always Involved

I have worked both nationally and internationally in the field of education and communication for more than 20 years. Combining my background, unique facilitation style, and vast multi-cultural experience, I deliver transformational workshops that produce lasting results for improving interactions and communication skills.

Maren Metke      Youth Program Coordinator

Maren Metke is a mother, artist, teacher and musician who founded, taught at and ran her own private holistic school on Vashon Island for 7 years. She also ran an arts, nature and compassionate communication based summer camp for children for the last 10 years in Washington and California. Her learning-style based philosophy supports a deep desire to see and hold each individual with care, respect and a fresh perspective, thereby aiming to experience the greatest connection and understanding possible.

Maren is a co-founder and has been the Youth Program coordinator for the WA NVC Family Camp since 2004, and helped found other NVC family camps in D.C. and CA. Maren lives in Grass Valley, CA with her amazing son, Sam, the official family camp dog Ursa, and her partner. She currently teaches for a multi-age coop and home study charter, working with children ages 6 - 10, and performs her music locally and in the bay area. She *loves* the family camp immersion experience, and is deeply grateful to receive and contribute the support and rich experience it offers.

Marcus Liefert        Teen Program Coordinator

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This is Marcus's second year at Family Camp, and are we glad he's back! He brings that Big Bear kind of energy to the whole camp, playful and strong at the same time. And, being not so many years away from being a teen himself, he has a natural way of being with teen energy. You can see Marcus in action on the You Tube video the teens made last year at camp. Go to You Tube and search "Ten Reasons Teens Keep Coming Back To Family Camp."

Marcus is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity at the Unitarian Universalist seminary Starr King School for the Ministry. When he's not studying, he spends a lot of his time teaching drama and cooperative games to kids of all ages. He is passionate about play as a vehicle for social and personal transformation, and looks forward to bringing even more of that to the family camp teens this year.

George Kirkwood              Parent Program

I want to say how glad I am that I've been part of the Family Camp since its inception. I remember lying on the ground at the Dolstad Farm and looking up at the stars and sharing with one of the other volunteers how I've never been so sure about anything in my life, how much I connected at Family Camp with who I am and what I really want to do and how I want to contribute in the world. I'd never been in a place like that before, where I had a family of people, many around my own age, who really share my values and dreams and want to create an environment where everyone is nurtured, held with care, and supported in becoming the full embodiment of who they are. For me, that's what Family Camp is about, and it's a real gift that I've received there. I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of this project.

Francois Beausoleil       Parent Program

Francois Beausoleil is a certified trainer of Nonviolent Communication and lives in the Province of Quebec. As a percussionist, he performed with Cirque du Soleil for 5 years.

He has been teaching Nonviolent Communication in communities since 2004. A graduate of Bay NVC's Leadership Program, as well as having a M.B.A, he now works for BayNVC as a trainer and consultant and is in charge of the program "Building NVC Communities".

Currently he is also directing a year-long training program for a social service agency in California. Francois brings to his work a unique blend of creative energy and love of precision that is both inspiring and fun.

Prem Carnot       Camp Chef Extraordinaire!

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Prem was born in France and spent his school-age years in British boarding schools in India. He made in-depth studies of several major religions without finding a philosophy that truly resonated with his inner ideals of personal growth, mutual respect, and clear boundaries of personal responsibility. As a teenager, he raised his younger sister during her first year of life.

Prem brings an extensive background in business and the hospitality industry. His dream is to help kids create the life that is inherent in their potential and one day opening an orphanage that empowers kids without families. He has been part of the kitchen crew for the past 4 years.

Emily Vogt                Camp Chef Deliciosa!

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Emily's back! Emily is a whole food chef, experienced teacher and a student of Holistic Nutrition, as well as an avid gardener. Emily has been serving seasonal local organic food on Vashon for 15 years, including running her own cafe (Emily's Cafe). These days, Emily is a mama to an amazing 10 year old son and runs her own catering business (Emily's Catering) specializing in lovingly prepared local foods. Emily's life passion is eating healthy foods that are grown locally, and her appreciation for a sustainable lifestyle enables her to be an enthusiastic instructor. Emily holds a MA in International Policy and Relations and is currently working on her PhD in Holistic Nutrition. She considers herself a nature girl and enjoys studying Northwest native plants and their edible and medicinal uses, often incorporating them into her menus. Currently, Emily is the Assistant Teacher at Vashon's Cedarsong Outdoor Preschool and a Counselor at their nature camps.

Dinah Smith           Camp Photographer, Videographer

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Dinah is returning for her 4th year at Family Camp.  She has a Masters in Elementary Education, a BA in Fine Arts Drama, and have been in the education and entertainment fields for over 40 years, playing and working with kids and families with the one purpose of bringing out the best in others and sharing my enthusiasm for creativity, connection, and love.

 Dinah's introduction to NVC over 19 years ago was as a video producer/director for an NVC Training Tape for Holley Humphrey.  Since then we have made more videos and instructional games for kids and families.  Both her boys were brought up in NVC, and cherish their meaningful connections to themselves and others  as a result of being NVC kids (their words)! 

Says Dinah, "I can't imagine a summer without family camp!  I usually work as the camp photographer and video maker person.  I love community!"

Seneca Beth Miller                       Teen Team

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We're honored to welcome Seneca Beth Miller to be a part of the NVC Family Camp team for the first time this year.  A life-long lover of learning and reciprocal education, Seneca is an artist, activist and believer in magic devoted to shifting paradigms through sustainable, systemic, radical and truly revolutionary creation and change. Seneca's strong passion for justice has manifest in a myriad of ways: direct action all over the globe, social work in the non-profit world, facilitating workshops inside jails in Arizona, and most recently, facilitating diversity and peace education to 4th & 5th graders through the Mosaic Project in Napa, California.

 Other outlets for Seneca’s passions include co-creating camps, rituals and workshops with the Reclaiming community (an Earth-based Spiritual community with a focus on activism), Permaculture trainings, learning homesteading skills, art, dance, working with young people and food!  To any group, Seneca brings inspiration and a bright, playful, calm reverence for all Life.  Seneca welcomes the opportunity to discover the best ways to serve the NVC Family Camp Community.