Meet our dedicated staff..
We're looking 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 four summers now. Every summer Doug and Barbara are adding new features to the Farm with the support and nourishment of families in mind.

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.

Johnny Colden             Teen Program Co-Coordinator


Fun activist and Guerrilla communicator Johnny Colden grew up unschooled on a small island in the Puget Sound. He owns more bicycles than he cares to admit and HE LOVES NVC FAMILY CAMPS. He has lead weeklong NVC teachings with "adults", worked with those labeled as gang members, and roleplayed Marshalls' wife right in front of him. Last year he lucked into three NVC camps on the youth team where he got more opportunity to engage with the type of stuff that gets him going; conflict, youth, and "education". He believes in the fundamental understandability of people, and has an especially soft spot in his heart for those co-creating TAZ-like experiences in the world.

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!"