Parents want the best opportunities for their children. They want them
to have whatever it takes to be happy and successful - good health,
the ability to get along with others, thinking and problem-solving skills,
a good self-concept. Children need resiliency skills: self-esteem, life
skills, self-reliance and pro-social behaviors. The camp experience
offers a nurturing environment away from the distractions and, in some
cases, hostile environment of the city.
Peter Scales, Ph.D., is a senior fellow with the Search Institute in
Minneapolis. A noted educator, author, and psychologist, Dr. Scales
says, "Camp is one of the few institutions where young people can
experience and satisfy their need for physical activity, creative
expression and true participation in a community environment."
In recent years camps have put a greater emphasis on what leaders in
the child development field have been saying about the needs of
children today. Camp activities and group living in a natural
environment are the tools used to create camp communities that provide
for successful, healthy development and a place where having fun is a
daily criterion. In such a structured environment, children interact
with positive role models who have time to listen, talk, relax and
reflect. They learn to work together, make choices, take
responsibility, develop creative skills, build independence and
self-reliance and gain confidence. All are necessary steps on a child's
path to a healthy, productive life.
The camp experience is recognized by child development professionals as
valuable in helping children mature socially, emotionally,
intellectually, morally and physically.
"The building blocks of self-esteem are belonging, learning and
contributing. Camps offer unique opportunities for children to succeed
in these three vital areas and even beyond home and school," says
Michael Popkin, Ph.D., family therapist and founder of Active Parenting.
Noted experts in child development have expressed their thoughts on
summer camp as a valuable resource for giving children the value of
belonging to a community of their own. This position is being forwarded
by the American Camp Association, which believes that the critically
important sense of community for children is rooted in enabling and
empowering children to be belonging, cooperating, contributing and
caring citizens.
Bruce Muchnick, a licensed psychologist who works extensively with day
and resident camps, said, "Each summer at camp a unique setting is
created, a community is constructed that allows participants to get in
touch with a sense of life that is larger than one's self. The camp
community seeks to satisfy children's basic need for connectedness,
affiliation, belonging, acceptance, safety and feelings of acceptance
and appreciation."
Bob Ditter, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in child and
adolescent treatment, added, "It is in the crucible of this community
that children gain self-esteem with humility, overcome their inflated
sense of self, and develop a lifelong sense of grace and wonder."
Michael Brandwein, a noted speaker and consultant to the camp profession,
continued, "What makes camp a special community is its focus on
celebrating effort. In this less pressured atmosphere, children learn
more readily what positive things to say and do when they make mistakes
and face challenges." Brandwein also said, "The traditions and customs
of each different camp are like a secret code that allows those who
know it to feel embraced by something unique and special."
He continued, "Campers are urged to include, not exclude, others. They
are praised for choosing new partners and not always the same ones.
They are encouraged to respect the differences between people. In an
increasingly sarcastic, put-down-oriented world, camps aim to be an
oasis of personal safety where demeaning comments and disrespectful
behavior are not tolerated, and children are taught responsible and
positive ways to resolve conflicts."
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, former chair of America's Promise
- The Alliance for Youth, had his own perspective on the value of a
summer camp experience for children: "It gets them away from a
neighborhood or situation that may exist in their neighborhoods that
isn't healthy ... It teaches them how to get along with other people -
both other young people as well as adults. To give our children a safe
place to learn and grow – camp does that."
Reprinted by permission of the American Camp Association, copyright 2005
