Why Camping is Necessary For Kids

Getting out into Nature, making new friends, exploring a new environment, self -discovery, independence. These are just a few of the things that come to mind for us all when we think about going to summer camp as a child. But there are so many more things that camp
provides for children and youth that new research shows us.

First, there is the opportunity to really become a part of nature as a human being. Children are literally being ‘nature deprived’ in urban environments where they listen to noises such as cars, planes, horns, sirens gunfire and the general bustle of the city.

Human beings ears were actually meant to listen to birds singing, the wind whipping through the trees, and the sound of water gurgling in a stream or going over a fall. Our feet were made to
walk on soft earth, not on concrete. Our eyes were made to see beauty in green plants and trees, blue sky, mountains, deserts, and ocean scenery. Yet we deprive most children to just seeing dirty streets, polluted brown smog in the sky, and school playgrounds that are devoid of grass or trees. If we cage any animal in this type of environment for too long, they turn to violence and become quite depressed. We as human animals react no differently.

Sending a child to camp gives them time to reflect on where they belong in the world. Camp gives them a time to also let nature heal their emotional wounds through belonging to a ‘Camp Family’ and having a young adult care for them and listen to their stories. Children are human beings in a developmental process of life and camp helps them to develop multiple skills simultaneously. Skills like trust, and leadership, good risk taking, and group work, problem solving, and self – expression, communicating and relationship building.

You see nature has a way of impacting a child’s growth in many positive ways. Exploring a new and exciting environment helps children develop independence from starting with fear of nature on their first day at camp to newfound confidence by their fourth day.

The tangible skills are many as well. From trying new activities like archery, nature crafts, low ropes course, orienteering (map and compass) acting or singing at campfire, swimming, hiking and learning about the outdoor environment from it’s geology to it’s animal and plant life.

Last and most importantly, camp teaches children and youth to celebrate diversity and value unity. Knowing that we are all human beings and that we need to work together to make our home and society peaceful, meaningful, and safe. That is what a well-run camp is and what a well run camp does.

With all of these multiple learning experiences and opportunities offered to a child in just one week up in the mountains, I would say camp is a wise investment for the future adults of our
world.

I look forward to working with the Pythian Youth Foundation to make the camping experience meaningful and memorable for the youth it serve.

In Peace and Friendship,

Bob Cabeza

Bob Cabeza, the Executive Director of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach Downtown Community Development Branch, who will provide our training, has been a veteran ACA Camp Director and youth developer for over 25 years. He has run camps in the United States, Switzerland and Austria for Village Camps, the YMCA, and the Foundation for the Junior Blind. He is an outdoor educator, avid hiker, skier, and climber. He lives in Long Beach California with his wife and ten year old son.

Because of Camp

I was inspired by an email I just received from Peter Surgenor, the keynote for our upcoming ACA Annual Meeting. His email ended with: "Ask me about my 'Because of Camp' story". Not only did this make me want to know Peter's camp story, but it made me want to tell my own.

As a child, I came to camp a shy, self-conscious girl who went to a school full of cliques and mean girls...I always felt like I had to measure up...and yet, I never did. I was shy, I didn't have the brand-name clothes, my parents didn't drive a cute car and worst of all, despite all my protests, day after day, I came to school with a lunch packed with wheat bread sandwiches and Granny Goose chips - and to be clear, these were not the pre-packaged chips - my chips were stuffed in a plastic bag. Just not cool.

Yet, camp was different. I left camp realizing that there was more in the world than the walls of my school or the boundaries of my small farm town. Even more, I made friends with people who liked me for me - the wheat bread, the shyness…it didn't matter. And of course, this acceptance instantly made me feel less shy and less self-conscious. I went home with new eyes.

I came back to camp for a number of years in middle school - and these experiences built the resilience that I needed for high school. High school had a whole new dynamic - there was a huge division of race at our school, major religious intolerance and to top it off - those good 'ol typical high school problems: alcohol, drugs & pregnancy.

This heap of problems at my school (and, ultimately, in my town) created an incredible amount of anxiety in me - I couldn't stand bigotry - and it was in my face all the time in high school. To ignore it was to accept it.

I had to step up or step out...be the first to say "this isn't ok", or step into the shadows and let my small, close-minded town be what it was going to be. I decided, at whatever cost, to be myself - and the person I was couldn't stand by and accept intolerance: so I stepped up. My sophomore year in high school was full of verbal fights, accusations and goading. It was a year of standing alone - but, I was on my own two feet and that felt better to me than the alternative.

Then, to my surprise, people started to come around.


I can't take credit for changing my home town, because it didn't completely change and probably still hasn't changed entirely. But, I changed, and because of this, I could live in the world as my true self, even in a small close-minded town - I could stand up for what I felt was right, be friends with whomever I wanted and believe what I wanted to believe - and I was even accepted for it by that small close-minded town, which is a miracle in and of itself.

Camp did this. Camp showed me the world and the people in the world outside my small farm town. Camp showed me acceptance and this acceptance gave me strength. I can confidently say that Because of Camp, I am happier, stronger and more confident - both as a young person and now as an adult.

---

~Lupine Reppert
Director of Education & Membership
American Camp Association, Southern CA/HI
(f) Camper, Camp Christelation
(f) Counselor, Building Bridges for Peace
(f) Counselor & Director, Tumbleweed Day Camp

What's your story? Tell your camp community on this blog
or be ready to share at the upcoming Annual Meeting!

Spring Leadership Conference

I am very excited about the Spring Leadership Conference scheduled for April 14- 17, 2010 in the beautiful city of Palm Springs. While the destination is an attraction in itself it is not the only reason you should bring your staff team and attend the conference.

This conference will provide your leadership team the opportunity to build yourselves- much like you build your counseling and program staff teams during your own camp orientation.

• Help your staff learn valuable skills for training, coaching and supervising other staff.
• Come and network with camp peers from Southern California, Hawaii and beyond!
• Gain cutting-edge information regarding children and youth in the 21st century.

Who should attend?

• Developing Directors
• Seasonal Directors
• Program Directors
• Assistant Directors
• Staff Supervisors
• Middle Managers
• Students interested in camp as a career

Of course, if you are an experienced director, you should plan to attend too! You are able to attend the conference free with a team of 6 from your camp. And you are invited to register for the Experienced Director Day option on Friday.

The conference chairs, John Beitner and Maria Horner have put together an incredible conference committee. Program and activities are in the process of being planned- some of our industry favorite speakers will be presenting new material and as mentioned on the website, we have Ashley Merryman helping us to understand some of today's best science on raising children. If you haven't purchased her book, Nurture Shock, New Thinking About Children co-authored with Po Bronson I encourage you to go and buy it today! I am almost done reading it and I highly recommend it. be sure to check the website often, it will be updated as speakers are added to the schedule. http://acasocal.org/springconference Po and Ashley also have a blog you might want to check out http://www.nurtureshock.com/

If you know of a vendor who might be a good fit for our exhibit hall, please let me know, michele@ACAsocal.org we want to fill our exhibit hall with great resources. We are also looking for conference sponsors.

Along with an excellent program the committee is planning an opportunity drawing - a chance to win fabulous prizes and social activities to provide greater networking opportunities.

Be sure to check out the hotel too- it is definitely a destination: http://www.hotelzoso.com/index.php and you can't beat the $100 per night room rates.

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy New Year!

See you in Palm Springs,

Michele

Father's Day and Camp

I have the privilege of getting all ACA’s email and communications and I do everything I can to ensure that I’m caught up on what’s happening. I feel very fortunate to have a relationship with ACA, an organization whose mission I truly believe in.

This week is “Father’s Day,” my first as a father. Since ACA’s Public Service Announcement (PSA) a couple weeks ago – “Because of Camp…” - I’ve been reflecting on what Camp and Father’s Day mean to me.

For those who don’t know my Dad, Wally Wirick, has been in the camping business for as long as I can remember. My first job was washing dishes at camp. Since then, I’ve had many, many camp jobs and even better camp memories.

However, this weekend, as we all say “Happy Father’s Day” to our Dads, I thought I’d share the camp experience that has meant the most to me.

My parents, like many before and many since, separated when I was in second or third grade. As a young kid, I had a hard time figuring out what happened and why Dad was living far away. As time passed, the daily interaction with Dad got less and less and when we did see him, it was always movies, parks and fun and games, but not much understanding.

Although we lived in the San Bernardino Mountains, my school had a week of Outdoor Education for all 5th graders. But, when my 5th grade rolled around the camp we were supposed to go to abruptly closed. We were told we couldn’t go this year and that all that jogging we had been doing for months in our jog-a-thon would go to something else.

Upon hearing this news, I raised my hand and told the teacher that my Dad was a Camp Director and maybe we could use his camp.

Dad made it happen. His camp didn’t have OE, but he put together a barebones team and somehow got us through the five miles of dirt road (that was muddy from the snowmelt and the buses constantly got stuck) to camp.

It is not that Dad and I hung out all week…he was busy running a camp. But, what I remember seeing was that Dad was providing a great experience for me, and my friends and all the other kids who where there. I remember looking around and thinking that he does this for all the kids who live down the hill. It was important work.

Camp helped me reconnect with my Dad. When—of course—he embarrassed the hell out of me at camp fire, I remember feeling as connected to him as the days when he would come home from work find his little tow-headed kid with a glove, baseball and an extra glove, dying for a game to catch.

As my first Father’s Day quickly approaches, I wonder what role camp will have on my relationship with my son Henry.

Quiet Times

The calm before the storm. I know most people with school age children would not agree that this is a "calm" time. Seems there are more parties, events and "to dos" these first 2 weeks of June than there are during the holidays. I know my calendar is pretty full. 

But to a large group of adults this is really the "calm' before they launch into a tremendously busy summer. That group of adults? Camp Directors. Right now many of them are putting last minute touches on their training schedules, they are copying the

ir staff manuals and prepping for parent night. 

The staff has been hired, supplies have been ordered, logistics have been figured, schedules are developing, and the anticipation is rising. Today the anticipation is about the staff who will arrive shortly. The team building is about to take place, the songs, skits and camper lists will be distributed, soon after the staff arrive, storm, norm and form the campers will come! 

Children will disembark from buses, boats and cars. Parents will kiss their precious angels good-bye, leaving them in the hands of capable, enthusiastic staff, whether for a day, a week or a month- they know their children are in for an incredible experience. 

Camp - if you haven't enrolled your child today- do it! They will have fun and learn life lessons all at the same time!

Make it a Great Day!

Michele

Because of Camp

If you haven't viewed the new ACA Public Service Announcement titled Because of Camp I encourage you to. 

If you went to camp as a child, worked at camp as an adult or now send your own children to camp you will connect to the message. 

I had the good fortune of attending camp as a child, working at camp as a young adult and into adulthood and now my boys attend camp each summer. (You can bet our daughter will be going when she is old enough).  

Camp changed my life in countless ways, here are just a few. 

Because of Camp, as a camper, I made life long friendships with girls from all over the United states, gals who shaped many of my beliefs and who provided me with perspective I may not have gained elsewhere. 

Because of Camp,  as a counselor, I learned how to plunge toilets, settle conflict between 8 year old girls at bedtime and that a summer camp experience lasts far beyond the paycheck earned!

Because of Camp, as a mom, my husband and I have found partners to help us raise our children.  In addition to providing our boys a chance to take safe risks the camp experience provides our boys the opportunity to make friends with people they may not typically meet and to develop positive relationships with caring adults who make each day fun! 

Camp is more than sweet memories, it is a place where children develop and hone life skills, make lasting friendships and most important - they get to be children!  

Please view the PSA and share with me How your life has changed, Because of Camp...

 

Make it a great day!

Michele