I believe in the power of summer camp. There, I said it. My name is Nathan Brant and I am a summer camp believer.
I may, however, be part of a dwindling number of believers. In this era of specialization, the value of a traditional summer camp experience with archery, canoeing, campfires, nature walks, horseback rides and rock climbing is more difficult to explain to perspective families, foundations, and educators. Traditional Day & Resident Camps are like liberal arts colleges. We teach behavior before skill – we teach how learn and interact successfully in groups. More and more, society seems to turn away from the notion of liberal arts and the well-rounded individual. We are witnessing an unprecedented growth in technical or magnate schools at all levels, and the same thing is happening with summer camps.
Now everyone has gotten in on the Camp Game. Museums, churches, schools, YMCAs, YWCAs, Scouts, community foundations, state parks, and conservancy groups are all running camps. We have soccer camp, art camp, dance camp, eco-camp, robotics camp, swim camp, lacrosse camp, and many more. Each of these programs teaches a skill. They teach kids to be a better soccer player, a better inventor, a better artist, or a better swimmer. Meanwhile, traditional summer camp programs continue with their less glamorous work - teaching kids how to be better people.
In my summer camps, Bynden Wood YMCA Day Camp & YMCA Camp Conrad Weiser (www.smymca.org), we strive to help our campers develop into successful adults. Regardless of the camp activity, we teach our kids the lessons of leadership. Whether on horseback, the archery ranges, or the climbing tower, we intentionally work to improve a young person’s communication skills, we focus on the development of interpersonal trust, and we provide opportunities for problem-solving. When a young person leaves our program, we know he or she is better prepared to serve as a leader, or be a responsible member of a group being led.
Being a great soccer player may be important through high school or college. Being a great leader is important for life.
My name is Nathan Brant, and I am a summer camp believer. Perhaps there is a support group for people like me . . . .
We’ll see you at Camp!
Nathan
For more information on the relevance of summer camp, check out the American Camp Association’s article, “An American Tradition – Camp,” at
http://www.campparents.org/American-Tradition
.
4 comments
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March 22, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Matt Hauger
Thanks for this; I agree that ‘classic’ summer camp is a tradition worth saving. And the analogy between traditional camp and a liberal arts education is really helpful.
To be fair, though, themed camps produce better persons and leaders, too. For example…
- Sports camps are ideal locales for improving ‘communication skills,’ as campers learn what it means to work in concert as a team.
- Dance camp demands that young people develop ‘interpersonal trust,’ as fledgling artists put themselves on full display for people they’ve only just met.
- Computer camp certainly provides ‘opportunities for problem solving,’ as when campers learn to program their way around hardware and software constraints.
In fact, traditional camp has always recognized the value of these specialized areas for personal development. After all, as you point out, at summer camp, kids ride horses (as at horse camp), shoot bullseyes (as at target sports camp), and climb towers (as at outdoor adventure camp).
So what makes traditional summer camp worthwhile? Is is the sheer variety of experiences–the opportunity to experiment and play with different skillsets and identities? Or is it the fact that, at traditional camp, skill development is a by-product, and character development is front-and-center?
March 22, 2011 at 2:31 pm
nsbrant
Good Discussion Matt.
I think many of my “Pro-Traditional Camp Points” could be part of a specialty camp program – it the staff were trained to accomplish those goals.
However, it is also about focus.
The focus of a specialty or skill-based camp is that given skill (ex. Soccer). Teamwork and Leadership may be a by-product of an Eco-Camp or a Soccer Camp – but they are not the focus. The focus of a skills-based camp is transferring a skill set to a student, not to develop interpersonal skills like communication and problem-solving.
I don’t say this to take away from what specialty and skill programs have to offer. They fill a very important niche. When I was a kid in the 80s, I went to soccer camp, swim camp, and drama camp – as well as a traditional camp program. All 4 camps I attened had value, and as you pointed out, Matt, traditional day and resident camps use a variety of activities to teach the lessons of leadership.
The difference is when we (traditional camps) are doing it right, we are focusing on the lessons of leadership and interpersonal skill-building and simply using the activity as a tool.
Good Points. Thank you.
March 28, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Camp Caribou
Great Article Nathan… There is a summer camp out there for every child and everyone needs to experience at least one summer of camp. From the people you meet to the memories you make, summer camp is a place to grow into a confident young person!!!
Have a great summer everyone!!!
August 4, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Amanda Lipnack
Somehow I don’t have your blog on my reader, must rectify!
But to the point…I attended a general summer day camp from the age of 4. I decided when I was 12 that I wanted to try an overnight camp and actually picked a sailing camp back when CCW did a week long specialty camp at the end of the summer. I loved it BUT I knew I was missing out on something. We stayed in the villages, ate at the dining hall but really had nothing to do with the rest of the mountain and I knew I wanted to try it out. The next summer I came back to CCW for 2 sessions (back when sessions were only 2 weeks long) and realized all that I had missed. I was able to do something I loved (sailing) but I had the chance to try a lot of other things and really meet and interact with a much larger group of people and I knew that was the experience that better fit my needs. I met other campers and counselors from all over the world. I learned to be brave, I learned to step out of my comfort zone, and I learned to be respectful and reverent. I believe that every experience you have in life makes you the person you are in that moment, but I can say with great certainty that the time I spent at CCW, and later leading the ICEP trip, shaped me in ways that few other experiences have.
Thanks for a great article. While I don’t have children myself, I am constantly encouraging my friends with kids to send their kids to summer camp – whether it be day camp or overnight camp when the kids are older. A lot of my friends did not have the camp experience when they were kids so they don’t truly “get it.” I think one of the greatest gifts I can give these kids I love is to encourage their parents to give them the experience. It will change their life.