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by Jessica Coleman
Don't think that these things just happen — campers don't
grow and mature passively; what they get from their camp experiences
depends on you.
I'll let you in on a secret. I went to camp as a child, all kinds
of camps, and I never really understood what I got out of it until I
worked as a counselor one summer when I was in college. It was then
that I finally realized what I had learned as a camper — because
of what I saw my campers learn.
At camp, the children in our group — who
became "my kids" — had amazing, positive life changes.
Little, blond-haired, freckle-faced Will, who was diagnosed with a learning
disability and put in "special" classes at school, made
new friends at camp who treated him just like everyone else — and,
wow, did his self-confidence grow! And Denise, whose overwhelming energy
had gotten her in trouble at home and school, discovered that her enthusiasm
helped her to be a great leader within the group. And Tim's fearlessness — seen
as too risky on a school play ground — at camp made him a hero
to the other boys as they watched him fly down the zipline. From his
actions, they were encouraged to try something they had previously thought
of as "too scary" and the look on each of their faces as
they were unharnessed: priceless — they had learned that they
could do things they didn't even think were possible.
If you've
worked at camp before, you probably have a half
dozen stories of your own just like this. And if you've never worked
at camp, you'll soon see what I mean. Besides anecdotal evidence, there's
been academic research — real studies — on the proven benefits
that a quality camp experience provides: Camp Gives Kids a World of
Good® (American Camp Association and Philliber Research Associates
2004).
How Can I Change My Campers' Lives?
At camp, learning happens
on two levels. There are basic skills that campers
know they are learning through daily activities:
skills like how to serve a tennis ball, how to do the backstroke, and
how to make a lanyard. And then there are more advanced skills — ones campers don't necessarily recognize,
but which will last them a lifetime: emotional and social skills like
how to work as part of a team, how to cope with adversity, and how to
assess risks and analyze possible outcomes.
Camp teaches on two levels:
- Activity
Skills (basic) – e.g.: pitching, swimming, drawing, acting, climbing
- Life
Skills (advanced) – e.g.: compassion, reason, patience, creativity,
self-reliance
So, just how do campers learn these two levels of skills?
Instruction
If you were hired to teach an activity
at camp, this probably seems like a no-brainer.
Of course you are there to instruct! However, remember, at camp, everyone plays a role in teaching campers — and
you're teaching on two different levels.
For example, when coaching
soccer, consider both the activity skills that
you want campers to learn — dribbling,
passing, positioning — and the lifelong skills that can be incorporated — teamwork,
sharing of the spotlight, cooperation, and so on. This dual-level education
can be extrapolated to any activity in camp — and beyond!
And, if you're not teaching an activity, remember that you still
have the responsibility (and the opportunity) to work with your campers
on lifelong skills.
Role Modeling
Campers are like sponges; they'll
absorb whatever is around them. You can create
a more pleasant summer for everyone by surrounding your campers with
positive influences — namely
you. Your campers will look up to you and want to be like you, so always
be aware of what you are doing and saying, as your campers will be watching.
Be fair. Don't gossip about fellow staff members or about campers.
And try to remain positive. Make smart choices,
not because they are easier or because you might otherwise be caught
and get into trouble, but because they are simply the right things to
do. Be who you want your campers to be.
Is This Really My Job?
Well,
what's your job at camp?
Before you answer with
a list of duties like "teach boating"; "supervise
campers"; "make activities fun"; "keep campers
safe"; "wear silly costumes"; or "be a good role
model" — let me summarize it for you with one phrase:
no matter the position you were hired for, your
job is to get campers to want to come back to camp. Now, that probably
doesn't sound as cool as you had hoped, and it's definitely not glamorous,
but it's the barebones truth — without campers, there is no
camp. And camp is really important! As we have
already seen, camp helps children grow in a variety of positive and
healthy ways that can affect them throughout their lives (see the sidebar Instructing Campers — Intentionality).
So, how can you do this job of yours well? What can you do
to persuade your campers to come back again next
year? What magic spell can you cast that will make your campers — and your boss — love
you? First, you have to know what the universal motivation is that brings
campers back to camp; there is one thing that gets kids to come back
year after year. Think it's a great variety of activities? It's
not. What about independence or being able to create one's own
schedule? Nope. Is it the silly evening programs? Uh-uh. How about the
facilities and the fine-dining experiences? Still no. Is it the enthusiastic
and caring counselors? Getting closer . . . Well, it must be the fun
then, right? After all, that's what camp is really all about!
Surprisingly, it's not . . . fun is not the top reason why campers
come back to camp.
While all of the above are important
aspects of camp, the most influential facet of
their camp experience — the one
thing that truly causes campers to return to camp — is friends
(Forster 2009).
What Does This Mean for Me?
To do a really great job
this summer — and to give your campers the best memories of their
lives — help your campers make lasting connections, both with
fellow campers and with staff members. Ensuring that all of your campers
make and keep friends is the single most important action you can take
this summer.
How do you do it?
As anyone who has gone away to college
or who has moved to a new town knows, meeting new
people and trying to become their friend can be
emotionally taxing. This is also true for your campers, especially if
they have never been to camp before. You can make this process easier
by creating a safe environment at camp — one
that feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Create a Safe Environment
To make a place where campers can feel comfortable
reaching out to new people:
- Get to know your campers. On an individual level, ask
questions about things that they like, both at
camp and at home, and about their interests and concerns. Tell them
about your life, too (as appropriate). This sharing of information
helps each camper learn to trust you, and it's good practice for making
new friends.
- Show
that you care about them. Support and encourage
your campers. Praise them. Be fair. And don't have a favorite camper — or better
yet, find a way to make every camper feel like your favorite.
- Be
a good role model. Do the right thing — always. Mentor (help/advise/guide)
your campers to do the same.
- Provide boundaries. When you have — and
enforce — rules that protect them, campers know that you care
about them and that you will work to keep them safe.
- Put a stop
to bullying immediately. Bullies sometimes look
like leaders — at
least to adults. However, they lack empathy, they exclude, and they
abuse an imbalance of power (e.g., in strength, popularity, age, size,
or money). Know that bullying occurs when you're not looking;
you'll need to figure out other ways to determine if it's
happening. Realize that both bullies and their victims need your help.
- Have
fun! Create and implement activities and events
for your group only: a daily pow-wow, evening
lullabies, a costume theme day, or a rest-hour talent show or lip-sync
contest (with prizes!). Make your campers feel special; ask them what
they want to do.
- Help others, especially your fellow counselors. Be aware that
not everyone will ask for help when they need it, so
you may need to be proactive. (And don't just
offer to help; actually do it!) By helping others, you show campers
that this is a place where people are supported.
Creating a safe camp environment
is of the utmost importance. Only when campers
are truly comfortable — only
when they feel safe — will they
be willing to step outside their comfort zones and
try things that are scary or difficult, like making
new friends.
Teach Campers How to Make Friends
Since many campers will
arrive literally not knowing how to make a new
friend, it's helpful to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Start each
new session by playing lots of icebreakers and name games. Help campers
learn the names of the people in their group as well as some interesting
personal facts (like favorite color, type and name of pet(s), number
of siblings, top three activities they are most looking forward to at
camp, and so on). Over the next few days, pair campers up for different
activities, and rotate the pairs so that each camper spends time with
every other camper. Begin this right away, before your kids have a chance
to decide who's "cool" or
who's "mean."
When
you have one camper who just doesn't seem to "click" with
anyone, sit down with her/him and find out what's going on. There
are a lot of reasons why one camper may not be making
friends as quickly as others. Brainstorm with the
camper about what else could be tried in order to make a new friend; for
example, maybe the child can approach another camper and ask what it is
that they like about camp. Or maybe s/he can join in an activity that's
not a favorite, rather than sitting it out. If you and the camper have
trouble coming up with ideas, ask your supervisor or director for help;
that's what they
are there for!
Help Campers Keep Their Friends
If
you've ever been
around a bunch of tenyear- old girls, you know
that they make and drop friends like it's a race; best friends from
five minutes ago may no longer be speaking with each other, and when
you ask about it, you get the dreaded, "Her?
I hate her!" Since connections are so important to the camp experience,
it's imperative that you help your campers learn how to keep the
friendships that they've worked so hard to build.
Two core skills
for keeping friends are apologies and conflict
resolution. Model healthy apologies by saying you're sorry whenever
you get the chance, and, perhaps even more importantly, show
campers how to accept an apology graciously and
sincerely from someone else. If a camper feels an apology is owed, encourage
him or her to ask for one appropriately.
Try to avoid forcing campers to apologize, especially
with a stilted handshake; what you want is a sincere
expression of regret. Be careful not to create
a situation with two campers who not only don't
get along but are now also mad at you for not understanding.
Instead, work with your campers to figure out an appropriate response,
something that can at least begin the mending of their relationship.
This is conflict resolution (see the sidebar).
Expand Your Skills
Conflict resolution works for friendship
disputes as well as for issues that arise between
other campers, between staff members, and between campers and counselors.
It can also be effective with homesickness and with acts of misbehavior.
Have campers suggest potential solutions or appropriate consequences.
How can they help themselves feel better? How can they make up for what
they've done?
When you've
gotten really good at working with campers one-on-one,
try facilitating discussions in small groups. Facilitating,
or leading from within, is a useful skill that
you can use to help a larger number of campers
solve difficult group dynamics. Such conversations
can be used in reaction to a specific negative incident or series of
annoying behaviors or in preparation for positively opening up communication within
the group. Topics might include relationships, what-to-do-if . . . situations,
planning a special event, or just about anything else you or your campers
want to talk about. Feel free to ask your supervisor for ideas and support,
too.
Beyond Just a Summer Job
Know that what you
are doing this summer is important; what children
learn at camp will affect them throughout their
whole lives. You are teaching your campers not
only how to make friends and how to keep them but also all the skills
that go along with that: compassion, teamwork, cooperation, communication,
sharing, perseverance, problem-solving, leadership, listening, taking
responsibility, being accountable, decision-making, considering others,
and more! Because of you, your campers will become better people. They
will grow into contributing adults. They will impact and influence others
in a more positive way. They will be better community members and better
leaders. Because of you, the world will be different.
You make the difference
to each child this summer.
You are the power
of camp.
Author's note: With special thanks to
Bob Ditter, Michael Brandwein, Chris Thurber, Lisa
Ginsburg, Scott Arizala, Jay Frankel, and Jeff
Leiken — my
knowledge of staff training and camper development would not be as complete
without you.
References
American Camp Association and Philliber
Research Associates. (2004). Youth Development
Outcomes of the Camp Experience. Forster, G. (2009). What Counts the
Most, www. ACAcamps.org/youngpros, accessed February 2, 2009.
Originally published in the 2009 May/June
issue of Camping Magazine.
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