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Instant
Message to Campers — Leave Your
Electronics at Home
While many television programs and video
games may be educational as well as entertaining,
camp provides children a rare opportunity
to unplug, allowing them to run, jump,
and play, as well as interact with other
children, the external world, and nature.
Research by the Kaiser Foundation concluded
that young people between eight and eighteen
spend an average of 6.5 hours a day absorbed
in media. Most of it is electronic and
much of the time is solitary.
The camp industry’s response
to technology
Today it seems as if kids don't leave home
without their cell phones, laptop computers,
and iPods®. Oftentimes kids are more
tech-savvy than their parents. As a result,
camp directors are responding to this growing
trend and deciding what kinds of electronics
they will allow into their camp community.
Some camp directors are choosing to ban
electronic items, altogether, saying that
tech toys involve solitary and sedentary
activities that clash with what
camp is all about—developing
social skills, building community, sharing
traditions, appreciating nature, and being
physically active.
Many ACA-Accredited® camps do not
allow cell phones/picture phones, iPods®,
computers, video games, boom boxes, electronic
fans, hot pots, or other electronic devices.
Because camps encourage kids to be "unplugged" while
attending camp, some camp directors warn
parents about "things not to pack."
However, there are many camps that offer
programming specifically based on technology.
For instance, 12% of ACA-accredited camps
offer computer or technology programs,
including video editing and computer programming.
TV
off, nature on!
While children benefit from "unplugging" at
camp by turning off the TV and getting
outside, technology is still a good way
for parents to stay close to their children
while they are away at camp. Many camp
Web sites post newsletters, videos, and
pictures of campers for parents to view.
Peg
Smith, ACA CEO, said, "It seems
that children are shielded from real-life
experiences with screens, but it is amazing
what can happen when children step out
from behind the TV, video game, or computer
screen into a rich camp environment full
of experiences and surprises — new
friends, new songs, new achievements,
combined with new growth and independence."
"The essence of camp is the presence
of supportive relationships, meaningful
opportunities, and challenging activities
in a physically and emotionally safe environment. A
place designed for and with children, where
they can explore and discover an important
rite of passage for children."
Weaning our children off of technology
and back into the real world
Writing home from camp has been a tradition
for generations, and it’s still practiced
and encouraged today. However, some
camps utilize high-tech ways of communicating
with families so they can see photos of
their kids on the camp’s Web site,
and others allow parents to fax or send
campers e-mails, which most camps print
and distribute to the camper. Some
camps even allow campers the opportunity
to plug in and e-mail home once a week,
but many still encourage campers to use
the "old technology," writing
home with pen and paper through standard
mail.
Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., a nationally known
clinical psychologist and author of the
best-selling parenting book The Blessing
of a Skinned Knee, encourages children
to get outside and play:
"At camp you will get all kinds of
valuable gifts: you will get homesick,
other campers will be mean to you, the
food won’t be great, you’ll
be cold and hot and hungry, and you will
get injured! At least a splinter. At least
I hope all of this will happen to you because
otherwise you are deprived. Of life. Of
its thorns and its roses."
For more information about technology
at camp and to speak
with an ACA representative, contact
Public Relations at pr@ACAcamps.org or
at 765.349.3317.
To discover ways in which camps are going
green and connecting children to the environment,
visit the ACA Web site, Children
and Nature Belong Together.
Also, for customizable public
service announcements or article
reprints, including articles about
unplugging at camp, visit our Media
Center.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Public Relations, American Camp Association
765-349-3317; 765-342-8456, ext. 317
pr@ACAcamps.org
About ACA
The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance
the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs
ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally
challenging learning opportunities. ACA is the only national organization that accredits camps. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps
that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.
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