Category: Leadership Development

As the skies above Camp Woodland cleared of Woodland Dew, all of Camp set out to have a wonderful first Sunday! In the morning, the girls got a taste (or a reminder!) of what activities are like as we went through our Activity Rotations. Spending a small amount of time in each activity area, campers were able to experience and learn about each different activity – and counselors were able to show off their stuff!

In the afternoon, the CITs put on a very special Sunday event: Find Snow White! Each cabin moved from princess to princess collecting clues and participating in fun princess-themed activities like relay races, Princess charades, and making Pocahontas marker tattoos! In the end, Sunnyside, Sunrise and Tamarack worked together to find and rescue Snow White.

After all that adventuring, everyone was ready for a cool-down… just in time for afternoon Rec Swim! The Big Banana was ready and the lake was refreshing, and the waterfront was the perfect end to a fun-filled day! To wrap it all up, we spent the evening . What a great start to the summer!

JoAnne and I were recently in Dallas attending the American Camp Association’s annual national conference.  It is always a great time to network with other camp professionals, learn about trends and emerging topics in the industry from some amazing speakers, and to explore new ideas and resources for camp.

Best-selling author and psychologist Madeline Levine was one of the keynote speakers at the conference.  With nearly thirty years of experience as a clinician, consultant, and educator, Levine has shared insights on youth development and success on the national stage; she has appeared on television shows such as The Early Show and The Today Show as well as on local and national radio stations, including NPR’s The Diane Rhem Show and Forum. She is a former camper and the mother of three sons who all attended camp. Levine spoke about how camps can work with families, train staff, and build environments to support the success of all children.

In Teach Your Children Well, Levine writes about the seven essential coping skills (resourcefulness, enthusiasm, creativity, a good work ethic, self-control, self-esteem, and self-efficacy).  She thinks that camps help children master all the critical coping skills. This is another way of saying it fosters resilience, which allows us to deal with life’s inevitable changes and losses. We all develop coping skills by being in situations that push us out of our comfort zones. That’s what camp does for kids: Every day, it presents them with a whole new set of challenges, some of which are easily accomplished, others which take persistence, grit, and learning new skills.

Resourcefulness probably comes to mind first. You’re in a new situation, you’re meeting new people, you’re trying activities you’ve never tried before. Mom’s not there with you, and there’s nowhere to hide. You have to figure out how to meet social challenges, how to solve problems, how to pack your backpack or saddle your own horse. In the process, you stretch and grow in meaningful ways.

Enthusiasm gets bolstered as well. Camp is a place where, often, kids with specific interests that are not always rewarded during the academic year get a lot of recognition. At camp, for example, kids who are great with their hands may get to tie knots or build a cool fort. Instead of feeling bored or frustrated, they get to be excited and engaged. This may be a new feeling for many of them.

Camp supports self-esteem. There’s a constant line of new tasks to learn, which are fun and usually doable. I like to remind parents that self-esteem is not bestowed, it’s earned. Camp gives kids the opportunity to earn competence in something new — whether it’s in archery or lanyards or swimming — and that leads to confidence. It is competence and confidence that promote self-esteem in kids, not ribbons and trophies for incidentals or just showing up.

In general, camp provides a great opportunity for kids to test themselves outside the home and see that they are capable, they can connect with other kids, they can solve problems and collaborate.

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Happy Holidays!  

• Would I have been adventurous enough to travel to Costa Rica and improve the lives of local farmers?

Lee Building water pumps for farmers

Lee teaching about Water Sanitation

 

• Would I have been ambitious enough to meet the President of a developing country?

Lee and President

• Would I have been confident enough to get Masters Degree and consult for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?

 

I know I would have many regrets, if it was not for my extended experience at Camp Woodland.  The Jordan Family provided an environment which allowed me to dream big…and fulfill this dream as an adult.