With anxiety on the rise and technology pushing adolescents to grow up at alarming rates, there will always be one place to soothe tension and act like a kid again. Summer camp is this haven for many people and roughly eight million children in America go to summer camp each year. Allegiances are formed to one’s own camp, and the bonds formed are lasting. Studies have even shown that S’mores, dance parties, and singing songs may do more for a child than just provide happy memories. The skills learned at camp benefit children’s futures by honing healthy mental and social behaviors at a young age.
The far-from-life-threatening risks that a camper takes on a daily basis, such as sampling a new food or finding similarities between herself and a stranger, create situations in which they learn to embrace new experiences. Individuals that didn’t attend summer camp as children can be made anxious and uncomfortable with these situations, which is detrimental to mental and social health. Summer camps provide countless opportunities for kids to unknowingly learn how to cope with stressful life circumstances. In this way, I believe that summer camps stand as one of the simplest, most under-appreciated forms of therapy available to us.
My own story
I arrived at Camp Alleghany in the West Virginia hills when I was ten-years-old, and I can’t imagine a summer without it now.
Each year, without fail, I made new friends, dealt with new challenges, and came back as a stronger individual. Most of the best friends that I’ve made at camp can agree that they are struggling at home with one thing or another. Some may have a hard time fitting in at school or figuring out what they really love to do. Some have suffered through terrible life events. Everyone has his or her own story. Yet when we cross the Greenbrier River on the camp’s iconic barge, and are sung the first few notes of the welcome song, all struggles at home disappear. We are now in an environment where no one is judging us and we can truly be ourselves.
During the other seasons when I am not at camp, I continually discover ways that camp has trained me to deal and cope with life events. Next summer I’ll be returning to camp for my 10th year and I can’t express my magnitude of excitement in words.
In psychology, it’s understood that being able to talk about your emotions in a stress-free environment can improve self-awareness and generally promote healthy mental behavior. Summer camp provides that stress-free environment.
Everyone at camp is different, and we’re all excited to hear about how we’re different, and to learn from each other. Children uncover conditions that relate to real-world problems and they learn to cope with them with the supervision, help, and care of the counselors and other staff members. In this way, the staff offers scaffolding, an idea discovered by Russian researcher Lev Vygotsky. Scaffolding in psychology refers to aiding a child in the learning process by providing support and slowly eliminating the support so the child then learns by his or herself. This form of development is observed in every corner of camp life, from directly teaching campers how to paddle in a canoe, or even helping the child figure out how they should resolve slight drama in a friend group. Every small challenge faced, results in acquired life lessons.
Parents can also prosper from sending their child to summer camp. Studies show that children who attend summer camp learn to have better relationships with their parents. This may be from learning to appreciate parents after time away or other reasons. It is a sense of the heart growing fonder with distance. Parents who can comfortably relay information solely through letters can expect a happier, more resilient child to come home and a stronger bond to blossom.
Back to the land
Another vital feature of summer camp is the demand for children to give up cell phones, electronics, and social media. I’ve seen this tear certain kids apart (parents too), but it makes everyone stronger in the end.
A necessary skill for children nowadays to learn is making face-to-face conversations even with people they’ve never met before. Parents probably never thought this would be an issue when they were kids. However, the rapid advance in technology in only the last ten years has stripped some children of all their social skills. Camp is a place where they give up the luxury of texting someone miles away, and instead walk up to them and initiate a conversation. “LOL” means a lot more when you’re truly laughing out loud with your friends.
The ability to forthrightly approach someone, especially someone new to you, and start talking and comparing interests is a social skill that will help children advance in school and in the workplace. Today, this skill seems most easily honed right there at summer camp.
Resilience in action
I’ve watched myself — and other campers — grow, particularly during my years as a counselor. I’ve heard tragic stories from home, and witnessed those children being the most enthusiastic in their activities. I can confidently say that camp “fixes” children even when they’re not broken.
Camp “fixed” me. I feel psychologically more resilient in both everyday hassles and catastrophic life events. It also helps that I have all my friends from camp to be there to help me pick myself back up when I’m faced with frustrations or obstacles.
It is extremely difficult for a child not to improve his or her social and mental health when such a loving environment surrounds them. I believe that every child could benefit from a few weeks attending a summer camp. So if you’re on the border, go ahead and send your kid there — you will both benefit greatly.
–Abi Edwards, Alum and Counselor, Camp Alleghany for Girls