4 minute read
Why Summer Camp?
The Top 8 Answers
BY MARIJEAN “MJ” PARRY
With all the different choices that children and young people have today, why would they (and their families) choose summer camp? The best camps provide a LOT of good answers to that question. Here are my favorites.
1. Camp is fun! This may sound frivolous, but having real fun is good for kids in the short term and the long term. Biologically, having fun releases dopamine, which produces positive feelings and relieves stress. And at camp, that leads to creating better bonds with others, feeling connected and creating lifelong memories.
2. Camp is a place you belong. All of us want and need that glorious feeling of belonging. It’s about feeling comfortable, accepted and celebrated for who you are, and being able to contribute to the group, to give and receive support. Belonging feels right and it’s an experience that camp is known for.
3. Camp is filled with learning and growth. There are so many opportunities to learn at camp. Maybe it’s skills in swimming, archery or ceramics. For most campers, however, really valuable learning and growth comes from the process and can be carried into other areas of life. To be open to learning is to admit that you don’t know how to do something. Falling short sometimes happens, but being supported in practicing reevaluation and problem-solving leads to an even bigger win — confidence, a sense of perseverance and the powerful deep knowledge that “I can do hard things” — true life skills.
4. Camp builds awareness. That can mean awareness of others, yourself or nature. Maybe it’s getting in tune with others’ interests, needs and unique gifts. Or becoming sensitive to the track of the sun, the changes in the air before a storm, or the multitude of living things all around us. From awareness comes empathy and appreciation.
5. Camp is about service. All camps are communities — they are like little villages where everyone plays a part in the community’s success. That success is linked to giving “service.” It may be a little thing like a camper helping another learn how to do a craft, or volunteering to help weed the garden. It may be helping a homesick friend, or truly celebrating someone else’s accomplishment. Some would say this is kindness, yet the deep meaning of service is the dedication to helping someone have a better life. Daily life at camp is filled with service.
6. Camp is unplugged. The opportunity to be unplugged is a gift to children, young people and adults. For many, it is a giant stress reliever. Since everyone is doing it at camp, it’s an easier adjustment than some people might assume. It creates a focus on what is actually happening around a person: Real “face time” happens when people are unplugged, and strengthens skill sets for interacting with and experiencing the world.
7. Camp is a place to make lifelong friends. These are friends that share so many moments. They see each other when they are brushing their teeth in the morning, or dirty and wet from jumping in mud puddles. This jump-starts a shared history that grows exponentially. Anyone who has been to camp will tell you that their camp friends can always be counted on, no matter how far apart — and that they laugh harder, louder and longer with their camp friends than with anyone else.
8. Camp is filled with joy. Feeling happy and content is great. But add in feeling balanced, accepted and right in your world, and you get joy! Camp at its best provides moments of unparalleled joy.
A camp experience is one of the most powerful gifts you can give or receive.
Marijean “MJ” Parry is the executive director of Fleur de Lis Camp, an overnight camp for girls ages 8-17 located on the shores of Laurel Lake in Fitzwilliam. For more information, check out the website here.
