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by Teresa Nicodemus
In São Paulo, Brazil, campers play baseball to help them learn the English
language. Near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, campers trek through the jungle
to see a shelter Aborigines have made. In New Zealand and England, families
spend holidays at camp together.
Every day of the year, children and adults of virtually all cultures
are exploring nature, making friends, and encountering their world in
a new way through the camp experience. Despite geographical and cultural
differences, camp remains a place of safety and discovery for children
and families around the world.
Flexible Camp Season
While summer camp flourishes in the months of June through August in the
U.S., the camp season varies throughout the world. In New Zealand, for
example, the busy camp season begins in the midst of winter, coinciding
with the school holiday.
"Many children, especially in the rural communities, are away at
boarding school," says Erin McKergow, an outdoor instructor in adventure
recreation at Bradford Woods, Indiana, and a native of New Zealand. "Our
‘summer' runs from December 20 to January 20 when kids are home from boarding
school. She explains that parents hesitate to send their children away
again to camp when they return from school. As a result, family camping
is big during that time as families vacation together.
In England as in New Zealand, camp sessions are flexible and generally
run throughout the year, incorporating school holidays and family vacations.
"We don't have summer camp like in the U.S. Summer is not the most
popular time for camp in England," observes Daniel Milner, whose
home country is England and who is also working this summer at Bradford
Woods as an outdoor instructor in environmental education.
In Malaysia, winter months are also the most popular for campers. Unlike
the U.S., Malaysia enjoys a tropical climate year round; this warmer climate
is reflected in a year-round camp season with the busiest months for camp
being December and January when children have their longest school vacations.
Malaysia's camp sessions include busy weekends and holiday sessions.
The year-round camp movement, beyond weekend and holidays, is a newer
trend in the U.S. Five-day or longer sessions for resident camps, which
is popular in the U.S., is a new trend within Malaysia, according to Connie
Coutellier. Last winter, Coutellier spent a month in Malaysia teaching
programming techniques and operational procedures at Jungle Lodge camp.
Learning Together in Malaysia
Immersed in Malaysian culture and camp life, Coutellier found both differences
and similarities between U.S. and Malaysian camp cultures.
Decentralized versus centralized
Most camps in Malaysia are centralized, meaning more structured. Programming
is planned by the administration. During Coutellier's visit she taught
counselors the value of decentralizing camp so that small groups planned
activities and programming to enhance socialization skills. "Groups
of campers worked together with their counselor to plan the week's activities.
Counselors were also taught to guide the group to come up with rules for
getting along while at camp. The kids loved it," stated Coutellier.
Amran Ariff Ahmad, a camp counselor from Jungle Lodge, agrees. Before
the ACA training his camp was centralized, he says, but now the kids plan
activities together and have more fun doing what interests them. Ahmad
is learning more about operational procedures of U.S. camps by working
as an outdoor specialist in environmental education and adventure recreation
at Bradford Woods.
Tiger tracks and glow worms
While U.S. campers backpack through woods and forest lands, Malaysian
campers trek through the jungle. The goal of both is often the same -
to learn environmental awareness and the importance of preserving the
natural environment. Along the winding path through the lush, tropical
jungle, Malaysian campers might see tiger tracks, enjoy glowing plants
and worms that are noticeable in the evening, or look for fresh water
prawns.
Environmental awareness is a fairly new concept in Malaysia. The many
environmental organizations that work to preserve U.S. forest lands and
wildlife do not exist in Malaysia. During a jungle trek, counselors try
to raise children's appreciation for their unique environment. They are
also extremely cautious, recognizing the potential dangers of flash floods
or high waters during monsoon season and razor sharp leaves on certain
vegetation – much like U.S. counselors taking every precaution during
hikes with campers. Leeches are a common nuisance on jungle treks, and
campers are schooled in proper removal of the parasite. Coutellier, during
staff training, taught Malaysian counselors universal precautions against
blood-borne illnesses.
Although jungle treks are exciting adventures for Malaysian campers,
many Malaysian camps also offer sophisticated initiatives, experiential
education, ropes courses, and jungle survival skills - programming that
is not much different from U.S. camp activities according to Hafiq Rizal
Hamisam, a camp counselor from Jungle Lodge who is also working as an
outdoor specialist at Bradford Woods.
Playing in the rain
U.S. camp programming might be slightly deterred due to rain; most activities
are moved indoors on a rainy day. During the monsoon season in Malaysia,
it rains every day. Camp programming continues as planned with counselors
being mindful of possible flooding, slippery conditions, or mud slides.
Organized Camping in Brazil
Although camps may be more prominent in some parts of the U.S., generally
one can find a camp in any state. In Brazil, the camp movement is centralized
around the larger cities, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where
the standard of living is highest. Large portions of north and northeast
Brazil are not well developed, and as a result, few camps exist in those
areas.
"The environment is so pristine [in the underdeveloped areas] that
kids can canoe, hike, and do all those things they could do at any camp,"
states Ricardo Moraes, who led outdoor education and environmental programs
in Brazil as operational director of Farm ‘N English, a camp he and his
wife, Elisabete, owned in Brazil. "Parents in Brazil view camp differently;
they see it as more recreational rather than as a learning opportunity.
"
Experiential learning
U.S. camp directors are not alone as they try to convey the camp experience
as a learning opportunity. Brazilian camp directors share the challenge
of convincing parents that camp offers a unique experiential opportunity
for children to learn new concepts, improve social skills, and increase
self-esteem.
Elisabete Moraes, program director for Farm ‘N English camp and a teacher
of English as a second language to Brazilian students, wanted to bring
more experiential learning into her classroom. She wanted to engage kids
in learning. Her class evolved into a day camp program and then grew into
a resident camp program with the goal of "engaging them [campers]
in learning, motivating them to learn, and preparing them for student
exchange programs," says Elisabete.
Inner-city kids benefit
No matter whether children are living in New York or São Paulo, camp still
opens doors for children to learn from their peers and counselors in a
setting removed from the norm. The idea of exposing children to a new
environment in order to learn was not new at Farm ‘N English. "We
felt the whole idea behind teaching a second language was exposing them
[campers] to a different culture. Going to a farm for these inner-city
kids of São Paulo was a new experience and exposed them to the culture
we created at the Farm. We immersed the campers in the English language;
everything was in English. Before we did any activity, for example, canoeing,
we would have a session where we learned all the English words we would
need to use on our canoeing trip," says Elisabete.
The competitive business of camp
According to Elisabete, the concept of camp in Brazil is much the same
as it is in the U.S.; however, camps in Brazil are usually for-profit,
private enterprises. Brazilian camps are less often run by nonprofit organizations
as in the U.S. Camp is a competitive business in Brazil. As a result,
camps are protective of their program and not many camp directors or staff
share programming techniques, ideas, and activities with other camps.
Recognizing the need for risk management
For Ricardo, the biggest difference between U.S. camps and Brazil camps
is the level of risk management. "Risk management and liability is
not as involved in Brazil; liability is not as big of an issue as it is
in the U.S.," said Ricardo, who is currently working as a program
specialist in the therapeutic area at Bradford Woods.
Ricardo expressed the need to create risk management policies and apply
American Camping Association standards to all camps in Brazil. "We
don't have the policies as you do here [in the U.S.]. For example, most
camps in Brazil do not require helmets during horseback riding. After
my experience here in the U.S. with risk management, I'd try to follow
risk management procedures in Brazil," said Ricardo.
Camps Share a Common Link
From Malaysia to Europe, from jungle treks to hikes, and from five-day
sessions to weekend sessions, camp crosses cultural boundaries. Almost
every day of the year at camps around the world, children are enjoying
safe places, having fun, and discovering. The world of camp grows smaller
every day as we connect and learn from each other.
Originally published in the 2000 July/August
issue of Camping Magazine. |
