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by Peter L. Gucker
"What am I doing here,” he groaned.
“I’ll never catch up.” Sixth in line in the group of seven hikers,
Sam looked far up the trail as Jennifer disappeared around another
huge boulder. The distance between them seemed to grow no matter how
fast he tried to make his stumbling feet traverse the slippery roots
and rocks. Just as he felt like collapsing in despair, he heard his
counselor, Doug, say, “Sam’s turn to lead!”
“Er, like . . . that’s OK . . . . Jennifer can lead,” mumbled Sam.
“Your turn, Sam. Take us to the top,” Doug instructed.
Sam moved reluctantly to the front of the group and took a first tentative
step — then another. He peered up the trail. There was nobody in front
of him. Oddly, he suddenly didn’t feel so tired. “Keep a steady pace,”
he muttered to himself. “Just keep going.”
Twenty minutes later there was no place higher to climb. Sam was standing
on top of the world, mountain ridges tumbling away in all directions
as far as he could see. Elation and relief overwhelmed him.
“Nice job, Sam!” called Doug. |
Self-assurance, self-esteem, self-confidence — these are said to be among
the values that can be inculcated in the camp experience. There are many
others.
From a Camp Director’s Viewpoint
At camp, children learn values and skills that are unlikely to be included
in the curriculum of most schools as they are currently constituted. Following
is one director’s vision of a camp experience devoted to the broader education
of children.
Family-like atmosphere encourages contribution
Creating a manageable, family-like atmosphere at camp is best undertaken
by forming cabin groups of four to six campers led by one counselor. Humor
is fundamental — not the sarcastic snickering that ridicules, but the
cheerful kind that derives from enthusiasm for daily activities, enjoys
occasional goofiness, and generates good-natured laughter.
Campers feel at home with one-on-one greetings by the directors on the
first day of camp and continuing with frequent encounters as the season
progresses. Cabin counselors encourage campers to voice their feelings
and concerns, and campers are free to contribute their own ideas about
upcoming events, trips, service projects, and solutions for conflicts
within the group. At regular staff meetings directors and counselors discuss
the adjustment of campers and share ideas about how to help individuals
improve their camp experience.
We’re in this together
A sense of belonging, the feeling that this is “my camp,” occurs over
time as campers become comfortable not only in their rustic cabins and
outdoor showers, but also as they explore their wider surroundings. This
feeling grows, too, from involvement in the work of maintaining camp —
pitching in when cookout fires should be built, sailboats require bailing,
and cabins need cleaning. That every child, regardless of age, takes a
turn once a week waiting on tables during camp mealtimes is one of the
unspoken clues that all are in this together, that each is a needed member
of the community. Creative programming, e.g., homemade skits at concerts,
animated singing at council fires, and comical announcements at meals,
enhances interaction between campers and staff.
Work groups lead the way
Community spirit is fostered through work groups, comprising the oldest
and most experienced campers, who guide younger, newer campers through
first days at the camp and while undertaking community projects. Work
group members set a tone at the very beginning of the season by leading
the first council fire, by serving as big sisters/brothers to the youngest
campers, and by inventing and leading various special events. Members
can take turns doing chores, setting up the lodge for indoor activities,
and assisting counselors on trips. A tradition of community projects can
be established; participants can volunteer to clean up devastated wetlands,
clear nature trails, and harvest lake weeds. In recent summers, girls
and boys at Camp Whippoorwill and Camp Lincoln joined together to build
two massive log lean-tos, a cabin, and a tennis gazebo at Whippoorwill,
and a senior lodge and a woodworking and art shop at Lincoln — the result
was not only newfound skill and pride of accomplishment, but also a legacy
of their contribution to the camps.
Most important, campers and staff work together to accomplish the many
tasks of daily camp living: collecting firewood for the lodge, planning
next week’s menu for the canoe trip, or designing a booth at the county
fair. In this cooperative environment, counselors won’t be standing on
the sidelines, hollering, “Do this or do that,” but rather, “Who’s going
to lend me a hand? Can I help? Let’s do this together.”
Cooperative environments and freedom of choice
Structure and supervision that encourage the acquisition of skills, and
foster independence, a love for the outdoors, and a sense of responsibility
enable campers to experience the fun of accomplishing goals. Time should
be set aside for instruction, not simply playing, but learning to do better
— for example, perfecting the j-stroke, rolling a kayak, swinging a bat,
or identifying pines, hemlocks, and poison ivy.
The key to having a cooperative camp environment is offering a schedule
that determines when each activity will take place, together with a system
that allows campers to sign up for activities of their choice. Once having
made an activity selection, campers are responsible for attending the
session. Campers’ independence evolves with time as they build competence.
The afternoon program can emphasize this opportunity. Afternoon activities
can be selected at lunch, for that day only. Campers are free to choose
what they wish, contingent on availability of space and level of skill.
For instance, a camper learning to sail may be mastering the art of steering
in the morning activity session but will soon earn the right to skipper
the boat during the afternoon sessions.
Healthy competition
Through camp activities and skilled guidance, campers develop an understanding
of what healthy competition means. They learn that the satisfaction of
beating out the other guy, once accomplished, can be short-lived. You
win. Now what? What campers discover is that the act of playing the game
and meeting the challenge is the true accomplishment.
Outdoor adventure
The camp experience itself promotes an infectious enthusiasm for the wilderness
and learning outdoor skills. These skills develop a stronger, more confident
child. Camp offers access to a type of experience that has almost disappeared
from urban and suburban lives. Campers might be cooking supper over an
open fire at a lakeshore lean-to or sleeping overnight in a tent they’ve
put up by themselves. They may venture farther from camp on one-to-five-day
backpacking, canoeing, or horseback riding trips, learning resourcefulness
and teamwork as they pitch camp. Above all, these trips fulfill the appetite
for adventure that resides, if sometimes subdued, in every growing child.
Understanding differences
Campers not only learn to appreciate adventure, they learn to adapt to
the diversity of temperament and personality of their fellow campers.
Whether or not living in a small cabin group of peers leads to the appreciation
of differences, it certainly exposes campers to differences. Does such
close living automatically generate sensitivity to the needs of others?
Probably not. Some children quickly perceive the unfairness of picking
on each other. But many seem oblivious, until a wise counselor finds a
way to step in and help both the bullied and the bullies to understand
how their thoughtless behavior can be altered.
Some campers form a close friendship or two with their cabin mates —
friendships that can survive for years afterward. For most, camp friendships
are intense during the season, mark time during the winter months, are
restored in following summers, and then subside as camp becomes part of
the past. But for all who do make friends at camp, we know that the twenty-four-hour-a-day
nature of these relationships is unique in their growing-up years and
must have an impact on the way they connect with people in their later
lives.
Improving education
From learning self-assurance, community respect, and healthy competition
to understanding diversity, the camp experience offers teachable moments
outside of the school year, offering children the opportunity for expanded
education in a community-based environment. As the new Administration
and Congress take on the question of how to improve education, it’s time
for camp directors to examine and give voice to the unique contribution
that their camps have made and continue to make in the development of
children beyond the walls of the classroom.
Originally published in the 2001 September/October
issue of Camping Magazine. |
