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by Bari S Dworken, Ed.D.
What do teens think about things that affect their health and well-being?
What role does camp play? To find out, members of the American Camping
Association New England Section, in conjunction with the University of
Connecticut Cooperative Extension System and the C. Everett Koop Institute
at Dartmouth College designed and conducted a project called "Conversations
with Campers." Inspired by the Presidents' Summit for America's
Future, the project asked youth attending New England camps in the summer
of 1998 to participate in a series of focus groups. The campers were
asked questions related to the topics of mentors, safety, nurture, skills,
and service.
What They Said
Campers were asked specific questions in each of the five areas. The
facilitators recorded the campers comments, some of which follow.
Mentors come in many shapes and sizes
Participants freely shared information about the mentors in their lives. Campers
were clear about who their mentors were, why they admired them, and what
their mentors had taught them.
A wide variety of people were mentioned as mentors. Parents, grandparents,
sisters, cousins, stepparents, and aunts were the family members mentioned
most frequently. Teachers, coaches, youth group advisors, pastors, guidance
counselors, camp counselors, and friends were also important mentors.
Some youth mentioned their belief in God or Jesus and the important qualities
that biblical figures possessed and trials they encountered.
Participants mentioned that their mentors taught morals, respect for
others, sharing, and honesty. Campers commented:
- "My teacher's attitude toward life was
that he knows what he loves and doesn't care what others think.
He is content despite mistakes he has made in life."
- "[Mentors] always make time for you."
- "You can tell they understand even when
they don't talk a lot."
- "They let you take risks to grow. When
you mess up they let you sort it out."
- "A camp counselor taught me it was okay
to be myself, serious and funny."
- "My mentor showed me that I can lead
a different life."
Participants mentioned that they admire many things about their mentors.
They appreciated their sense of humor, ability to listen, personality,
kindness, intelligence, respect for all people and privacy, trust, and
understanding. Many of the mentors had healthy lifestyles, were mentally
and spiritually strong, were able to express themselves well, and were
fun to be with. Several had lived through adversity or were dealing with
chronic illnesses in positive, uplifting ways. One camper said, "[A
mentor is a person who] you respect so much that you'll go the extra
mile to be like them and act like them."
Campers briefly mentioned heroes, describing them as people who seem
to have achieved impossible goals. They mentioned that they don't really
know their heroes. They may want to be like them, but they know they
never will. The relationship that seemed most important to campers came
only with a mentor, someone who they could relate to and get close to.
Safety a top concern
Safety was the most difficult topic for many participants to discuss since
they had very strong feelings. Recently, physical safety has been a huge
issue in U.S. school systems and communities. Youth are also very aware of
situations that threaten their emotional safety. Many participants were able
to compare the camp environment to that at home and in school.
Youth who participated in the project felt least safe at home when they
were alone. A few wished that their parents were home more often. Those
who lived in small, tight-knit neighborhoods for long periods of their
lives basically felt safe. They knew that people watched out for them,
that people were there to help them, and that there was mutual respect.
The more people they knew, the safer they felt, even if the area was
known as a "tough" neighborhood.
Some youth mentioned their fear of gangs, fires set next door, dogs
that bite, and traffic. Church was considered a safe haven, and in some
neighborhoods police made youth feel safer.
When asked how to make the community safer, most youth had few answers.
One participant responded, "There isn't much you could do to change
people to be nicer. All the security in the world can't hold some people
back. If someone wants to harm you, they'll find a way."
Schools were considered safe by about half of the participants. The
smaller the school, the safer it seemed since everyone knew one another.
Those in private or parochial schools mentioned feeling physically safe.
Some had older brothers or friends who looked out for them. Of those
who felt unsafe, guns, weapons, drugs, fights at school dances, school
cliques, intolerant people, and threats were mentioned most often as
the reasons why. School security, guidance personnel, and diversity training
increased feelings of safety.
The camp environment was considered a safe place for almost all of the
campers. Campers commented:
- "Lots of people care about you, and
you don't have to worry about material or emotional needs."
- "The world at camp is a lot nicer than
on the outside."
- "Safety is number one here!"
Most felt very safe with their counselors and felt that they would be
there if anything happened. There were a few exceptions, including feeling
that, at times, the camp nurse was not meeting their needs. Campers mentioned
that they enjoyed a structured atmosphere with some familiar routines
and benefitted from working in small groups.
Those who felt unsafe were most often anxious at night. They were unfamiliar
with the darkness, animals, sounds of the night, and the isolation of
many campsites. They had fears that someone might be in camp who was
unsafe. A few thought that losing connection with the world outside of
camp was a negative and that they should be able to call home at anytime.
Some participants felt that they would feel safer at camp if they had
a chance to meet everyone, tour the camp property more widely, and if
communication was enhanced.
Emotionally, camp was a very positive environment for campers. Campers
responses included:
- "Camp is different than school in that
we can be honest and get honest answers."
- "At camp we don't need to impress anyone
and there isn't the peer pressure."
- "Here it is safe to be different, express
myself, wear whatever I want, and say whatever I think, to be who
we are."
- "Actually, why I love camp so much is
that it is a haven for a short period of time where you don't have
to deal with all the emotional junk."
Balance key to health
In this topic, campers were asked questions, such as "What does it mean
to be strong and healthy?" "How is it achieved and who helps you?" "What
has camp taught you about being or staying healthy?" These questions were
clearly understood by participants in the project.
Participants felt that health clearly encompasses both physical and
emotional components. They believed that exercising and eating healthful
food, in addition to getting appropriate sleep, practicing proper hygiene,
and not abusing their bodies with drugs or alcohol were key. Most agreed
that a healthy body was linked with a healthy mind.
Emotional health was achieved through several ways, such as playing
music, reading, being socially active, laughing, having time for oneself,
receiving encouragement and love from others, and having a positive attitude.
Participants thought it was important to manage their own limits, do
challenging activities and handle obstacles, be able to express what
is on their mind, and be true to themselves and honest. They commented:
- "You have to find a balance of when
to be social and when to be alone."
- "It is important to have confidence
in myself and not always doubt myself."
While campers recognized that they needed to take responsibility for
their own health, the person who was most often mentioned in helping
them stay healthy was Mom. Other people who were important were family
members, friends, parent's friends, and neighbors. The school system
provided teachers, coaches, nurses, and counselors. At camp the counselors
had a major influence, and the camp nurse was mentioned often. One camper
said, "[It's important to have] someone believing in you and pushing
you to the limits."
Many participants said that they were actually healthier at camp. They
ate better, exercised more, were outside in the fresh air constantly,
slept better, and enjoyed the pace of life. They believed that living
in the camp community provided an environment where they were not judged
as much and that they were accepted for who they were. Comments included:
- "At camp everyone sees to it that we
stay healthy."
- "At camp we all watch out for each other."
When asked their opinions on the responsibility of society or the government
in providing health care for those who cannot afford it, there was little
response. Some knew of community clinics, and others said that the government
should take care of it.
Camp teaches people skills
The skills section of the project focused on campers learning marketable skills.
Campers were asked to what extent does this happen at camp, which skills
in particular are emphasized, and whether this should be a priority for camps.
Participants believed that camps should be places where youth learn
marketable skills in the area of people skills. They recognized that
people skills are critical to function effectively in the world of work.
The skills mentioned most frequently included:
- expressing yourself and public speaking
- tolerance and learning how to work with large
groups of people
- leadership skills
- cooperation, compromise, and learning to
deal with others
- acceptance of self and body
- conflict-resolution skills
- communication skills
- working in a diverse environment
- budgeting
- independence
- trust and patience
Many of the campers felt that it was important to be "well rounded." They
believed that camp taught this through the many different activities
offered, such as sports, arts and music, outdoor adventure and hiking,
and nature study. A few participants mentioned specific activities that
might directly lead to career choices, such as outdoor education, teaching,
working with young people, or starting a crafts business.
The youth believed that camps should focus on skills in moderation,
having a structure that is flexible enough to allow for opportunities
for learning. Campers commented:
- "There is so much competition in the
world we need to learn skills."
- "I think it is very important that you
set goals for yourself and work for them."
- "I think a good camp's purpose is
to give you marketable skills in a fun way so you don't necessarily
realize that you are doing this to build for your future."
- "Camp is a place you go to in the summer
to have fun and learn new things and meet new people."
Community service helps campers feel good about
themselves
The service section was the last component of the project. Several of the groups
did not have time to complete it. Members of the groups that did showed a good
understanding of who could use help, what makes people help others, what prevents
people from helping others, the ways in which people help at camp, what is
learned or experienced at camp that teaches people to help others, and how
these experiences might be brought home to help the community.
Many participants felt that everyone needs help at sometime in their
lives. One camper mentioned a friend who needed help, "Cindy needs
my help because her little brother just died." Others in the groups
mentioned specific categories of people such as those who were homeless,
children at risk, older people, mentally impaired people, or physically
disabled people. The participants seemed to understand that many people
hadn't had the opportunities that they have.
A few participants felt people helped out of a sense of pity or guilt.
However, an overwhelming majority of the campers believed that people
want to help out of a sense of compassion and respect, a will to do what
is right to make things as fair as possible for others. They gained a
sense of accomplishment, self-confidence, and felt really good about
themselves.
They felt people did not help others because they were scared of giving
the wrong advice, of people with disabilities, of the unknown, or that
they would be emotionally hurt. Others mentioned prejudice, racism, greed,
laziness, it wasn't "cool," lack of finances, no time, no previous
experience, and that they just didn't feel they should.
When asked when and how they helped others at camp, campers had many
responses:
- "I can give moral support, cooperate
with others, listen, and participate."
- "When someone is sad, just give them
a smile and say hi."
Other participants felt they could help:
- when others were homesick
- when problems had to be worked out
- by working with younger campers
- by keeping the camp clean
- by listening to others
- by praising others
The campers felt that the skills they learned at camp - leadership,
communication, organization, and decision making - were critical to serving
others. In addition to these, teamwork and developing friendships were
most important. One camper mentioned, "Service is a way of life
at camp. Everything around here revolves around helping others."
The youth also understood that skills learned at camp could be effectively
used in the community where they lived, and many campers have been doing
community service. Campers most frequently mentioned using their leadership
and organizational skills to clean up the environment, raise money for
organizations, help at soup kitchens, and telephone the elderly.
A Look at Youths' Beliefs
The "Conversations with Campers" project offered a look into
the beliefs, thoughts, and dreams of the children and youth camps serve
each year. Perhaps it will help all camp directors better understand
the children of today and the challenges they face.
Originally published in the 1999 September/October
issue of Camping Magazine. |
