Have you ever met anyone who has gone to summer camp?  Ever listen to them go on and on about that amazing counselor, or their close “camp friends” that they still speak to years later?  For those of you without this experience, it must sound quite strange- I mean, isn’t “camp” just a bunch of kids and counselors running around playing games?  Well, not quite.  First of all, it has nothing to do with RV parks, or any movies made by Bill Murray or that Ernest guy.  Talk to any camper, camp parent, camp director, etc.- and you’ll be told wonderful stories, filled with magical memories and positive life-altering experiences.  But although we can describe the positive effects of camp for hours, camp is just one of those things in life, that unless you’ve been there- it’s hard to appreciate its amazing impact.

 Like many first time campers, I was forced to go to camp.  So while the majority of my friends went to the local “Rec.” program or the Jersey Shore, I was sent packing up to the Berkshires for what was to become two of the best summers of my life.  What I thought was a unique experience is actually enjoyed by over 10 million campers each summer at over 12,000 camps (2400 of the finest accredited by the American Camping Association).  For these young people, Camp is not about tennis courts, pools, lakes, art projects, etc. - It’s about the relationships they make, while finding out who they really they are, in a supportive setting of…  Wait a second- We’re getting too intangible- Back to the nitty gritty!

  By Andy Pritikin, Director of Liberty Lake Day Camp  As published in The Princeton Packet, Messenger Press, Register News and others (2004).

This summer over 10 million children will attend over 12,000 camps.  At the same time, many more millions of children will be spending their summers “hanging out” around the house, the local pool, etc, oblivious to the amazing experience they could be having at camp.  There are all kinds of camps available for all kinds of children, at all kinds of prices (be sure to look for the ACA American Camping Association accreditation logo when looking for a quality camp).  But when I try to explain to non-camp parents the tremendous positive impact that camps make on children, I’m often met with blank stares or silence on the other end of the phone.  While most camps will give you personal references from people you may or may not know, I would like to share a couple of success stories from some former campers that you might know of:

Academy Award Winner Denzel Washington, as quoted from his press bio: "A native of Mt. Vernon, NY, Washington had his career sights set on medicine when he attended Fordham University.  But during a stint as a summer camp counselor he appeared in one of the theater productions; he was bitten by the acting bug and returned to Fordham that year seeking to become an actor.".

What actually happened was that Denzel’s campers and fellow counselors convinced him to participate in a silly role in the camp musical.  Being away from home, and amongst a new group of supportive peers gave Denzel the courage and temporary confidence to try an exciting new experience that changed the course of his life- and has enriched all of ours! Every summer, campers are taken out of their comfort zone (read: off the couch in front of the TV), enabling them to try activities like boating, fishing, archery, mountain boarding, acting in the camp musical, and numerous other options that you can’t get at home!

“I loved camp- as a camper, and later as a counselor.  Every moment, every year, every ball game, canoe trip, wilderness experience and just being a team player- and I’ve long been fascinated by why this is.  After all, camp takes children and separates them from their families, from their televisions, telephones, VCR’s, PlayStations and computers for weeks at a time to take them to what?  To live ten to a cabin without air conditioning or their Mom’s cooking/bed making/driving/one-day laundry service… unable to watch TV, sleep ‘til noon or visit a mall?  And, yes, they love it!  When it’s over, they don’t want to leave, and, when they grow up, they want to go back.  The fact is, today’s children have amazing toys and gadgets at their command that allow them to experience everything but the REAL THING.  I have nothing against most of these toys.  (Disney) makes a lot of them.  But, at the end of the day, reality is what kids prefer.  Camp puts them in a world of their own creation.  What could be more exciting?  What could be more empowering?  No video game can compare.” 

It’s true.  Camps build their own safe community each summer, and recreate it again, year after year.  Every day at every camp, children are presented with more variables than any computer programmer could ever put into a video game.  Campers are empowered to make snap decisions that directly impact them- without Mom or Dad’s safety net.  This is one of the main reasons that kids love camp– because they get to feel like grown-ups.  Camp empowers kids, and gives them a sense of respect that they equate to the “grown-up” world.

It’s an interesting paradox that as adults we yearn for our youth, while our children starve for the freedom of adulthood.  But is it mostly lip-service?  At home, kids may SAY they want to be grown-ups, but they’re more than willing to have someone else get them ready in the morning, make their beds, serve them meals, and get them from place to place on time!  At camp however, these responsibilities rest in the hands of the campers, where all of a sudden, their choices actually have immediate implications!  To quote Eisner, “(Campers) get to be little grown-ups- and, in the process, they actually do some growing up.”

Camp is a liberating experience.  While today’s children have wondrous toys, hundreds of TV channels, and video games that boggle the mind, these products have a much shorter play time than their manufacturers warranty.  Camp is real- a real-life, truly “magic kingdom”, untouched by time and commercialism,  that can inspire children to believe that anything is possible and that their potential is limitless.  And Camp Memories, if you ask anyone who has them, come with a lifetime warranty!

The inspirational actor Christopher Reeve told a group of camp professionals a few years ago how as a young teen he never thought he had the ability to swim to the bottom of the lake at his summer camp to retrieve the coin thrown in by a counselor (a rite of passage at his camp for the older campers).  After dozens of attempts over the course of a few years, he was finally able to hold his breath long enough to come up with the coin.  This was a life altering experience that proved to him that he had the inner fortitude to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Alas, it is not just campers whose lives change at camp-  In my 10 years as a camp director I’ve seen dozens of adults, both young and young at heart change the course of their lives based on an eight-week summer experience.  Just last summer, a college senior decided to put off law school in order to get a teaching degree and try a career working with children.  Working with children in a camp setting is not theoretical and boring “Management 101”- once again it’s real-life, sink or swim, and it’s a great barometer to see if you have what it takes!

According to Eisner:  “The lessons I learned!  On canoe trips, we could never survive the first day if we didn’t practice teamwork, show initiative, handle adversity, listen well and, not least important, maintain a sense of humor.”  As adults, we know that these attributes don’t just apply to canoe trips.  They represent keys to success in one’s career and in life, and they won’t be learned while spending summers playing X-Box or PlayStation!

Camp transports kids to a place where everyone has the same stuff:  a T-shirt, pair of sneakers, bathing suit, and little else.  Camp takes kids away from many of the superficial things they value, to teach them the things of real value- adaptability, responsibility, and how to become a successful human being.  Take a cue from the Head of Disney:  “I can hardly think of an aspect of my life that wasn’t positively affected by my camping experience…  What a gift camp gives to kids.” 

  By Andy Pritikin, Director of Liberty Lake Day Camp  As published in The Tri-Town News, Moorestown Sun, Haddonfield Sun, The Princeton Packet, Messenger Press, Register News and others (2006).

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The saying goes: "IQ is what gets you through school, EQ is what gets you through life".  Watching the recent fight between pro basketball players and sports fans was a sad display of how easily adults with low EQ can be emotionally hijacked to the point of violence.  Studies show that EQ (empathy, managing emotions, handling relationships, self-motivation, self-awareness,) is three times more the predictor of success than IQ.  Leadership (self-confidence, team skills, social awareness) accounts for 90% emotional intelligence.  The various group settings and activities of camp provide a virtual classroom for this kind of social development, teaching children and young adults the important skills of making friends and maintaining relationships. 

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION & ENRICHMENT

While more and more advanced countries have gone to a model of year-round education, many American families continue to keep their children at home all Summer, allowing their minds and bodies to go on a two-month hiatus.  Today’s Camps offer a wonderful mix of experiential education: Athletics, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Boating, Fishing, Hiking, Science, Nature and more.  While some stay-at-home Moms take on the challenge of entertaining their children themselves, “Camp Mom” rarely can compare programmatically or socially to a real Camp experience.  Camp is a magical place for doing things that you could never do at home- Rock Climbing, Horseback Riding, Rocketry, Gymnastics, Ceramics, Theater Productions, to go along with Camp “standards” like Color War, Campouts, Jello Wrestling, Water Slides, and Simon Sez with 300 kids!

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Remember back before the days of “playdates” when we used to play outside all day- in streets, parks and neighbor’s backyards without a care?  Today, even in the safest suburban developments, most parents can’t feel comfortable unless their children are within total view.  Technological advances coupled with media-enhanced fears for safety have influenced us in raising the most out-of-shape, sedentary generation of children ever.  The Federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that 16 percent of people ages 6 to 19 are obese, compared with 4.4 percent 40 years ago.  A Department of Education study declared 40% of California middle school children unfit and 25% overweight.  Today’s parents are busy, don't have time to cook, and many stop at fast food restaurants several times each week.  According to the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, by the time our kids are adults, obesity will most likely become this nation's No. 1 killer, and will surpass tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death.  Yikes!

Currently, New Jersey schools are mandated (but not enforced) to give all students 150 minutes of health, physical education and safety per week- and it rarely happens.  My daughter’s “blue ribbon” elementary school gives children phys. ed. for two weeks every two months- on rotation with music, art and computers- and only 10 minutes per day of recess after lunch.  After school there is homework, plus countless obligations which leave little time for the physical activity necessary for a healthy child.  The programs and inherent set up of Camp require the kind of outdoor physical activity that children used to get on a regular basis.

MEDIA-FREE!

Children spend more time watching television than any other activity except sleep.  In addition, TV has dramatically decreased the amount of time that families spend talking with each other.  40% of American families watch TV while eating dinner, and on average, American parents spend only 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children, compared to the three to four hours daily that many children spend in front of a TV or computer screen.  

And what are our kids watching?  The war in Iraq, violent cartoons, and Disney Channel shows which focus on teenage dating?  Who are their role models?  Eminem, Paris Hilton and 50-Cent?  Good Camps and good Camp directors create controlled, ideal communities with an alternative, more traditional vision of what it means to grow up.  A camp can control its value system, maintaining a magical environment that can inspire children to imagine anything is possible, and that their potential is limitless!

Philliber Research Associates, a nationally reknown firm specializing in the evaluation of youth development, health, and education programs recently completed a three-year study which confirms that Camps build skills necessary to prepare children to become successful adults.  Parents, campers, and camp staff independently reported growth in areas such as self-confidence, independence, making friends, exploring and learning new activities, and spirituality. Camp provides growth experiences for youth that benefit them through adulthood.