Our Summer Community
June 21, 2013 by townsend
Summer camp is a great place for kids to try new things and face their fears. At camp, children often have the opportunity to experience something that they don’t normally do at home, whether it’s sharing their living space, trying new foods, or climbing up a real rock face. Camp provides a supportive community where everyone is encouraged to move beyond their comfort zone, and because it becomes a part of everyday life it can be a great place to conquer fears.
The community at camp is especially unique in that kids of all ages interact with each other and are guided by a group of counselors who have everyone’s best interest at heart. As campers grow older they transition from being new, nervous and unfamiliar to experiencing advanced skill progression and becoming leaders in their community. Older and more experienced campers begin to act as role models for younger campers and help build the supportive environment that everyone needs, while still facing fears of their own. When new or younger campers participate in activities with those older campers, they can envision themselves in that position later down the road. Campers become inspired by their peers’ encouragement and they take on new challenges, big and small, scary and exciting.
Doing something new becomes a part of everyday life at camp. While some parts come easily for campers to adjust to, others can be scary or uncomfortable. Camp’s supportive environment and inclusive community gives each camper the opportunity to dive into those new experiences and enjoy them. Learning to set goals and face fears is one of the greatest aspects of camp in helping kids gain independence, become more confident, and experience personal growth.
Today was another busy, beautiful day. We had our first Chattooga River trip today on section 2 and the climbers returned from their two day trip this evening. The mountain bikers spent all day exploring Dupont State Forest and the hikers returned from a two day hike where they hiked from Dupont back to camp. Tonight is skit night. The campers prepared skits to perform for the rest of camp. An enjoyable and hilarious evening for sure! I can’t wait to see what they come up with.
Have a great evening . Happy first day of summer!
Townsend