Tuesday, June 25, 2013

What the World Could Learn From Summer Camp

What the World Could Learn From Summer Camp


By Matthew Carroll
In the summer of 2008, I decided to work as a counselor at a
traditional American summer camp in upstate New York. This trip
to New York started out as a journey of procrastination and meditation,
but quickly turned into a journey of discovery. I'd finished
University only one week before and had no idea what my future
would hold; I thought that a couple of months working in a camp
would assist me in my pursuit of avoiding the real world. It
was exactly this mission that made me realize something — camp
was not the real world.
It first hit me on the first day of camp when everyone was dressed
the same — white T-shirt, shorts, sneakers, or flip flops.
Kids were dressed the same as counselors; counselors were dressed
the same as kitchen staff; and office staff were dressed the
same as the head counselors. You couldn't distinguish the
kids whose parents had saved up for months to send their kids
to camp from those who had spent the spare change of a week's
pay.
Everyone here was truly equal. While the campers and American
counselors recited the Pledge of Allegiance on the opening day,
the international staff looked on in silence. Different faiths
and different cultures were respected and tolerated. Coming from
Northern Ireland this was not only a novelty but something that
impressed me. People of all faiths were observing Jewish culture
with respect, while back home in Northern Ireland Christians
struggle to tolerate the cultures of other Christians.
Camp was about the basics. Mobile phones were banned; Internet
access was limited — even electric fans were banned (as
kids didn't have their own personal fans in the interest
of fairness, counselors couldn't either). A strong emphasis
was put on keeping camp tidy. If you saw litter on the ground,
you picked it up and put it in the bin. Kids were banned from
watching television except for special "movie nights." The
surprising thing was that the kids didn't seem to miss
it. Bringing down the veil of technology led to more open conversation
between friends, better networking, and unlikely friendships.
During rest periods, I was amazed to see the main campus was
absolutely heaving with games of stickball, basketball, tennis,
or catch. Older kids played with younger kids; brothers played
together; twenty-one-year-olds challenged eight-year-olds to
games of chess . . . and lost. Kids were able to play outside
in a safe environment the way they used to. Today, with so many
concerns about crime, it's very hard for parents to let
their kids go outside to play after breakfast and for them to
return after dinner. But, at camp kids are safe.
Everybody knows and trusts each other. At camp there are no
locks on the doors. Kids and counselors leave iPods®, PSPs,
books, and toys in their empty bunks all day and know those things
will still be there, exactly where they were left.
It is this sense of community that made me fall in love with
camp. At camp, you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together
in your division, otherwise known as your family for two months.
Camp meal times are a place for conversation, joking around,
dares, games, and occasionally songs. Campers and staff feel
completely relaxed, and there is no shame in doing embarrassing
things for other people's entertainment.
So what can the world learn from camp? In short, to let kids
be kids. We should be sending children to camp, allowing kids
to get the exercise and the fresh air that is so vital to growing
up. Camp allows children to spend time with their friends and
develop the social skills that are so vital, instead of sitting
inside in front of a television set. Adults can also learn that
work doesn't have to be work, it can also be fun. Camp
taught me that even though modern technology has opened up so
many opportunities for us it can also trap us.
Anyone who has worked at a camp will agree that you won't
understand camp without trying it. Without trying it I wouldn't
have learned as much as I have.
Matthew Carroll is twenty-three-years-old and is originally
from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He is a graduate of Queen's
University Belfast with a degree in French and German. He has
previously worked and studied in France, Germany, and the USA.
He most recently worked as a division leader at Camp Scatico
in Elizaville, New York.

No comments:

Post a Comment