What Campers Bring Home from YMCA Camp Oakasha

Although we're 4 weeks into our summer (and there's still time to register!), one phone call still sticks out to me from last summer.  This call was from a mother who had sent her son to camp for the first time that week.  He was a fairly reserved almost 6th grader who had come home from camp and told his mom that he had the best day of his life.  This wasn’t typical for him and mom couldn’t get many specifics other than the fact that he thought camp was awesome and he felt like he belonged.  It was that phone call that reminded me how important our jobs are.  My goal is to give every camper the best day of their life, but also help them get through some of the not so good days in their lives.  This is what I based our staff training on this summer and instilled with summer staff.  Other writers are on board too...many articles have surfaced lately on the importance of summer camp and time outdoors to children and staff (http://www.acacamps.org/research/enhance/directions; http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/the-camp-counselor-vs-the-intern/).  

So, whether it's the best day or just a really good day, here’s what I hope a child will get out of spending time at YMCA Camp Oakasha.   

1.       Confidence- Camp gives children the opportunity to excel at something different every hour of the day.  Whether it’s improving their swimming, archery, or climbing skills, making new friends through teambuilding, or acting out a skit in front of their group, campers are constantly given the chance to improve their skills in a low risk setting.  They won’t be evaluated on it  and chances are, no matter what happens, everyone will clap for them.  Since there is so much variety everyday, even if they aren’t reaching their goals in one area, they’ll move on to a different activity in no time.  

2.       Respect for others- even at a day camp like ours, campers live in community every day, making respect  the most important rule.  By showing respect for others and being respected in return, campers learn how to be a part of a group.  Learning that even if you don’t like someone, you still have to respect them, can be a hard lesson to learn, but camp makes it easy to practice. 

3.       Creativity- it seems like kids aren’t as comfortable using  the creative part of their brains as as they used to.  Many of our campers rush through Arts & Crafts projects, just to ask “get to the next thing.”  Asking them to participate in these activities, even if it’s not their favorite warms them up to thinking more creatively and discovering that maybe they like it more than they thought! 

4.       A break from technology- Many of our campers spend ask me why they need to leave their electronics at home, and while they may take their cell phones to school, I think it’s important to leave all other distractions at home..  Although I walk around snapping pictures during the day, it’s important that our campers sit and talk to each other, instead of texting to each other.  This allows them to be really present and get the most out of their experience.  

5.       Physical activity- after spending 180 days at school, at a desk or a table, camp offers an awesome opportunity to get healthy and spend their days running, climbing, swimming, and boating.  We play lots of silly games that allow them to feel successful even if sports aren’t really their thing.  The idea is to help our campers find something active that they enjoy. 

6.       An appreciation for the outdoors- we spend a lot of time outside… hiking, exploring streams, canoeing, climbing the rock wall and swimming.  Each positive experience will teach kids to look for  these opportunities in their outside lives. 

7.       FUN!  It’s my hope that no matter how hot or rainy a day might be, we can still find creative ways for kids to have fun in safe and structured ways.  Camp is a safe place to be silly and enjoy spending time with others and no matter what is going on outside of camp, we hope to always give kids a way to enjoy their day.  It’s also my goal that by experiencing many different kinds of fun here at camp, they’ll learn to make their own fun at home!