Our Kids
Glen Herbert - Editor

Glen Herbert
Editor/Writer, Our Kids Media

December, 2020


Web traffic and camp searches are up, well exceeding this time last year.

Last year was a rout for the camping industry, to put it mildly. But what about 2021? While it’s early days yet, if our web traffic is any indication, it promises to be brisk. Not surprisingly there was a dip in traffic through the spring. Once some of the dust settled, however, traffic regained, consistently spiking above last year’s peaks through the summer and fall. The overall traffic was up between the first of June 1 and the first of July, and we've outperformed the last four months, September through December, relative to the same time last year. 

It’s understandable why. Kids have been isolated away from all the rough and tumble that animates childhood. Many, perhaps most, have spent an inordinate amount of time passively in front of screens. It’s not one's fault, but the appetite for a variety of activity, including physical activity and peer-to-peer engagement, is high.

What will kids need from camp in 2021?

It’s a good question. Camp is known for the personal challenges that it can offer--the activities that build grit, resilience, and character. That said, I've been speaking with camp directors on what they expect, and one commented that this might not be the year to push the skills and the growth. Developing one's swimming skills, or learning a musical instrument, he feels, will be less important to parents than it was a year ago.

He makes a good point. When camp resumes, kids will have come off an experience unlike any other. They’ll be entering social situations again, bringing with them all the anxieties that have arisen throughout the past year. For some it’s safe to say that the past year has been nothing short of traumatic. If they prefer to take a pass on the canoe trip, maybe that’s ok.

Which is why the upcoming year will be so important. In addition to skill building, The other thing that camp does well, of course, is supporting kids and building positive relationships with peers and mentors. For most, if not all, that will be what kids this year are looking for above all else. For the first time in a long time they’ll be able to sit side-by-side and enjoy being together. This won’t be the year of personal growth, but rather reconnection, finding the space and the time to heal and to have a sense of home.

What will they need? A lot, actually. And, as we’ll be focussing on in the upcoming annual camp and program guide—the cover story will be “The Value(s) of Camp”—camp environments will deliver all of it. It’s possible that there may never be a summer more exciting in the relationships that can be formed, and the anxieties put to rest, than this one.

So here’s to a happy new year. From vaccines, to vacations, to camp, it’s going to be a very busy and important one

For more

  • If you haven’t already renewed your 2021 Our Kids membership, make sure to reach out to your account manager to learn more about the discounts and relief options available to you.
  • For more on the development of the online and print platforms, including in-depth descriptions of our new products and initiatives (such as the booking calendar tool) see our annual member report.
  • We’ve recently launched the Character Development hub, a section of the website that highlights how camps develop specific, advantageous character traits: courage, creativity, curiosity, generosity, independence, interpersonal skills, physical literacy, religious faith, resilience, responsibility, self-regulation, and tolerance. On launch last month we promoted the hub in a bulk message to our national mailing list.


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