|
|
We make too much of the “keep calm and carry on” adage. There are times when it’s important not just to endure, but to raise voices, demand change, and advocate for others. This is one of those times. By the same token it doesn't have to be either/or, counting our blessings or railing against the slings and arrows. We can keep calm while raising our voices. The letter writing and consciousness-raising campaigns, particularly those on the part of the national and provincial camping associations, are an example of that. There, sometimes strikingly, it’s not either/or, but both: kids need camp, and all the reasons why are rightly front and centre in the messaging around why we need to work hard to save it I’ve been developing content for the upcoming annual camp and program guide—-the press date is mid-December—and speaking with camp professionals really captures that either/or. Yes, it’s been a hard year. The struggle to get through it has also worked to underscore ideas of what it’s all about, all the good it can do, and all those fundamental reasons they’ve devoted their lives to delivering camp experiences. Gina Faubert, owner, head facilitator and camp director of Radiant Girls, says that kids “really need to be able to see and give ... to [learn they] can provide value” and to see “that her life can help others.” When someone gives away their seat or offers the last cookie to someone else, they’re demonstrating generosity. “These little things might not mean much to the person who’s offering it, but the feeling of receiving it when someone extended a hand to you or gave you an opportunity is [wonderful].” Camp, she feels, is singular in its ability to create those little, perhaps, but ultimately very big situations. “To have girls step in, be leaders, be teammates, support the group, and make sure everyone has their connection or fair share” is built right into the camp environment. Often, campers can’t help but both learn and “teach [each other] generosity.” “It is really important for me that as early as possible, we expose our children to as much of the world as we can,” says Monica, mother of a camper at Knight Camp in Vancouver. “And that’s not necessarily done by taking them everywhere but even just opening the book of the world to see what’s possible.” As a result, children can learn that, “everyone is different, the world is vast, and what you know is only what you know—it’s not everything to be known.” Monica believes that camp has helped her son learn things, develop toleration and understanding, and come to a better understanding of who he is in the world. “Camp gave me the confidence to tackle things for myself,” says Jocelyn Palm, director of Glen Bernard Camp, reflecting on when she herself was a young camper. “Camp encouraged me to find the tenacity and the gut instinct that is needed to continuously focus on the bigger picture.” That’s proven to be something that camps are uniquely able to provide. Says Palm, “Nowhere else are you given so much responsibility at a young age, held accountable, given an opportunity to make mistakes and fix them, and be supported through all that.” Of her own campers, Palm says that, “when I ask them ‘What did you learn at camp?’, the thing I most often get is: ‘What I learned about myself.’” Yes, it’s been a tough year, a difficult season. There have been struggles, disappointments, heartbreak. (Wenonah’s “Canoe Ballet” video manages to be both heartbreaking and joyous at the same time.) Camp, even if not in session, has demonstrated to kids and adults how to have grace through it all, to respond strongly yet calmly, to voice our disappointments while celebrating what we have. We are defined, as people, by how we respond to the ups and down, the challenges and the lucky bounces. For that, in itself, kids need camp. In other news
Copyright © 2020 Our Kids Media, All rights reserved |
