Connecting great kids with great camps
Resilience is “the capacity to rise above difficult circumstances, allowing our children to exist in this less-than-perfect world, while moving forward with optimism and confidence,” says Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and author of the groundbreaking book, “Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings.” Penn psychologist and professor Angela Duckworth, ceo of Character Lab and the world’s leading expert on grit, defines what she calls the secret to outstanding achievement in the title of her bestselling book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” While both resilience and grit are now highly valued by parents and educators alike, the question of how to develop these character traits in children is an ongoing source of research and debate.
Michael Ungar, PhD, co-director of Dalhousie University’s Resilience Research Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is one of the many experts who credit summer camps for producing positive outcomes that include building resilience. “Camps immunize children against adversity by giving them manageable amounts of stress and the support they need to learn how to cope effectively. The better a child succeeds at finding the experiences that bolster his well-being, the better he will be able to cope with life stressors,” says Ungar.
At Elbow Lane Day Camp in Warrington, Pa., directors Bob Lester and Adrian Hazell have seen how camp helped children cope with the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 in previous summers. “We could see how their excitement bubbled when they got here every morning. They had swimming, sports, crafts and ceramics, archery, nature and adventure at their disposal, but most importantly friends and new friends were here at camp.”
To build resilience in children, parents need to practice letting go — a practice made easier when you know your children are protected. Because summer camps create communities where children are supported by nurturing adults, camps are well-positioned to help kids of any age develop grit and resilience skills. Traditional summer camps give kids the freedom to encounter success and failure on their own, in a safe environment where they can learn from their experiences, and where the focus is on the effort instead of the “win.” No matter your skill level at any given activity, you can’t fail summer camp.
“In any summer camp season, the opportunity is there to practice perseverance and tenacity in the numerous, fun, safe activities that the days encompass,” says Hazell. “In the non-threatening, challenging, creative environment of a summer camp, the chance to try new things, with little fear of failure, leads to success and growth.” ♦
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