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Social Development
Caring ... Honesty ... Respect ... Responsibility
The Camp Echo Community Values Friendships
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Recent research by the YMCA of the USA and the American Camping Association has determined that one of the primary reasons campers enjoy camp is because they "made new friends at camp."
Surprisingly, "having fun" and "learning new things" are not as important as building relationships.
Appropriately, one of our stated goals for campers is ...
To make new friends.
Campers will accept and include others as they learn that differences are strengths to be celebrated.
To help campers achieve this goal, Camp Echo's staff create and maintain an environment where everyone is respected and included.
We define diversity as the mosaic of people who bring with them a variety of backgrounds as assets.
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Social Development of Pathfinders and Main Campers
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Because campers live and eat together in cabin groups, and have a specific "Cabin Group" time each afternoon, counselors have many opportunities to help campers develop socially.
Activities that involve the entier camp also provide opportunities for social development.
Here's what campers learn about relationships during a camp day:
- Morning Reflections: Learn community-wide values such as caring, honesty, respect, responsibility
- Meals: Learn to be polite, learn to share, learn to watch out for others, conversation with cabin mates
- Cabin Cleanup and Service Tasks: Learn shared responsibility and the importance of "giving back"
- Saska: Learn to respect others who are resting, learn to share magazines and games with cabin mates
- Cabin Group Time: Learn how to get along with cabin mates while doing fun activities as a group
- Free Time: Learn to hang out appropriately at the Trading Post, and go do an activity with a new friend
- Evening Program: Learn to follow rules, watch out for others, and congratulate those who do a good job
- Taps Talk: Learn to speak up for what you believe, learn to share your feelings, learn to listen to others
What staff members and campers talk about is also one of the most significant ways that we communicate what we value.
Camp Echo staff members are taught to ask questions at meals and taps talks to encourage positive social development.
Here are some examples of the questions that campers and staff might discuss over a meal:
- Did you ask to hang out with someone new today? Tell me more about that.
- Did you help anyone today? What was the situation? How did you feel after helping them?
- Did you give anyone a compliment today? What happened? Did they appreciate the compliment?
- Did you show sportsmanship today? How did the other team react?
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Social Development of Teen Participants
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When Camp Echo participants enter eighth grade, they can choose from a variety of exciting.
Whether teen participants are on Camp Echo property (Explorers, Voyagers, Rangers, TxT, LIT, CIT) or an Adventure Trip, they have many opportunities for social development.
Here are some examples of those opportunities:
- Morning Reflections (on-camp programs): Reflect on community-wide values such as caring, honesty, respect, responsibility
- Meals: Share the responsibility for preparing and cooking their meals; converse with group members
- Saska (on-camp programs): Respect others who are resting
- Group Time: Discuss group dynamics; learn to balance individuality with group needs; learn the power of group effort
- Free Time: Practice leadership among peers; learn that integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching
- Taps Talk: Speak up for what you believe; learn to share your feelings; learn to listen to others
- Group Planning and Decisions: Respectfully debate various choices and eventually come to a consensus
A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day.
Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself.
Usually, bullying happens over and over.
Bullying is ...
- Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically
- Spreading bad rumors about people
- Keeping certain people out of a "group"
- Teasing people in a mean way
- Getting certain people to "gang up" on others, known as scapegoating
There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time.
This behavior is exhibited in a subtle or stealthy manner and targeting others who are unlikely to report any incidents.
So what's wrong with bullying?
- It makes the person being bullied feel miserable.
- Bullies are more likely to drop out of school and get into other trouble.
- It may hurt the camp experience for the target.
All Camp Echo staff are trained to be on the lookout for bullying and its effects.
We teach our campers to always be sensitive to the feelings of others.
Bullying behavior is not tolerated at Camp Echo and will be dealt with in a serious manner.
At Camp Echo, we do our best to prevent bullying behavior.
Here are some of the techniques we use to foster a bully-free environment:
- Pairing: A cabinmate or friend is identified to support a camper who may be targeted.
- Cabin Discussion: Campers learn to address feelings and issues through open communication and listening to each other.
- Ego Support: Counselors help campers who are likely to exhibit bullying behavior find alternative ways to express themselves.
- Teaching Resiliance: Counselors teach potential targets appropriate responses that boost self-confidence.
- Safe Reporting: Campers are able to report bullying behavior in a manner that ensures the reporter's safety and privacy.
- In-Camp Help: Camp Echo Leadership Staff, Program Directors, and Head Counselors have years of camp experience and can offer additional support to campers and cabin groups.
Back to ...
Summer Camp & Teen Trips
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