Camp Builds Resilient Campers!
Hi! It’s me, Franky, the Camp WeHaKee dog here! Every summer I get to see campers grow in wonderful and remarkable ways. And nothing is more amazing than seeing campers become more and more resilient!
Camp WeHaKee is exceptional at helping each girl achieve a sense of belonging soon after they arrive at camp (or board our bus to camp). This provides a huge stepping stone to building confidence and independence which in turn helps each girl go beyond themselves in making friends and trying new things.
Then campers never miss home at WeHaKee, do they??! Well, of course, they miss home, their family, their hometown, and school friends – that is only natural. But the camp experience helps them to learn that missing these important people in their lives is okay and that they have the ability and strength overcome any sadness they may feel from time to time. Their sadness may be challenging, but it does not become debilitating. In other words, they become resilient – they are able to bounce back.
Resiliency is the ability to recover from or overcome challenges one encounter. A camper who is becoming resilient is learning to manage her feelings by knowing that the feelings will pass and things will get better. As a result, her confidence and independence advance as well.
“Without having suffered the pangs of homesickness, she would not know the rushing exuberance of her resilience. What an empowering experience for my girl. Her letters reflect her state of mind, and through these bits and pieces of her, I have been along for the journey.” Carrie Goldman
As parents, it is important to know that sending your child off to camp can help build your resiliency, too. Camp may be the first time a child leaves home for an extended period and it is only natural for a parent to experience sadness as they miss their child when they can’t see them each and every day. But, when the child returns home with a refreshing sense of accomplishment, it will make a parent’s day! And the next time the child departs, the parent will have a deeper confidence in her ability to navigate the world on her own.
Carrie Goldman, the award-winning author of Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear, recently shared her anxieties & concerns and how she successfully dealt with them when she sent her daughter off to camp. Homesick at Summer Camp: A Tale of Resilience explores how she worked through her separation anxiety and how she perceived her daughter’s similar growth experience at overnight camp.
Resiliency is a critical skill for success for a child and if they are to grow into successful adults. Camps like WeHaKee Camp for Girls are positive and fun places for children to grasp the concept of resiliency and to practice it in a variety of safe and supported scenarios. And it is quite like riding a bike, once they have it it will be there to support them through the rest of her life!
Thank you again for joining me this week and have a great weekend!
