Coaching emotional skills at camp

You bet you can!

Have you ever thought about camp as a place where we could coach emotional skills just as we teach athletic competence? Why not spotlight self-esteem as the touchstone of the camp experience? Or empower your staff with tools to motivate good behavior? If you target self-awareness competencies, you will embrace the paradigm shift that is occurring in the camp field.

You can be on the cutting edge by helping your campers recognize their own emotional strengths and identify their goals. Camp is a place where children practice growing up by developing self-worth and dignity, integrity and control, empathy and citizenship - by belonging, learning, and contributing. Camp offers the perfect environment for courage to surge and choices to unfold.

Can you do it? You bet you can!

Actually, most of your activities are already in place. You can focus on the emotional fabric of campers' lives by weaving a core vocabulary into their experience. What better time to talk about courage than before that first dive into the pool? The cognitive frame gives campers, counselors, and parents a new pattern for success. Before you know it, you have woven self-esteem into your program.

If childhood is the window of opportunity for emotional growth, then camp is the consummate setting for young people to identify their talents and pursue their goals. Camp is not just a place, it is an attitude. It is an exceptional village where cooperation and independence flourish, friendships are nurtured, teamwork is paramount, and self-discovery is at the root of every activity.

Why not introduce an inspirational message as the underpinning of summer fun? Try heralding a theme, such as "You bet I can!" and watch self-esteem soar! The strategy is simple: establish, then talk about and implement your objectives with campers, staff, and parents. And do not forget to include the media!

Remember, camp is a vital part of young people's total education because it provides experiences and opportunities that school cannot. Camp's youth-centered milieu enables every camper to achieve, fostering emotional intelligence - regarded as the most significant predictor of success today. Camp professionals can validate their roles in youth development while providing that special atmosphere where campers can find their wings and live their dreams.

Laying out the pattern

What, besides fun, do young people want from camp? They want to make friends, feel welcome and included, be treated with respect and fairness, develop trust with peers and counselors, and feel emotionally secure and physically safe.

What do parents look for in the camp experience? A recent American Camping Association survey found that while parents want their children to have fun, they also seek help with values training, positive supervision and personal attention, broadening experiences, and friendship skills. They also list safety and year-round child care as key issues.

What are staff goals? Camp staff want to positively impact campers' lives, enjoy the outdoors, and build job skills. They also want to have fun and enjoy the camp community's camaraderie.

Is there a common denominator among these three distinct markets? By hooking the concepts of self-esteem and self-awareness into camp activities, you can stitch a partnership with parents and staff.

Threading the theme

Announce a slogan, then make it come alive with programming buttressed by staff development. Often, all it takes is a slightly different focus to highlight the self-esteem objective. There are six vital ingredients you can easily weave into the camp day.

Instill physical safeness

Instill physical safeness by creating an envelope of safety, a metaphor for boundaries. Instead of just building a cocoon, talk with parents, staff, and campers about promoting a protected environment. Stress responsibility and cooperation as qualities essential to campers' successful development. When defining your camp's philosophy, espouse freedom within limits. Promote positive discipline techniques along with communication skills.

Build emotional security

Encouragement builds courage and self-esteem. While self-esteem is a deliberate, cerebral function, courage flows from the heart and forms the foundation of personality.

Try redefining some adages. Redefine winning to mean giving maximum effort to achieving your personal best. Focus on individual fulfillment. Teach camp staff unbiased methods for choosing teams.

Build a library around book titles that champion the themes of friendship, perseverance, respect, integrity, and empathy, such as George and Martha and Amazing Grace. Identify private places around the camp where groups can read these stories and celebrate their own uniqueness.

Create a sense of identity

Create a sense of identity by developing traditions and embellishing legends. Make every person feel connected to the camp's origins. Designate special days, such as "I Make a Difference Day," and ask each to acknowledge everyone's contributions. Use a ribbon or other item as a tangible commemoration of the event.