A kaleidoscope of opportunity: teaching life skills

Camping Magazine, Jan-Feb, 1999 by Mary Ellen Waltemire

Teens learn to understand themselves through examining their relationship to the entire camp community. Helping teens understand their individual strengths and abilities is key during the training process, and encouraging them to use those skills through the camp program is essential as well. Many teens enjoy the opportunity to teach classes, conduct recreation activities, and facilitate camp experiences. Equip them with the tools to succeed and you help teens value their significance, which in turn helps you have a great camp program.

Getting Along with Others

Building cooperative, interdependent relationships with others is a skill young people need to develop and continue throughout life. For some campers, getting along with others can be a real challenge. Helping each camper understand his individual role as it affects the whole is important. Whether in the group living situation, on a three-mile hike, or through camp clean-up, campers can assume a role, work with others to get the task done, be recognized for a job well done, and move to the next activity.

Getting along with others is key to any successful camp program. Through camp staff training, you can help your teen leaders learn to respect each other as individuals, which in turn helps them help their campers practice the same acceptance. One activity that teaches acceptance is to role play a situation where some teens have certain disabilities. By walking in the shoes of someone who has a disability, they can understand first hand what it's like to be different and how people sometimes react to differences in negative ways. Follow this with a discussion of ways to work with all types of individuals.

Camp provides so many opportunities for positive youth development for both campers and teens who provide leadership at camps. It is an environment where, by designing and deliberately facilitating experiences that teach and help young people practice life skills, you truly are giving kids a world of good.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION

Publication title: Camping Magazine, Publication no.: 07404131. Filing date: 11/6/57. Issue frequency: bimonthly, J/F, M/A, M/J, J/A. S/O, N/D. No. of issues published annually: six. Annual subscription rate: $24.95. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 5000 State Road 67 North, Martinsville, IN 46151-7902. Complete mailing address of headquarters of publisher: same. Publisher: American Camping Association, Inc., same address. Editor/managing editor: Sandy Cameron, same address. Owner: American Camping Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization, same address. Know bondholders, mortgages, or other security holders owning or holding one percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: none. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: has not changed during the preceding 12 months.

                                        Ave. No.      Actual No.
                                        Copies        Copies
                                        Last          Last
                                        12 Mos.       Issue

A. Total No. Copies Printed             7200          7200

B. Paid/Requested Circulation

1. Sales through                        0             0
Dealers & Carriers,
Street Vendors &
Counter Sales

2. Paid or Requested                    6422          6381
Mail Subscriptions

C. Total Paid/Requested                 6422          6381
Circulation

D. Free Distribution by Mail            100           100

E. Total Distribution                   6522          6481
(Sum of C & D)

F. Copies not Distributed

1. Office Use, Leftovers,               678           719
Spoiled

2. Return from News Agents              0             0

G. Total (Sum of E, FI & F2)            7200          7200