It's a Small World, After All - camps around the world

Camping Magazine, July, 2000 by Teresa Nicodemus

A look at camp around the world

In S[tilde{a}]o Paulo, Brazil, campers play baseball to help them learn the English language. Near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, campers trek through the jungle to see a shelter Aborigines have made. In New Zealand and England, families spend holidays at camp together.

Every day of the year, children and adults of virtually all cultures are exploring nature, making friends, and encountering their world in a new way through the camp experience. Despite geographical and cultural differences, camp remains a place of safety and discovery for children and families around the world.

Flexible Camp Season

While summer camp flourishes in the months of June through August in the U.S., the camp season varies throughout the world. In New Zealand, for example, the busy camp season begins in the midst of winter, coinciding with the school holiday.

"Many children, especially those in the rural communities, are away at boarding school," says Erin McKergow, an outdoor instructor in adventure recreation at Bradford Woods, Indiana, and a native of New Zealand. "Our 'summer' runs from December 20 to January 20 when kids are home from boarding school." She explains that parents hesitate to send their children away again to camp when they return from school. As a result, family camping is big during that time as families vacation together.

In England as in New Zealand, camp sessions are flexible and generally run throughout the year, incorporating school holidays and family vacations. "We don't have summer camp like in the U.S. Summer is not the most popular time for camp in England," observes Daniel Milner, whose home country is England and who is also working this summer at Bradford Woods as an outdoor instructor in environmental education.

In Malaysia, winter months are also the most popular for campers. Unlike the U.S., Malaysia enjoys a tropical climate year-round; this warmer climate is reflected in a year-round camp season with the busiest months for camp being December and January when children have their longest school vacations.

Malaysia's camp sessions include busy weekends and holiday sessions. The year-round camp movement, beyond weekend and holidays, is a newer trend in the U.S. Five-day or longer sessions for resident camps, which is popular in the U.S., is a new trend within Malaysia, according to Connie Coutellier, director of professional development for the American Camping Association. Last winter, Coutellier spent a month in Malaysia teaching programming techniques and operational procedures at Jungle Lodge camp.

Learning Together in Malaysia

Immersed in Malaysian culture and camp life, Coutellier found both differences and similarities between U.S. and Malaysian camp cultures.

Decentralized versus centralized

Most camps in Malaysia are centralized, meaning more structured. Programming is planned by the administration. During Coutellier's visit, she taught counselors the value of decentralizing camp so that small groups planned activities and programming to enhance socialization skills. "Groups of campers worked together with their counselor to plan the week's activities. Counselors were also taught to guide the group to come up with rules for getting along while at camp. The kids loved it," states Coutellier.

Amran Ariff Ahmad, a camp counselor from Jungle Lodge, agrees. Before the ACA training his camp was centralized, he says, but now the kids plan activities together and have more fun doing what interests them. Ahmad is learning more about operational procedures of U.S. camps by working as an outdoor specialist in environmental education and adventure recreation at Bradford Woods.

Tiger tracks and glow worms

While U.S. campers backpack through woods and forest lands, Malaysian campers trek through the jungle. The goal of both is often the same -- to learn environmental awareness and the importance of preserving the natural environment. Along the winding path through the lush, tropical jungle, Malaysian campers might see tiger tracks, enjoy glowing plants and worms that are noticeable in the evening, or look for fresh water prawns.

Environmental awareness is a fairly new concept in Malaysia. The many environmental organizations that work to preserve U.S. forest lands and wildlife do not exist in Malaysia. During a jungle trek, counselors try to raise campers' appreciation for their unique environment. They are also extremely cautious, recognizing the potential dangers of flash floods or high waters during monsoon season and razor sharp leaves on certain vegetation -- much like U.S. counselors taking every precaution during hikes with campers. Leeches are a common nuisance on jungle treks, and campers are schooled in proper removal of the parasite. Coutellier, during staff training, taught Malaysian counselors universal pre cautions against blood-borne illness.

Although jungle treks are exciting adventures for Malaysian campers, many Malaysian camps also offer sophisticated initiatives, experiential education, ropes courses, and jungle survival skills -- programming not much different from U.S. camp activities -- according to Hafiq Rizal Hamisam, a camp counselor from Jungle Lodge who is also working as an outdoor specialist at Bradford Woods.