Building self-esteem - camps

Camping Magazine, Jan-Feb, 1997 by Kris Lishner, Judy Myers

Acceptance/significance

The degree to which children feel that significant others acknowledge their personal worth, including showing positive regard and emotional support, are aspects of self-esteem's acceptance dimension. Coopersmith uses significance to describe how family and friends accept children through attention, affection, concern, and acceptance. According to Coopersmith, the more people who display interest and affection toward a child, and the more often they express these feelings, the more likely that the child builds positive self-esteem.

Some studies show that 8- 12-year-olds see acceptance as more important in their self-evaluations than competence in areas such as athletics or school achievement. Physical appearance and social acceptance strongly influence this age group's self-esteem. While many youth workers downplay these interactional factors, they are extremely important to the child and will not be neutralized by adult rationalizations.

Adults who care about children may be distressed to realize that physical appearance has such impact on self-worth. While camp experiences may do little to affect a child's appearance, camp professionals can intentionally build opportunities into the camp experience to help campers develop better social relationships, experience competency in other areas, and live in an environment of acceptance and positive regard.

Using self-esteem concepts

Supporting and building campers' positive self-esteem is a goal of most camps. However, self-esteem develops slowly through childhood. A single camp session or season will not create or demolish self-esteem. Camp can offer a unique environment and experiences that let children participate in situations that promote feelings of competence and acceptance. Building self-esteem is a realistic and attainable goal for camps that make a commitment to put forth the necessary efforts.

Camps that want to create experiences that promote feelings of competence and acceptance should:

* Make it a mission.

* Invest considerable time and effort in the planning process.

* Apply child development concepts in each planned, intentional experience.

Intentionality

Intentionality is the conscious process of designing, organizing, and using all the camp's resources, as well as time and space, to promote specific aspects of positive development. It directs all efforts, from administration to simple acts of daily living and communicating, toward a developmental focus. Little is left to chance.

Elements involving peer and adult interaction, physical and mental activities, and the physical environment can be purposefully combined in unique ways to create developmentally appropriate camp experiences. Given an environment that incorporates high levels of these experiences, camp can be the most developmentally impactful setting to touch young people's lives.

Development outcomes

An important first step in developing camp experiences that promote self-esteem is to write goals for camper achievement. Goals are observable indicators that serve as guidelines to focus and direct camp practices.