What the World Could Learn From Summer Camp
A Place to Share

by Matthew Carroll

In the summer of 2008, I decided to work as a counselor at a traditional American summer camp in upstate New York. This trip to New York started out as a journey of procrastination and meditation, but quickly turned into a journey of discovery. I'd finished University only one week before, and had no idea what my future would hold; I thought that a couple of months working in a camp would assist me in my pursuit of avoiding the real world.

It was exactly this mission that made me realize something — camp was not the real world. It hit me on the first day of camp when everyone was dressed the same — white T-shirt, shorts, sneakers, or flip flops. Kids were dressed the same as counselors; counselors were dressed the same as kitchen staff; and office staff were dressed the same as the head counselors. You couldn't distinguish the kids whose parents had saved up for months to send their kids to camp from those who had spent the spare change of a week's pay.

Everyone here was truly equal. While the campers and American counselors recited the Pledge of Allegiance on the opening day, the international staff looked on in silence. Different faiths and different cultures were respected and tolerated. Coming from Northern Ireland, this was not only a novelty but something that impressed me. People of all faiths were observing Jewish culture with respect, while back in my home country Christians struggle to tolerate the cultures of other Christians.

Camp was about the basics. Mobile phones were banned; Internet access was limited — even electric fans were banned (as kids didn't have their own personal fans in the interest of fairness, counselors couldn't either). A strong emphasis was put on keeping camp tidy. If you saw litter on the ground, you picked it up and put it in the trash bin. Kids were banned from watching television except for special “movie nights.” The surprising thing was that the kids didn't seem to miss it. Bringing down the veil of technology led to more open conversation between friends, better networking, and unlikely friendships.

During rest periods, I was amazed to see the main campus was absolutely heaving with games of stickball, basketball, tennis, or catch. Older kids played with younger kids; brothers played together; twenty-one-year-olds challenged eight-year-olds to games of chess . . . and lost. Kids were able to play outside in a safe environment the way they used to. Today, with so many concerns about crime, it's very hard for parents to let their kids go outside to play after breakfast and for them to return after dinner. But, at camp kids are safe.

Everybody knows and trusts each other. At camp there are no locks on the doors. Kids and counselors leave iPods®, PSPs, books, and toys in their empty bunks all day and know those things will still be there, exactly where they were left.

It is this sense of community that made me fall in love with camp. At camp, you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in your division, otherwise known as your family for two months. Camp meal times are a place for conversation, joking around, dares, games, and occasionally songs. Campers and staff feel completely relaxed, and there is no shame in doing embarrassing things for the entertainment of others.

So what can the world learn from camp? In short, to let kids be kids. We should be sending children to camp, allowing kids to get the exercise and the fresh air that is so vital to growing up. Camp allows children to spend time with their friends and develop the social skills that are so vital, instead of sitting inside in front of a television set. Adults can also learn that work doesn't have to be work, it can also be fun. Camp taught me that even though modern technology has opened up so many opportunities for us it can also trap us.

Anyone who has worked at a camp will agree that you won't understand camp without trying it. Without trying it, I wouldn't have learned as much as I have.

Matthew Carroll is twenty-three-years-old and is originally from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast with a degree in French and German. He has previously worked and studied in France, Germany, and the USA. He most recently worked as a division leader at Camp Scatico in Elizaville, New York.

Originally published in the 2009 July/August issue of Camping Magazine.