Happy Camper 1

Running Head: Happy Camper

Happy Camper: The Impact of Summer Camp on the Overall Well-Being of Campers

Sarah A. Newman

Glen Allen High School

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Introduction/History

Since the late 1800’s, summer camps in the United States have been a typical part of an

American youth’s summer. At their establishment, these camps were aimed towards the city-

dwelling, middle-class boys with a desire to break out of their summer household confinement.

Families would send their “street rat” children west to be boarded for the summer by Christian

farm families in attempt to rebuild their faith (Petrezela, 2017). Camp Chocorua, one of the first

camps, was established in New Hampshire in the late 1800’s by Ernest Balch. Balch believed

that summer camps would counteract the “miserable condition of boys belonging to well-to-do

families in the summer hotels” and give them an opportunity to expand their horizons (Friedman,

2013). Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) camps similarly emerged to “create a

‘positive developmental experience through making new friends, building confidence and

growing in self-reliance’” (Paul, 2016). Summer camps for young women began around World

War I, through organizations like the Girl Scouts of America and Camp Fire girls, teaching and

emphasizing traditionally feminine ideas, such as cooking, sewing, motherhood, etc. (Petrezela,

2017).

Yet the concept of modern day summer camps stems from World War II. Camps moved

to a focus on activities and freedom of choice rather than gender roles (Petrezela, 2017). The

camp experience gained more modern attributes such as counselors facilitating different

activities, a cabin-like atmosphere, co-ed camps etc. Today, over 7,000 overnight camps are

active in the United States, giving the children who attend them the opportunity to learn new

skills and move outside of their comfort zone (Petrezela, 2017).

Similarly, certain specialty camps began in the 1920’s, targeting disabled youths. With

the establishment of the American Camp Association Committee on Specialized Camping

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Services, a new focus emerged on “populations of children with medical needs” including “heart

defects, blindness, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy” (Clark & Nwokah, 2010). As a result, the

camp industry became attainable for all, giving every child the opportunity to attend a summer

camp.

Various other types of summer camps target both affluent and low-income children.

Parents can pay thousands of dollars to aid children in their college searches. For example, a

month-long summer writing camp sponsored by Emerson College totals $6,531 (Clark &

Nwokah, 2010). These camps give families the opportunity to pay for their children to learn

more about their passions, especially with the evolution of STEM camps. As for campers who

come from lower income brackets, the choice of summer camp is fairly limited. According to

Kari Paul (2016), the average day camp costs $304 per week, where the average overnight camp

falls at around $690 per week. For families hovering at or below the poverty line, various camps

have emerged to provide underprivileged youth a similar summer camp experience. Various non-

profit organizations provide after school care and the YMCA provides financial assistance for

children attending these camps, providing scholarships and grant programs (Clark & Nwokah,

2010). By giving these children similar opportunities, they are able to gain the same experience

as their peers.

Through a well-established camp experience, campers are exposed to new people,

mentors, and activities, while facing the difficulty of being separated from home. As a result, the

effects of a positive camp experience can last far longer than the session. Summer camp, long-

term, provides campers a safety net where they can build the necessary tools to improve their

self-confidence and other key skills. With the close-knit, observed environment, campers are

able to work on tasks or ideas that they find interesting. As a result, campers come away from
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their experiences enlightened and able to carry their newfound skills to their school day,

homelife, and beyond.

Parts of Summer Camps

A summer camp experience has many different parts, with each individually fostering

children’s growth and wellness. First, a solid counselor-camper relationship must be formed, as a

counselor fills a “parental role” while the campers are away from home. In regards to their jobs,

“camp counselors, unlike teachers, view their primary role as one of facilitating friendships and

positive experiences” (Monke, 2015). They are trained the week before the summer in

“communication and leadership skills and team building (Monke, 2015). By promoting positive

relationships among the staff, they are able to promote the “home-like” environment throughout

their work. Organizations like Camp America and Camp Counselors USA bring internationals to

the country, where campers can be immersed in different cultures. Various activities staffed by a

diverse counselor base provide children with the opportunity to find “developmentally

appropriate activities” enriching their camp experience (Kerns, Brumariu & Abraham, 2008).

Homesickness becomes another aspect that children must face at summer camp. It

correlates directly with a parental relationship, where “children who have prior experiences with

separation from home may be less likely to experience homesickness” (Kerns, Brumariu &

Abraham, 2008). Alongside this, “children who are securely attached are able to use their

attachment figure as a secure base” (Kerns, Brumariu & Abraham, 2008). With this security,

children understand they are safe in any situation, and feel comfortable away from their parents.

As a result, this is more of a home and security issue than one that a child can control directly at

camp. Instances of homesickness can manifest into other “illnesses” where children pretend they

are sick to try to come home. They believe they are sick, when in reality they actually miss their
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parents. The “sickness” becomes more of a coping mechanism, affecting their mood and overall

happiness at camp.

Summer Camp Through a Psychological Lens

Summer camp, viewed through various psychological models, suggests that children

grow as a result of their experience. Positive psychology specifically explains the impacts that an

inclusive environment, such as camp, has on the children. Martin Seligman’s PERMA (Positive

emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement) model of well-being explains,

in detail, the psychology behind the success of summer camps. According to Kenneth

Schainmann (2017):

Positive emotion, through a focus on fun and play, is a primary goal of virtually
all camps – as well as a tool for imparting values and skills. Camps also produce
high engagement, where children find “flow” by losing themselves in the
enjoyment of a physical, creative, nature, or other activities. Building positive
relationships – through explicit camp values or the experience of spending time in
peer groups with positive social norms and modelling from counselors, is also a
defining feature of a camps. And, by building athletic, creative, personal and
interpersonal skills via experiential learning, campers develop meaning and
experience achievement.
This explanation of camp, through the PERMA model, suggests that camp works on building

relationships and focusing on bettering the child. Another aspect of positive psychology, Positive

Psychology Interventions (PPIs), can be applied to the summer camp experience as well. For

example, a “gratitude visit” exemplifies a PPI, where “a participant writes a letter to someone

who has had a significant positive role in his or her life” (Schainman, 2017). Although there is

no significant research regarding the impacts of PPIs on children, there is evidence that “many

interventions done with children and adolescents do create meaningful and lasting change”

(Schainman, 2017). With actions like these, summer camps are able to “integrate…new habits

and behaviors into children’s sense of self.” (Schianman, 2017). By looking at camp through a
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positive psychology lens, evidence suggests that summer camp can teach values in ways campers

do not receive in other places, such as school and home.

Lev Vygotsky suggests that scaffolding is another psychological concept to grow key

skills in youth. Scaffolding itself requires helping a child in the learning process by providing

support and slowly eliminating it so a children can learn by themselves (Edwards, 2013). For

example, scaffolding proved effective when aiding young children in learning how to read, both

by parents and teachers (Kim, 2008). These children were able to learn by following the example

of their role models, learning independence and trial-and-error at a young age. In a specific

middle-school summer camp, counselors scaffolded different engineering topics, allowing the

children to explore the field hands-on. With this study, teachers were able to “provide sufficient

scaffolding, yet encourage creativity,…scaffold hands-on experiences that promote mindful

planning, …and model practices” so students could effectively learn the materials (Bamberger,

2013). This suggests that the camp model is effective in teaching and aiding children in tasks that

they will need later in life. Counselors help campers, eventually giving them space to try these

tasks on their own.

“Typical” Summer Camps

Beginning with a “typical” summer camp, attending a camp provides children with new

opportunities to challenge themselves outside of the classroom. In Mary Clark and Evangeline

Nwokah’s (2011) study, a day camp called REAL (Reading and Enrichment Academy for

Learning), which concluded with a one-week overnight camp found that “more than 90 percent

of the campers’ parents reported that their child tried harder in school” and “75% of children

improved their ability to praise, motivate, and support peers.” By attending summer camp, these

children were able to learn unconventionally, through a non-competitive, supportive

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environment. Audrey Monke’s (2015) study for the American Camp Association confirmed this,

stating that "the biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people discover and explore their

talents, interests, and values. Most schools don't satisfy all these needs. Kids who have had these

kinds of (camp) experiences end up being healthier and have less problems which concern us

all."

By giving children the opportunity to build new friendships, emotional intelligence grows

over time. Emotional intelligence is defined as the “ability to monitor one’s own and others’

emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and

actions” (Fine, 2006). Children begin to take into account the feelings of others and apply this to

other situations after their camp experience. Emotional intelligence can be inherited, yet also

learned over time. Stephen Fine’s (2006) study chose five intended improved social situations

after attending summer camp (social integration and citizenship, environmental awareness, self-

confidence and personal development, emotional intelligence, and attitudes towards physical

activity) to address positive development. He also found that “participation in provincially

accredited camps promotes positive change in [the] five areas of development” (Fine, 2006). The

design of a summer camp improves emotional intelligence, where one mother argues that her

child, as a result of camp, became “aware of those less fortunate, classmates struggling with

school work or social integration and tries to go out of his way to help” (Fine, 2006). With a

newfound awareness of one's social situation, a “traditional” summer camp breeds this emotional

intelligence outside of the typical setting.

Yet, the main character trait obtained and carried by campers after their camp experience

is overall happiness and improved quality of life. Children, in these summer camp scenarios,

have both “friends and adult emotional supports,” allowing them to leave camp feeling like their
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voice will be heard (Monke, 2015). A survey taken by the American Camp Association both

before and after camp attendance found that campers became more confident, developed social

skills, grew leadership skills, and become more adventurous (2005). With these life

improvements combined, happiness becomes evident in the life of children, showing the

importance of a “typical” summer camp experience.

Specialty Camps

For children who attend specialty camp for certain diseases, their experience allows them

to find themselves with new support. Many camps for these kids embrace their differences and

allow children to bond with those in similar situations. According to Donna Goodwin and Keri

Staples (2005), “the [campers] indicated [after their camp experiences] that feeling connected to

others with disabilities help them understand themselves better.” For example, at a camp for

visually impaired youth children felt that the “segregated inclusion…supported inclusion through

positive identity development, shared and safe emotional connections, and fulfillment of needs

within a disability only or segregated setting” (Goodwin, Lieberman, Johnston, et. al., 2011). The

relationships formed with similar children promoted self-confidence in these children, who are

not surrounded by those with similar disabilities on a daily basis. As a result, research by Donna

Goodwin and Kerri Staples (2014) states:

Disease-specific camps seem to preferentially attract children with chronic health

conditions, often enticing them to return year after year, even when their
condition is well controlled. Benefits perceived by campers may include
involvement in formal or informal support groups, the common bond of
condition-related experience, feedback from peers and leaders, and the instillation
of hope from meeting successful survivors.
By coming back year after year, campers continually feel the bond of a shared disability,

something unknown. They came away with increased self-confidence and easily applied this to

their day-to-day lives.

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As well, children with disabilities feel more included with their peers. At a disability-

specific summer camp, children are surrounded with like-minded individuals that they may not

experience at a “typical” summer camp. Inclusion, as in allowing those with disabilities to

intermix among their peers, in regular summer camps has grown increasingly common

(Goodwin & Staples, 2005). Yet, many children with disabilities prefer to be around those who

share a similar situation to them, as “many [campers who grew up] with disabilities have few

peers with disabilities” (Goodwin & Staples, 2005). Without exposure to similar individuals,

these kids may feel uncomfortable associating with other peers with disabilities, mostly because

their “personal identity development is unclear” (Goodwin & Staples, 2005). As a result, the

increasing number of disability-specific camps give these children the opportunity to challenge

stereotypes with like individuals. For example, children who attended a camp for epilepsy for

three consecutive years felt both “empower[ed and] includ[ed]” by being around these similar

people (Cushner-Weinstein, Berl, Salpekar, et. al, 2006). By being around similar kids, they were

more open to discussing their relationship with their disability and breaking stereotypes

(Goodwin & Staples, 2005). As a result, these campers became more self-confident and

understanding of their role in society. Similarly, Camp Discovery focuses on teaching youth with

Type I diabetes lessons on nutrition, exercise, and self-care (Clark & Nwokah, 2010). These

skills are easily taken from camp and applied to the real world, uniting these children under

similar patterns. Camps like these promote skill-building, therefore promoting an easier and

happier lifestyle for these kids to grow.

Disabled children, by being away from their primary caregivers, experience newfound

independence as well. Summer camp programs, like Camp Great Rock for children with

epilepsy, focus specifically on building independence by organizing the children in smaller

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groups (Cushner-Weinstein, Berl, Salpekar, et. al, 2006). Building independence in this setting

builds confidence along with it. This growth can be observed through the Social Interaction

Observation (SIO), where some camps were able to measure independence by filming campers

interactions and through parent surveys (Clark & Nwokah, 2010). This method, although

unorthodox, is able to observe the campers in action and research approaches to social situations.

It suggests that teaching independence through a camp setting proves beneficial long-term for

these children.

Camps for At-Risk Youth

Various other camps work on building skills in at-risk youth, providing them with a “safe

haven” to feel comfortable finding themselves. These programs, mostly after-school or summer

day-camps, are free for these youth to attend and work one-on-one with mentors or a small group

of peers. One camp’s approach to rebuilding skills in these at-risk youth included “reduc[ing]

unhealthy behaviors [by] fostering…individual, social, and environmental characteristics…that

promote healthy development” (Thurber, Scanlin, Scheuler & Henderson, 2007). This narrowly

focused approach to skill-building proves effective by targeting key areas that these youth need

to improve upon. Camp for these children becomes very important because there is no rigid

structure or a “failing” grade. A study by MaryBeth Merryman and Amanda Mezei (2012) found

that:

At risk youth who attended the summer camp reported skill development in
leadership and decision making due to engagement in enriched activities and
developmentally appropriate occupations at camp…Campers described being
afforded the opportunity to practice leadership skills when they felt personal
competence in activities provided by the summer camp. Campers were able to
make decisions in healthy occupations due to the greatly expanded availability of
positive occupations within a safe and structured camp environment.

The individualized attention that these children received provided them the opportunity to

succeed, as some of them had never been afforded attention. For these students, skill-
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development is necessary for later success. By building a solid foundation at summer

camps, these kids will be able to work successfully.

At-risk youth at these summer camps also, similarly to those attending camps for

a certain disability, felt a sense of “belonging” among their peers. This “inclusion of a

positive, peer based mentoring model” promotes equality (Kirk & Day, 2011). Belonging

in the world becomes faulty for these children, mostly because they have not had “place”

in the world or the proper support. Through this, students are able to find others who had

been through similar situations. Kirk and Day’s (2011) study found the following:

The people with the greatest impact, according to focus group discussions, were
those who had been through the foster care system themselves-those with whom
the young people could easily identify, trust, and build positive relationships.
The opportunities to connect with like-individuals for these youth promotes a sense of

unity. According to Kirschman, Roberts, Shadlow, and Pelly (2010) lack of hope was a

clear obstacle that underprivileged youth had to overcome. Yet, campers during and after

camp reported increased levels of hope, through the bonds they reported with their peers

(Kirschman, Roberts, Shadlow, et. al., 2010). Camp provided them with the hope and

tools to succeed later on, all while building off of each other.

Conclusion

Overall, youth attending summer camps return with a greater understanding of

their roles in the world. Through these various models of the “traditional” summer

camps, campers are able to build upon their traditional skills and improve upon their self-

confidence. A once quiet and shy child can use their camp experience to break outside of

their shell, comfortable with the world around them. Alongside this, the opportunity for

other children, particularly those who believed it would never be possible, to attend a

summer camp has provided them with a sense of belonging. At-risk youth and children
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with disabilities are now able to grow and find their “place,” side-by-side with similar

individuals. For each camper that attends, leaving camp means leaving behind friends and

waiting another year to return. Yet, the experiences made from attending camp enriches

the lives of each child, long after their session concludes.

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