Uncovering the Secret Recipe of Summer Camp Success

Both my children are 10/2 kids: for ten months of the year, they eagerly await those two special months at their summer camp.

Why? Well, social scientists will explain that camp is a transformative experience. For example, research from the American Camping Association shows that children at camp develop connections with nature, foster friendships and connect with the notion of community. Moreover, leaders of sectarian camps proudly share that their camps are immersive experiences: send your kid here and they’ll develop the kind of religious or cultural identity that often can’t be fully realized in more formal educational programs.

Yet for all the data we have, our understanding of camp is still drenched in “Parent Speak.” Ask my nine year-old daughter about how camp impacts her and I doubt she will answer, “gee Dad, camp this summer was really an identity-building experience that will shape my life choices for years to come.”

Rather she is likely to tell me that camp is just fun. The campers get to do cool things; they’re with their friends and making new ones; it’s a break from school; and, if it is an overnight camp, it’s far away from home (although they may miss us a little…or a lot).

But if I could get my daughter to really think about it, she would likely agree with me that camp is really about enabling kids like her to grow in all sorts of wonderful ways while still letting them be kids. The campers may not be aware of the grander agendas that their camps may have, but they instinctively know that they’re part of something really special.

But that is exactly why camp succeeds, because the children don’t know (and probably don’t care) how valuable their camping experiences are for them. Camp is that utopian setting that is so hard for us to replicate in our adult years. It is a place where they can self-actualize while flourishing in group settings. And camp provides them with the kinds of experiences, memories and connections that can benefit them a lifetime.

This fall, our children and countless others enter the dreaded “ten” period. Yet as they wait for the months to pass and ask me the proverbial question, “is it time for camp yet,” I will take much comfort in answering to myself: “yes, your camp journey will soon continue, and that journey will stay with you beyond all the summers that you spend there.” Until then, we’ll be counting the days between now and July.

Community: No Easy Answers

Modern Jewish tradition tells us that the most important punctuation symbol is the question mark. Americans can relate to this teaching as well. We’re good at questioning authority. We take pleasure in pushing Humpty Dumpty off that proverbial wall and seeing if we can put him back together again.

But does this propensity to “rebel wisely” help or hinder those leaders charged with strengthening our communities? And what wisdom does our Judeo-Christian tradition offer us in responding to this situation?

Consider one of the most troubling stories in the Bible: the binding of Isaac. What parent would willingly sacrifice their child as a test of faith? What deity would ask that of a father? If there was ever a moment for defiance, this would be it.

The Test (or Akaida as it is called in Hebrew) is a story that haunts me. I have heard many thinkers interpret the story in numerous ways, but the disconnect between Abraham’s apparent blind faith and his love for his son always remains.

But what if the Angel’s cliffhanger command to Abraham “do not harm the boy” is also rebuke to him for not having figured it out on his own? And if God’s test is as much one of faith as it is one of courage, while we may give Abraham high score on the former, how would we grade the latter?

As I work for an organization building community, the lessons above are certainly weighty. We’re witnessing profound changes in terms of demographics, family migration patterns and the ways that individuals identify themselves. In short, people everywhere are questioning where they belong, and more often than not the prescriptive answers they’re getting from traditional sources don’t cut it for them.

Community building organizations must listen carefully to the questions being asked out there and also be prepared to ask themselves that most fundamental question: what purpose does our existence play in the life of the people we serve? This may be our collective test in the 21st century. Fully answering those questions will undoubtedly take courage, but if they're good ones, hopefully we can put our faith in them.