A lot of times when people meet us and find out that our job is to run a summer camp, their first question is usually “what do you do all winter?” We always laugh with them and try to explain to them what it means to have the most precious things in other people’s lives entrusted to us. The effort we put in throughout the winter talking to and meeting our new campers, hiring amazing staff, developing and maintaining over 100 acres, and planning an exciting summer program that stays within the value system we promise our parents, with hoping that the kids want to do it again next summer. What we also try to explain is the time we spend each winter attending conferences and workshops to add to our repertoire of child development skills. We use these skills to better support our parents in raising healthy youth, as well as to better train our staff to help us create an emotionally safe intentional summer.
The American Camp Association recently held the national conference in Austin, Texas. This conference was filled with opportunities to hear from respected child development professionals, work collaboratively with our youth development colleagues, and expand the collective understanding of children. Bob Ditter, M.Ed., LCSW, a well-known child psychologist, presented a series of sessions on the latest brain research. Its development and the way each part of the brain works alone and as a whole. While it is a huge topic, he was able to present some very interesting information that really supports what goes on at camp and how beneficial camp is for the development of children.
=Children under the age of 12-14 don’t understand sarcasm, what they “get” is the hostility in the sarcasm, not the subtlety or tinge of friendliness that might be in it. In the camp we see children reflecting statements that they hear from older people and that they do not understand when their friends get so angry.
= The brain does not listen or retain a negative. If you say “don’t run!” the brain listens, “run!” At camp we work hard to use positive reinforcement, “thanks for walking.”
= Children begin to “get” double meaning and other nuances in humor after the ages of 12-14. At the camp we see the children using this new communication tool and we help them not to abuse it.
= The children “rehearse” what they see. Half of the 100 billion neurons in our brain are in charge of reflecting things. The children’s mirror cells are practicing what they see adults doing and saying. This includes the ways adults interact with each other, not just each other. At camp we emphasize positive role modeling at all times.
= Reflecting on campers, including evaluating their own performance, often requires special effort. It turns out that the part of the brain involved in the action is quite different from the part of the brain involved in making evaluations about that action. Reflection practice can increase the connection between these two physically different parts of the brain! At camp we sit down and talk with the campers about the negative behavior and why it was wrong and how we can deal with it next time in a different and more positive way.
= The reward-pleasure center is more powerful in reinforcing desirable behavior, while the pain center is related to the avoidance of a certain behavior or experience. At camp we set easy-to-understand expectations and are clear about when they are met and when they are not. One message all the time.
= By disciplining children, once we become emotional, our message is diluted due to interference in THEIR emotional reaction to our emotional presentation. At camp we emphasize the need for staff to ask for help dealing with problems when they feel the only recourse is punitive action.
= The melatonin cycle (which leads to sleep) begins and ends 3 to 4 hours later in adolescents than in adults.
= Teenagers have elevated levels of dopamine (the brain’s pleasure-reward hormone)
system), resulting in increased risk-taking behavior. At camp we are able to “capture” and redirect these risky behaviors. Through our Trek and Ropes Course program, as well as many of our superior camps, we are able to meet these needs.
The above is just the tip of this research and we think it’s something interesting! We, along with our senior staff, look forward to continuing our growth at the ACA Tri-State Conference later this month.