Why We Need Summer Camp More Than Ever
If there was ever a time that girls need camp, it is now. It doesn’t take much of an Internet search to find the many detrimental effects this pandemic is having on children. Now more than ever, girls need the camp experience. We believe camp is uniquely suited to provide for girls those things that they are missing so desperately this year:
Camp provides a place to breathe. The feel of the camp experience is a deep sigh of relief. Every summer girls pull in the gates, hand over their cell phones, and describe the feeling as a “weight being lifted off my chest.” That feeling will be intensified this summer in so many ways. Camp provides the deep exhale that so many girls are missing this year, that opportunity to take a full breath and say, “you know what, I’m okay.”
Camp allows for face-to-face friendship. Camp thrives on the face-to-face. How many friendships do girls have at home right now that aren’t through a screen? While those types of friendships are more of the norm these days, that screen-focused intensity means that face-to-face friendship can be harder to come by, especially during this season. Camp provides that chance to look up, smile at someone, talk about silly or serious things…all without a screen.
Camp breeds laughter. The language of camp is laughter. Girls chasing fireflies at night, playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee, performing a skit on stage, telling a joke at the Dining Hall table. Camp is full of these moments of sweet relief when girls throw back their heads and just laugh. That laughter is harder to come by in these challenging times but will be aplenty when returning to camp.
Camp allows for freedom. Girls make their own choices and decide for themselves when at camp. Right now, most children face life dictated by a screen, by school homework, by parents keeping track of schedules. At camp, girls gain the valuable understanding of freedom and ownership…over their schedule, their belongings, their food choices. Campers step out to try new things, and through those experiences, girls can then grow.
Camp gives perspective. Girls learn that the world doesn’t revolve around them. Living in community with others, something that is hard to come by in this difficult season, gives girls a chance to step back, see a broader picture, and understand that actions affect others. Girls learn kindness in their actions, encouragement with their words, thankfulness in their expressions, and forgiveness in their hearts. Through the camp experience, girls will gain a lens of viewing the world that filters their perceptions through their understanding of others.
Camp shows there is hope. The message of camp is one of a Greater Story being told. Girls are beautifully created, special, beloved, worthy, and important. In a season of such grim and depressing messages, camp provides that glimmer of hope into where we all fit in this bigger world and on whom we focus our love, devotion, thoughts, and attention. A belief in and love of Jesus gives us hope, and girls at camp will rest in that understanding and truth.
Camp, come quickly. We are in desparate need of you.
