kind of person do we really want to save our planet from self-destruction? That love of nature and understanding of ecology can be instilled at camp. If we want kindness, humility, gratitude, and appreciation of beauty — the character strengths that positive psychology research has suggested lead to authentic happiness — then we need to recognize what engenders those qualities. It’s not a vacation. It’s camp. Camp with just the right amount of rain, sun, competition, cooperation, novelty, traditions, creativity, ritual, success, and disappointment to spice things up. As a boy, my most powerful camp experience aligned neatly with the mission fidelity principles outlined above. Twelve of us had been lucky enough to win the raffle for riflery that day, but thirteen showed up. In a graceful display of leadership, one of the activity leaders said, “We have enough room and time to let twelve campers shoot, which is why I raffled twelve spots. One of you is not being honest, but I can assure you that you’ll get a chance to shoot later this week. Who didn’t make the raffle?” The group was silent. Then Dan Shertzer stood up and spoke. “I can go to a different activity.” I protested on my friend’s behalf: “But Dan, you made the raff le! You’re supposed to be here! Somebody else is lying. They should go, not you. Stay.” “It’s OK,” Dan said. “Whoever it is can have my spot today.” Our leader couldn’t have engineered a more potent instance of unselfishness had he tried. The thing is, when a camp is true to camping’s mission, those mighty little lessons happen all the time, every day. Now that the secret is out, let’s spread the word. Photos on pages 24 and 25 courtesy of Manzano Mountain Retreat, Torreon, New Mexico; Camp John Marc, Meridian, Texas; Cheley Colorado Camps, Estes Park, Colorado; Camp Courageous, Monticello, Iowa; Camp Kamaji, Cass Lake, Minnesota; and Camp Pemigewassett, Wentworth, New Hampshire. References Baumeister, R.F., Heatherton, T.F., & Tice, D.M. (1994). How and why people fail at selfregulation. San Diego: Academic Press. Dimock, H.S. & Hendry, C.E. (1929). Camping and character. Association Press. Fitzsimmons, W., McGrath, M.E., & Ducey, C. (2011). Taking time off. Harvard College Office of Admissions. Retrieved from www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/ time_off/index.html Ginsburg, K.R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics (199), 182-191. O’Donoghue, J., Kirshner, B., & McLaughlin, M. (2006). Youth participation: From myths to effective practice. The Prevention Researcher, 13, pp. 3-6. Peplau, L.A. (1985). Loneliness research: Basic concepts and findings. In Sarason, I.G. and Sarason, B.R. (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research and applications. Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Thurber, C.A. & Walton, E.A. (2007). Preventing and treating homesickness. In A.H. McAuliffe- Fogarty, K.P. Carlson, & A. Martin (Eds.), Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America (pp. 843-858). Philadelphia: Elsevier. Christopher Thurber, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist and the cofounder of ExpertOnlineTraining.com, which hosts educational content for youth development professionals. He designed The Secret Ingredients of Summer Camp Success, ACA’s homesickness prevention DVD. Contact : chris@campspirit.com or visit CampSpirit.com. a division of Chalmers Count on us to cover you. We’re here to provide praCtiCal solutions in risk management & insuranCe to you. “ nobody needs a great insurance company when everything is going along well and there are no issues. But when problems did arise, chalmers stood behind us right from the first phone call alerting them of a possible problem. and when we needed our hands held, they did that too, always answering our numerous phone calls, e-mails, and questions. ” — mark meyer, director/owner Camp Wildwood, Bridgton, maine Maine • new HaMpsHire • Ver Mont MassacHusetts • connecticut • new York CAMPING magazine • November/December 2013 27
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