When a child is "ready" for camp

A good friend asked me today when he and his wife would "know" that their daughter is ready for sleepaway camp. There is a certain level of surreality to the situation. I think back to us 20 years ago in college, as roommates. Certainly, the two decades-later prospect of me as a camp professional seriously advising him as a parent would have been a ludicrous one. Flash forward to today, with that being a critically important aspect of my job as camp director. With only a small trace of irony thinking back to the late 1980s...I advised him that:

Any camp decision should be driven by the child; the "best" age is when the child is "ready," which can be anytime between age 7 and 12 or 13 typically. Our camp program is tailored towards girls from ages seven to fifteen, and we have new campers within all of those ranges, eager to have a great camp experience.

A good progression for determining "readiness" is to start first with sleepovers at relative's houses, then sleepovers at non-relatives (i.e. school or neighborhood friends). When the child (and parents) are comfortable with that, then it's time for camp! There can and should still be some nervousness, since that's a normal part of growth. Also, the more the child can be involved in the decision-making process and reviewing information, the better. Checking out a camp DVD or videos, pictures, visiting the camp and seeing what the facilities are like--are all beneficial to a would-be-camper's readiness and confidence.

(I've come a long way from 22 year-old Kevin to me two decades later...!)

The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In

Checked out an interesting article about the ramifications of parenting while plugged in.

Nothing too earth shattering that we didn't already apply at camp, i.e. recognizing that human interaction is valuable--but maybe a little bit of a wake up call for certain parents...

Challenges of Camp Standard Time

Thinking earlier today about how Camp Standard Time (CST) is a funny creature. Days seem very long yet fly by...as do the weeks of camp. Before you know it, the girls are gone.

Also the CST time lag that underscores the trust that our camper parents have in us. If/when there are times when a camper has a difficult transition, those down moments are the ones that result in the letter home that makes parents wonder if their babies are okay. Meanwhile, the parents don't necessarily get to see the amazing moments where their child is thriving...largely because in those empowering times, there is no time or opportunity to write! So thanks for the trust, even while CST is in effect! :)

Our camp staffing process more selective than Harvard

We've been enjoying a camp week with the 4H-ers at camp. Our camp staff is amazing, as expected, especially since they've been culled from almost 250 applicants. On top of their being just generally awesome, it's fun to note that our staffing process is even more selective than Harvard. It's acceptance rate is almost 7%, while ours is approaching 4%.

The Serious Responsibility of Caring for other Parents' Children

I had a couple of amazing moments earlier today--one a parent moment, and one a camp moment. During our staff training for rock climbing, led by our experienced instructors, Mico had his now annual opportunity to scale the limestone rock face. Belayed safely by a new staff member, he climbed his way to the top of the 50-ish feet limestone cliff, watched by smiling Mama and Papa. He was engaged and feeling great the whole way up, which was surpassed at the summit by his absolutely beaming smile and eyes gleaming, as he accomplished the feat of scaling the rock. On the way down, rappelling with the assistance of another new staff member, he continued to beam, knowing he was safe in capable hands.

It struck me profoundly how great the responsibility is to care for the precious cargo of other parents. It's one thing to be a camp director and know intimately the benefits of the camp experience, even as young people engage in activities that challenge themselves physically and mentally. It's another thing to see your own child do it. It's yet another thing to be excited for the onset of another camp season where uncountable "camp moments" like Mico's will be had, led by qualified, capable, caring young camp professionals. Today Mico's camp moment(s)...soon those of other parents' children. I can't wait...

Intentionality and Punished by Rewards

Have been enjoying summer staff training, recently with session discussing Punished by Rewards. Sharing viewpoints on how challenging it is to overcome the popular, easier choices that teachers, parents, and others working with youth make. Avoiding the carrot and/or stick approach that many use--which work only temporarily to elicit desired behavior...and at a cost of eroding true relationship-building. Instead, we're learning to focus on the harder work of helping youth to develop the intrinsic values so that the carrot or stick will be unnecessary...

6 Questions for Supporters of Arizona Law

As a camp celebrating diversity and empowerment of girls and women of all cultures and backgrounds, it's been a troubling few weeks following the attempted passage of the proposed Arizona law targeting undocumented aliens. The article below has some good insights...

Six questions for supporters of Arizona law
BY ANDRES OPPENHEIMER
aoppenheimer@MiamiHerald.com

This has been a bad week for those of us opposing Arizona's anti-immigration law: New polls show that a huge majority of Americans support the legislation, and key candidates for November's mid-term elections are now saying they want similar laws for their own states.

Three separate polls -- from the Pew Research Center, The Wall Street Journal-NBC and McClatchy-Ipsos -- show that about 60 percent of Americans support the Arizona law, which requires local police to question people about their immigration status when they have ``reasonable suspicion'' that they are not in the country legally.

There's no question that the polls show a clear public sentiment that something has to be done to stop the steady flow of migrants. But I would like to ask six questions to supporters of the Arizona law, and to politicians who are considering similar legislation in 16 other states:

1: Are you aware that the Arizona law turns every Hispanic in Arizona, including U.S. citizens, into a potential suspect? Do you like the idea of police stopping members of the largest U.S. minority group because of the color of their skin, or their Spanish accent?

WHAT'S `LAWFUL STOP'?

Granted, the Arizona law was recently amended to demand that police engage in the ``lawful stop, detention or arrest'' of people before inquiring about their immigration status. Supporters of the law say this means police can only stop people in connection with other crimes. But, in reality, ``lawful stop'' can mean many things, including stopping a person to ask whether they saw something suspicious around the corner.

2: Do you know that the stated reason for the Arizona law -- a wave of crime brought about by undocumented migrants -- is not backed by the state's official statistics?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crime in Arizona fell from 531 to 447 people per 100,000 inhabitants over the eight years ending in 2008. Nationwide, while the nation's illegal-immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2004, the violent-crime rate declined 35 percent, the Arizona Republic reported May 2.

3: Do you know that the Arizona Police Chiefs Association opposes the law, saying it will drain the state's law enforcement resources? In addition, undocumented migrants will think twice before giving police tips on crimes or terrorist plots, or before they rescue somebody from a car accident, it says.

4: Are you aware that Los Angeles and several other U.S. cities have voted to boycott Arizona? Arizona's tourism board said last week that the boycotts have cost the financially ailing state $90 million already. In addition, Arizona-like laws could cripple the tourism industry of the states that adopt them: Many of the estimated 16 million Latin Americans traveling to the United States every year may decide to skip places where they fear they will be stopped by police because they speak Spanish.

DYSFUNCTIONAL SYSTEM

5: Do you know that the reason so many migrants enter the United States illegally is because they can't get in legally? Under the dysfunctional current U.S. immigration system, the U.S. labor market employs up to 500,000 low-skilled workers a year, but the U.S. government only gives 5,000 permanent legal visas a year in that category.

6: Even if you support the Arizona law, is it worth turning the country into a quasi police state, making every member of its largest minority group a suspected criminal, and losing billions of dollars in legal costs and boycotts? Or would it make more sense to update the country's immigration laws, creating an immigration system that welcomes legal immigrants and discourages illegal ones?

My opinion: I say the latter. Fortunately, I'm in good company: A New York Times/CBS News May 4 poll shows that while 51 percent of Americans support the Arizona law, 89 percent say the federal government needs to update existing immigration laws. Sixty-four percent say there should be a path to citizenship or temporary residency for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already here.

There is a much better -- and less traumatic -- way to solve this problem than Arizona's de facto racial profiling law: passing a comprehensive immigration law that secures the border, punishes employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, provides a path to earned legalization for undocumented immigrants, and significantly increases the number of U.S. visas for workers the country needs.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/15/1631828/6-questions-for-supporters-of.html#ixzz0o7fZ6LU9