We’ve been running summer camps for teens for several years now. We honestly believe that the experience is life-altering in big ways. Here are 10 reasons why we would encourage you to consider sending your teen to our summer camp:
- SPACE – We want what’s best for our kids, and we want to guide them into making wise choices. To them, of course, this equates to our “not leaving them alone.” They might think we’re nosy, bossy and annoying. Sending them to camp will allow them the space they are craving, while still knowing they are being properly supervised. It’s often said that “time heals all wounds.” Not that summer camp is guaranteed to produce miracles; but you just might be surprised what a little time away might do for your relationship.
- RELATIONSHIPS – Our past campers were able to forge amazing new friendships with their fellow campers. Most of them still stay in touch, all these years later. They also report that the skills they learned during summer camp helped them form new, positive relationships back home upon their return. They also saw a marked improvement in their existing relationships.
- CULTURE – In many ways, most of us grow up in a sort of bubble. Being immersed in a different culture has many positive effects. It will shape help shape your child’s personality significantly by teaching them to trust their gut, survive during periods of loneliness and unfamiliarity, and develop a thicker skin. It will also teach them the valuable lesson that this world is a small place, and that despite our differences, we are all similar and interconnected.
- SKILLS – At the heart of this summer camp experience is the mastering of extremely important and useful life skills. Growing up and adulting can be very difficult.
The better your child’s skills at managing communication, feelings and emotions, decision making and conflict resolution, the easier it will be for them to maneuver their way through to happy adulthood. - TOOLS – In addition to important life skills, your child will also learn some amazing tools. They’ll learn about projections and be able to figure out what is really going on when there is upset and conflict. They’ll also learn some tools to help them take personal responsibility for their own actions and their own happiness.
- CONFIDENCE – Being away from family and being exposed to so many new people, cultures, foods and experiences inevitably always helps to build confidence. And confidence in life goes a long way toward creating happy and satisfying futures!
- WISDOM – We can’t promise your child will return to you “wiser.” Wisdom comes with age and experience, of course. But we do pack in a heck of a lot of experience in a short couple of weeks. We think you’ll be pretty surprised at how much your child grows and matures in such a short time.
- STRENGTH – There will be challenges. There are always challenges. For some teens it’s the heat or the mosquitos. For others it’s the amount of walking or being uncomfortable volunteering with children or the elderly. But everyone always gets through it and comes out stronger on the other end – and feeling very proud of themselves. Then magically, the “pain” they had to go through at the beginning is long forgotten. Happens every time!
- FUTURE – We’ll not only talk about about your child’s future and how to make impo
rtant decisions, but they’ll also be stretching their wings, meeting new people, seeing new places, and certainly learning new skills and tools to navigate life. Stability, maturity and happiness go a long way toward building bright futures. - FUN– Oh yeah. And it’s FUN! Ain’t nothing wrong with that!
For more information, please see our online description or contact us today!