One of the most common comments I hear from people about camp is that Eagle’s Nest is a place where campers feel like they can be who they really are. They don’t feel like they need to put on an act and they aren’t afraid of meeting new people and making friends. They know that in our camp community they will be accepted, respected, and ultimately loved. That’s a wonderful feeling!
As great as it is for us to be our true selves, we find that it’s even better to be our BEST selves. At Eagle’s Nest we talk a lot about being our best selves. We name the actions that campers take when they are being their best selves, and we put value to them. For example, when we see older campers helping their younger table siblings read the words in the song book during after lunch singing, we praise them for being patient. When we see a camper complete a complicated project in pottery we praise them for their tenacity. And when a younger camper makes a “father’s day card” for his table dad, we praise him for his thoughtfulness. There are so many opportunities for reinforcing the importance of being kind, helpful, trusting, brave, honest…As a result campers understand the value of these character traits, and they practice them.
It’s pretty powerful for campers to know that they can be their best selves and feel respected by their peers home too. When they take the confidence that grows in them at camp back home, there’s really no limit to what they can do. After a session at camp, they have a better sense of what they’d like for their world to be, and they are eager to make that vision a reality. That’s an important lesson for a 10-year-old boy who may have experienced bullying in his home communities.
But we can’t stop by creating a safe and nurturing community for our campers. We give them the tools that they need to recreate or find it in the home communities. The first step is helping them understand how important and relevant they are in their own community. In our camp community all of the members play a vital role in helping things run smoothly. For example, all of the campers have community jobs like setting tables, washing dishes and pots, making bread for the whole camp, or working in our garden. Campers understand that they are needed and that they are an integral part of our community. They also have a voice and are able to make many decisions independently. That’s empowering for a 7-year-old girl who is sending two-weeks away from home for the first time.
As the New Year begins, many of us have made resolutions that we hope will help us be our best selves, or that will help our own communities be stronger in some way. I want to encourage you all to stick with those goals and create the reality that you want for yourselves and the people that you love. It can be done, and is worth all of the effort!
