youth development

Hi Everyone ~ it's me Franky sharing another post on this lovely Friday!   If you're a parent, how many times have you said to yourself or others, "They grow up way too fast"?   I know I hear Maggie & Bob say that all the time, mostly about their own daughters but also when they see long-time campers leave WeHaKee for what may be the last time.

Time marches on and the young girls who it seemed, just arrived at camp at age 7 or 8 or 9, suddenly are departing at the end of their Leadership Academy sessions heading off to their senior year of high school or first year of college.   The time for being just a kid seems to go by in a flash.

So why is it that there is so much out there pushing our girls to grow up faster and faster?   It seems the media plays a major influence on encouraging girls to become adult-like, often times pushing girls to become more sexualized - i.e did you see all the 'sexy' Halloween costumes for teens and pre-teens this year?!?  This race to adulthood robs many girls of one of the most important elements of youth development... being a child!

There are people who have gone to camp or have sent their kids to camp - they get it!   And there are those who who haven't been to camp and don't understand the lure and power of the camp experience.   We in the camp business often respond to this scenario "It's a camp thing", which unfortunately comes off as being inclusive, patronizing or worse, implying 'we're better than you'.   That is so sad, because the camp experience is so much more and those of us who 'get it', need to do whatever we can to help others get it, too.   The growth and development of our children is way too important for us to keep this 'an inside job'!   So let's talk about that this week, shall we?!!

Each year as we gear up for another great summer at WeHaKee, we often hear the unfortunate lament from some of our older girls that they really want to return to camp, but feel they can't because of the need to enroll in summer pre-AP (advanced placement) or IB (international baccalaureate) classes and activities that will improve the chances of getting into a college of their choice.   One recent article explores the rate of diminishing returns countering the push to take more & more AP ir IB classes! Another article suggests that this is a significant misconception as the continued summer camp experience provides a comprehensive set of opportunities to help girls and young women be much better prepared on the whole for the college community experience!   

Hi Everyone!   It's me, Franky, the camp dog here to share a few more words with you on this lovely Friday!   You know, as a dog, I often don't understand what people are saying to me (somtimes I do, but choose to ignore them!), but I have a pretty good sense of empathy and can often feel what those around me are feeling!   With the snow on the ground, I now have more time to read.   So, I came across some interesting articles and a couple of them explored the concept of empathy.   In Understanding How Children Develop Empathy Dr. Nancy Eisenberg does a good job of defining empathy:

Hi Everyone ~ it's me Franky sharing another post on this lovely Friday!   If you're a parent, how many times have you said to yourself or others, "They grow up way too fast"?   I know I hear Maggie & Bob say that all the time, mostly about their own daughters but also when they see long-time campers leave WeHaKee for what may be the last time.

Time marches on and the young girls who it seemed, just arrived at camp at age 7 or 8 or 9, suddenly are departing at the end of their Leadership Academy sessions heading off to their senior year of high school or first year of college.   The time for being just a kid seems to go by in a flash.

So why is it that there is so much out there pushing our girls to grow up faster and faster?   It seems the media plays a major influence on encouraging girls to become adult-like, often times pushing girls to become more sexualized - i.e did you see all the 'sexy' Halloween costumes for teens and pre-teens this year?!?  This race to adulthood robs many girls of one of the most important elements of youth development... being a child!

To maintain a broad outlook, we follow a number of writers who post online and elsewhere.   One particular set of writers, Marc and Angel Hack, provide a unique and refreshingly positive view on how one can personally lead a more positive and productive life.   They recently wrote a piece on creating your own good luck which seemed in line with much of what we try to instill at WeHaKee (click HERE to read their article). We thought we would reflect on their thoughts.   Enjoy!

It was shocking and sad news to hear of the passing of Apple Founder, Steve Jobs this week.   He can arguably be considered one of the most influential people of this generation.   The technological developments he created have impacted our culture and our world far beyond the realm of technology.

From the first Apple computer to the latest release of the iPhone (not to mention the over 300 million iPods among us!), his creations have deeply changed our social interactions, our educational approaches, our communications, how we express ourselves and so much more.   No doubt the debate will rage for years to come regarding the positive and negative ramifications of his contributions to society, to cultures, to the world as a whole.   But one cannot doubt his compassion for using his mind to the fullest and encouraging others to do so!   Thank you Steve!

Believe it or not, when not at camp with great campers and staff, camp directing can be a bit lonely at times.   Our office is small and there's no water cooler to congregate around to learn the latest news.   When an opportunity comes along where we can see colleagues and friends, discuss new things we've learned about youth development, staff training, pool maintenance or jewelry making we lunge for it!   So when the annual Mid States Camping Conference rolls around each spring, we're there!