A Summer Camp Veteran

At a younger age, I had never considered myself to be a lover of summer camp. It was sort of just a place my mother would send me, to get me to engage in more activities during the summer and to have time to herself. I would do all the activities, but complain about the bugs and the people, who could be toxic. It always felt like a bit of an embarrassing hobby, too--what's the point of going to the woods for two weeks, especially if you don't even like nature that much? Eventually, however, I found that summer camp that made my life more worthwhile and gave me time to feel less pressured. It's a place where I could enjoy myself without it being contingent on the happiness of others while around me, or on the pressure of social media. 

The more time I spent at this camp, the more I realized the variety of experiences there to help me, and the amount of new things that help you relax. It’s something to be in a place where your presence is valued by almost everyone around you, to be in a place where everyone knows your name. Most campers have been there longer have seen you mess up or try new, random things you didn’t particularly want to do, or have seen you succeed at something you might not love. I remember one of my counselors tutored me on how to kayak at age 12, and afterwards she became one of my favorite counselors ever, even though I never had her outside of that class. It’s also interesting, because as we grow up, summer camps are dying out pretty quickly. There’s not much need for the hobbies summer camps teach you, and you can find a community anywhere else – joining plays, club sports, all that. Camps are a lot of money, and not many kids initially enjoy them. It doesn’t quite give you the same feeling the average camp experience might, of hosting parties and being with people you only see once a year. 

If this is about growing up and about college, summer camp accomplishes something most people don’t see – keeping up the childish environment while getting people used to moving through life on their own. The amount of work kids receive in school and at home is getting bigger and bigger, and the pressure increases based on the age you’re at for essentially no reason. Independence is less of a common topic for kids nowadays, but only with independence can people learn to be good leaders. The best way to promote a healthy lifestyle that I’ve found is to help people have fun with what they do, and to find the joy in their daily schedules. Summer camp is an excellent way to start with that, because it fills your day with things that don’t entirely matter and are kind of embarrassing. Either way, you remember it for what it taught you: how to have fun with your life, to relax and feel happier, and to make amazing friendships with anyone you like spending time with. Even though it's a bit of a sad hobby to have, I'm very proud of what summer camp has taught me.