Spending all day together or in the case of overnight camp, sharing a bunk, is a great opportunity to get to know people who are different, learn and appreciate those differences and become more culturally competent. urban, suburban, rural), nationality and language. Often times, young people will find themselves around people who are different in a variety of ways: religion, ability/disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, type of community (i.e. Promote Diversity and Culturally Responsive Camp Environmentsįor many children, camp is an opportunity to meet and get to know people outside their school, town, city or neighborhood for the first time. Building Respectful School Climates (webinar series).Does the camp environment and activities reflect the experiences and perspectives of the cultural groups of the camp community?.Do I strive to avoid actions that might be offensive to members of other groups?.Have I taken specific actions to dispel misconceptions, stereotypes or biases that members of one group have about members of another group at camp?.Do I listen with an open mind to all young people and colleagues even when I don’t understand their perspectives or agree with what they’re saying?.In addition to training and meetings, here are some self-reflection questions that counselors can ask themselves: In order to help staff be able to model inclusive and respectful behavior, it is important to have discussions with them about this and potentially provide some training. We know that children, especially in relating to those just a little older than they are, will emulate what they observe in others. In addition to learning and teaching these skills and perspectives, counseling staff should be modeling the behavior they wish to see in young people.
Below are links to ADL’s anti-bias and bullying prevention resources.
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When they receive training in specific camp activities they will do with children, they can discuss how to integrate issues of identity and culture into those activities. Weekly meetings, which many camps use to supplement orientation training, would be a good time to discuss the importance of diversity, cultural responsiveness and ways to deal with bias and bullying.Ĭounselors can discuss specific scenarios, watch webinars, engage in interactive exercises or read tips/strategies and discuss ways to apply them. Most of the training that camp counselors receive focuses on the nuts and bolts of being a camp counselor such as safety regulations, emergency procedures, behavior management techniques, child abuse prevention, appropriate staff and camper behavior and specific procedures for supervision. A relatively new trend is that camps seek out international staff in order to “expose campers to diverse cultures ” nearly 20% of counselors come from countries outside the U.S. Many camps employ young adults in their teens and twenties as counselors for whom this may be a first job. Like school, camp can be an environment where bias, bullying and disrespect run rampant not only among the young people but also among the adult counselors.Īs camps find themselves in a demographic shift, the ACA released Camp Diversity: A Call to Action in 2013, which puts forth an important question: How can we ensure that we deliver the highest quality, most culturally sensitive camp programs? They cite a variety of strategies including the promotion of inclusion and equity, defying myths and increasing respect and mutual understanding as steps camps need to take in order to answer that question.Ĭulled from our anti-bias and bullying prevention resources, below are strategies and information that can help camps realize their potential in providing a rich, harmonious and respectful camp experience for all. Camps are more diverse than they used to be and this is both a challenge and an opportunity. In camp situations, sometimes children are away from home for the first time, encounter people with whom they are unfamiliar and find themselves in a position to test the limits of their own skills and abilities. While camp can be an amazing, life-changing experience for a young person, it can also be stressful. According to an American Camp Association (ACA) report, parents cite the following reasons as the most important ones for sending their children to camp: (1) camp helps build self-confidence and self-esteem (2) camp is a safe environment and (3) camp is a place to build social skills and make friends. and each year more than 11 million children and adults attend camp.
There are about 12,000 day and resident camps in the U.S. Summer camp is a wonderful time in children’s lives when they get to spend time outdoors, meet new people, have novel experiences and gain insight into themselves.
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