We are so happy to introduce the option for campers to scan letters home to you this summer. For sure, we are excited that you will be able to hear from your camper(s) in closer to “real time” and are looking forward to the myriad benefits that will offer. With those benefits, there likely will be some challenges that arise for us. Working together, we are calmly confident this all will be a “net positive” toward the best outcomes for your camper(s).
- A letter is just a moment: Like with the photos we post, a letter home from camp reflects a single moment out of many in a camp day. As we shared in the recent “SETHtalk,” one of the things that makes camp hard is that campers have hundreds of social interactions every day, and navigating those moments is difficult. Often, after a difficult moment, campers will write letters home expressing those challenges and feelings. Of course (and totally appropriately), you will only be getting your camper’s perspective on those moments, and there is often more nuance than they can express in a letter. Reading letters with that context – knowing that is one moment, and soon after, they are likely on to the next moment – has been helpful for us as camp parents. As we often share, campers rarely stop engaging in “camp fun” to tell their parents the positives, but often let them know when things are more difficult. This is very much developmentally appropriate.
- Self-advocacy is a key to success: Your campers are (wonderfully) used to you, their parents, being their “go-to” people in the world. When they are away from home, sometimes it can be difficult to know who can or should fill that void. Of course, we encourage campers to write letters that authentically reflect their feelings. Just like we want them to tell you about the fun stuff, we also want them to let you know the things they are having to work a little harder at navigating. AND we want them to come to a trusted camp adult – their counselor, unit leader, camp leader, directors, or another trusted staff member. Part of growing and having an independent experience is learning who you can go to in real time when you need extra support. One way you can help us is to encourage your campers to share those challenges with our staff at camp AND let you know at home. Letting them know that they have the power to get help from our staff will give them agency in their own success!
- Homesickness and making the transition to camp: Sometimes, we talk about challenges in the transition to camp as “homesickness.” Being independent and in a new place (or even back in a familiar place that still is not home) can be a challenge, and that transition can be difficult for campers – even returning campers. In the “old days” of snail mail, by the time the first few homesick letters reached home, most campers had made significant progress in the adjustment to camp. As scanned letters will get home far quicker, your camper might still be struggling in that transition to camp. There are lots of great tips for how you can help your campers navigate this in our parent handbook, so we encourage you to check those out. The other thing we can offer here is that the “cure” for “homesickness” is the time to make the adjustment to feeling comfortable at camp. While scanning letters will get the communication home faster, it will not speed up the adjustment process. Remember, it is totally “normal” to take a few days (even a week or more) to adjust to being in a new place. Better communication technology does not change that. Please be assured that our highly trained staff will be there to support each camper through this process, and we will contact you if their transition is taking longer than is typical.
So, what do we suggest when you get a letter that gives you pause?
- First, pause and take a deep breath. Your camper can do it, and sometimes they just need to let you know how it’s going – both the ups and downs. Remember, we have a full staff working tirelessly for positive social-emotional outcomes for your campers.
- When you write your campers back, validate their feelings by letting them know that you “hear them” AND let them know that you know they can navigate that challenge and succeed at camp. Encourage them to stay positive and to seek out support from trusted adults at camp for help in real time.
- Then, if you feel you need to get more information, please do not hesitate to give us a call (like always). We will listen openly and actively, in addition to sharing our authentic feedback and perspective on what we think is going on.
- Please give us some time to get you the best information. When you call the office, you will talk to a staff member who works on our communications team. They are not your camper’s counselors or leadership team and will need a little time to communicate with the staff who work directly with your campers. We will do everything in our power to get you transparent information from your camper and their counselors within 24 hours.
- The information your camper will now be sharing with you will be close to “real time,” which means they may have shared information with you that we don’t yet have regarding their feelings. We are happy for you to give us a call if you receive information from your camper that you feel may be helpful for us to have. As part of our partnership with parents, it may take us some time to look into the details shared and resolve any challenges. We are here and ready to work together to do that, and please know it will not be instant.
We are excited to have the opportunity for you and your campers to communicate with each other faster. And all of the best outcomes of camp – growth, independence, real friendships, and many more – still take “slow” time. We look forward to working with you toward those meaningful and memorable outcomes…
