In Episode 98, I'm chatting with Tom Rosenberg, CEO of the American Camp Association. Last year, in Episode 46, we talked about summer camp, accreditation, and #CampKindnessDay (July 20, 2021). In this episode, we talk about the research about the positive impact of camp, our joint passion for partnering with parents to bring camp to schools and homes. Tom uses my new favorite word, "camplify," to describe this spreading of the camp message to other venues outside of camp.
Big Ideas
- There are an estimated 14 million kids going to camps in the U.S. this summer.
- Ninety-three percent of American Camp Association camps offer financial aid and scholarships for campers. Parents need to work well in advance to apply for those resources.
- Parents can use the 'Find A Camp' tool on the American Camp Association's website to search for the ACA accredited camps. This is a parent's best assurance that a camp has met the foundational standards of a safe and healthy camp experience for their child.
- There are many different kinds of camps. There are camps for specific cultural groups, for kids with a particular medical disorder, for kids with a specific area of interest, and many, many more.
- It's important for parents to visit a summer camp before sending their child to one so that they can see what camp is all about.
- At camp, kids have the opportunity to learn to be themselves, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and try again.
- The American Camp Association website provides wonderful videos and other resources for parents.
- Camp helps kids build relationship skills and learn from people with different backgrounds and experiences.
- Camp is about positive risk.
- The more kids put into their camp experience, the more they get out of it.
- People who been camp counselors before becoming teachers or parents really have an advantage when it comes to relating to kids.
- Camp techniques work at home too.
- On Tuesday, July 20, we will be celebrating Camp Kindness Day across America.
Quotes
Tom: "All different kinds of camp experiences are more accessible than ever before and we're working hard to provide more equity around the affordability of camp, and the accessibility of experiences. Ninety-three percent of American Camp Association camps offer financial aid and scholarships. The trick is that parents have to work well in advance of the summer to apply for those resources."
Audrey: "This is the time to start thinking about next summer. If there's a camp that you're really interested in, you can tour the camp while it is in session to see if its a good match for your family, meet some of the staff and campers."
Tom: "I'm a former camp director and I'm the CEO of the American Camp Association but I still, as a dad, find myself trying to help my child not make mistakes. I find myself trying to protect him and camp is a place where kids have the opportunity to learn to be themselves and make mistakes. And learn from those mistakes and try again."
Tom: "It's ha