Single Sex Camp vs. Co-ed Camp: Why Choose a Single Sex Camp?
There are so many different kinds of camps out there for our kids to enjoy all summer long – traditional camps, sports camps, travel programs – and the list goes on. As a parent, you also have the choice of a single sex camp (all girls or all boys) or a co-ed camp. Why choose one over the other? What makes the experience of camp different at either type of camp? At a co-ed camp, your camper has the opportunity to mingle with both boys and girls in a fun environment. However, the pressures of society, in my opinion, follow your camper to this type of environment. Girls worry about how they look, is their hair done, is their makeup on, are my clothes the latest fashion, etc. Boys may worry about succeeding in any activity in front of the girls. Why subject a child to these pressures at camp when they must live with them everyday outside the camp setting? At a single-sex camp, kids can just be themselves. For example, I run an all girls camp in Connecticut. I love the fact that the girls come for part or all of their summer and just get to hang out with other girls. They don’t worry about clothing or makeup or being sweaty after a great game of soccer! They have the opportunity to be themselves in a place that won’t judge them on whether or not they are wearing the latest fashion. My son attends our brother camp, 6 miles away, where he can go fishing or sailing, ride go-karts or climb the tower, and not feel like he’s being pressured to achieve in front of the girls. 12
www.CampNavigator.com Vol. 4, Issue 1
Of course, it is up to you and your camper to make the right decision for them and their wants/needs, but please don’t dismiss single-sex camps just because they are all boys or all girls. These camps thrive on programming for these kids, making sure they have “traditional” programs for each sex, as well as some that one would never consider at an all boys or all girls camp. All boys camps can offer ceramics, arts & crafts, dance and music activities, where girls’ camps can offer up go-karts, mini-bikes, woodshop, and rugby. These activities can let the kids try what they want and excel where they can, perhaps inspiring them to carry on what they started at camp later in life. As an example, we had one camper at our girls camp who learned how to fence (with a foil) and took her newly acquired knowledge home, continuing her fencing, and made the junior Olympic team. Some campers may be afraid to try new activities because the other gender is watching them… don’t let this happen! No matter which you choose, of course, a great summer at a great camp is a gift for life! A single-sex camp gives the camper the chance to be free from today’s societal angst and just be who they are meant to be. No pressure. A sense of freedom from the world we live in where it is “succeed or fail, but make sure you succeed”. It can be a safe haven for them to start on their way to becoming our future inventors, athletes, teachers, mentors, and leaders.
- Article by
Kristin Ebner