5 Ways Summer Camp Cultivates Belonging

BY JOHANNA ZABAWA, MSW, LICSW

Many families, campers and staff feel worried about making friends and trying new activities. They wonder if the camp community will support their passions and growth — will this be the “right” place for them?

Belonging (as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary) is a “feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group and having a good relationship with the other members of the group because they welcome you and accept you.”

Many summer camps strive to create an environment where campers can be authentic in their interests and genuinely themselves. They want to create a place where the camper can focus on learning and exploration, rather than feeling concerned about fitting in or being accepted. Here’s what to look for in a camp that’s intent on creating a place where true belonging can occur due to community values and shared expectations:

1 Emphasis on Being Part of a Community

When children arrive at camp, they have the opportunity to live, play and learn in an environment where there is shared success, growth, accountability and identity. Living in and being part of a community, even one as small as summer camp, offers an environment where you don’t have to be in it alone. Attending a camp offers the chance to be a part of the larger camp-wide community and, at the same time, belong to multitudes of smaller formal and informal communities. You can find a sense of belonging in your cabin group, within a sports team, with campers who love to play table tennis while waiting for lunch or with campers sharing a three-day hike. Shared connections and mutual support creates important bonds.

2 Importance of a Tech-Free Environment

Camp friends and connections are lifelong, and that’s because of the quality and depth of the interactions that campers can have with one another when there are no (or limited) screens or technology. Campers have the chance to practice social-emotional skills that have real-time impact on others and on themselves. The opportunity to make genuine and healthy friendships or navigate social scenarios contributes to your child’s ongoing understanding of how to take care of themselves and others.

3 Opportunities to Try Something New

Summer camps offer a variety of activities and programming and can be a wonderful place to try new things. To try new things, however, there needs to be an established environment where it is safe to not know something, ask for help and even fail. In a world where youth are too quickly becoming specialized, a summer camp can provide the time and space for campers to explore varied interests and discover multiple passions. It is fascinating to see campers compete at baseball (preferred passion) and perform a song at the campfire (new interest!), take a hike (new passion!), spend time doing an art project (preferred passion) or make a friend outside of their primary activity of interest (new, positive experience). Discovering new interests supports campers in their growing concept of identity, self-worth and belonging.

4 Growth & Success in the Whole Camper

One of the most valuable ways that summer camp increases self-confidence and a sense of belonging is by valuing, recognizing and celebrating a diverse range of interests, personalities and ways to grow as an individual.

Camps can do a fabulous job of spotlighting growth and success — the camper who scores the winning goal, the camper who has the most impressive nature collection, the bunkmate who demonstrates growth in character, or the group member who demonstrates a positive impact on their team or cabin. Perhaps a camper was struggling socially with a peer, and was able to navigate the experience and move forward. Or maybe the camper displayed determination and tenacity in pursuit of earning a specific badge.

From dining hall cheers and awards ceremonies to words of praise from counselors, campers can develop an array of important skills and characteristics. When a child is acknowledged and recognized for a personal accomplishment, they place value on that component of themselves.

5 Support of Campers in Becoming Caring and Engaged Citizens

It’s often an expectation for campers and staff to encourage and model characteristics such as respect, responsibility, empathy, kindness, honesty and gratitude. Summer camps cultivate and bring attention to these themes through pre-season training with staff, weekly all-camp meetings, or emphasis on smaller group discussions out on trail or after a tough loss on the soccer pitch. When these characteristics are encouraged from start to finish in the camp season, at both a macro and micro level in a camp community, campers can begin to see the value in these skills and characteristics. Many of these traits are valued within a camp community and are also essential for healthy involvement in spaces outside of camp life.

When campers leave their camp bubble and look for belonging and connection in their future environments, the hope is that they can draw upon memories of how they were welcomed and belonged at camp, and how they welcomed and made others feel that way.®

Johanna Zabawa, MSW, LICSW, is an assistant director at Camp Pemigewassett, a summer camp for boys, in Wentworth, NH. A veteran staff member and great-granddaughter of one of the founders of the camp, she practices clinical social work in a variety of therapeutic and community settings.

Camp gives “permission” for parents to let go and for kids to figure out life’s daily joys and struggles, themselves, within a safe and fun environment.