How can we ensure our teenagers who are counselors in camp have a productive summer that enhances their growth?
By: Mrs. Dena Gorkin, Principal of Bnos Chomesh Academy
There are a few aspects to a healthy summer experience for teens:
- Physical care: it’s important to have discussions with our teens about their physical wellbeing in general. Making healthy food choices, getting in some form of exercise a few times a week and getting sufficient amounts of sleep are all crucial for maintaining good health. Fortunately, camps serve regular meals and teens can be encouraged to bring healthy snacks with them to camp. Camp also provides lots of opportunities for exercise. The one thing that seems to always be an issue for teens working in camp is sleep. In overnight camps, counselors tend to stay up late getting their campers to sleep and then stay up even later having after hours fun. Day camp counselors may be staying up planning camp activities and also just enjoying socializing late into the night. Parents should talk to their teens about the “every other night rule.”
Make sure to get 7 hours of sleep at least every other night. Lack of sleep can lead to physical illness, emotional dysregulation and poor judgment in social situations. - Emotional wellbeing: Whatever emotional baggage teens have at home and in school, they carry with them to camp. If your teenager is struggling emotionally in a severe way, camp may not be the right choice for this summer. If your teen has more typical teenage angst that does not interfere with her day to day functioning, it’s important to ensure that she has a support system that she knows she can access even while away. This might include a mashpiya, therapist, breathing exercises, medication and healthy food choices. It is also extremely important to have a conversation with your teenager about setting healthy boundaries between herself and her campers and fellow counselors. The most important rule here is: Don’t allow others to share with you things that make you uncomfortable. If someone is oversharing, let them know that as much as you would like to help them, this is a conversation that you would prefer they have with a trusted adult.
- Ruchniyus: The Rebbe teaches us that summer is a time when it is easier, and therefore imperative, to work on Neshama matters. Some teens are in touch with their Mashpiya on a regular basis. Others don’t even have a mashpiya. Finding a mashpiya before the summer is a good idea, but one that can’t be forced. Camps can be helpful in this area by asking applicants for counselor positions to write down the name of a Mashpiya. Schools and parents should encourage teens to be in touch with their Mashpiyim over the summer. As far as learning goes, most camp directors provide shiurim for counselors, and some camps even offer a Mashpiya type person who is available to farbreng and speak with counselors. This is another way that camps can really enhance the summer experience of our teens. Parents can also set up FaceTime learning sessions with their teens. This provides both spiritual nourishment as well as being a creative and non-invasive way to connect with teens while they are away.
Most importantly, parents should stay connected with their teens over the summer, whether by phone, WhatsApp or any other means. This of course should be done with sensitivity, so as not to encroach on the independence we are trying to foster by giving our teens the responsibility of being counselors. By keeping in touch in warm, friendly and non-intrusive ways, parents can be aware if there are any issues that have come up that need intervention by camp staff and our teens will experience a wholesome and growth-filled summer!
This content was originally published: https://issuu.com/collive.com/docs/collive_magazine_adar_ii.
