The Western Association of Independent Camps (WAIC) is a group of independent day and resident camps in the Western United States. Every year we gather with other WAIC camps at the WAIC conference to learn, encourage one another and grow.
This year Brandon and Katherine represented MMR at the conference. Here were their three main takeaways:
- The narratives we create in our minds impact how we perceive others and ourselves. Camp gives us the opportunity to write positives self-narratives that will impact our quality of life.
- The conference seemed to really be centered around the power of camp and how we teach children 21st entry skills that they are not getting outside the camp environment. IE. Relationship skills, communication, empathy, problem-solving, creativity, emotional regulation. It was evident that camps are a missing puzzle piece in childhood development as well as young adults (our staff).
- Kids are not getting enough time to reflect on day to day life which has contributed to a higher level of anxiety and depression in kids. This was powerful for us to hear as camp can get a “rushed” feeling as we try to get as much fun as possible into a short period of time. We plan to take a look at our program and ensure kids are having time to just be quiet and live in the moment.
Leave a Reply