In times past, it was usual for families to be ‘extended’. Young people were more likely to experience closeness to – and respect for – family members of different ages. Today, many youth live on the other side of the world from grandparents, uncles and aunts. Meanwhile, families are smaller – meaning that children are less likely to have siblings of different ages to relate to. All in all, young people of today are less likely to have close dealings with people of various ages. The inter-generational experience that used to be a normal part of life for most children has all but faded away.
Why should this matter? Perhaps because our youth no longer have chance to develop respect for people of different generations – or for children of different ages. An opportunity for mentorship and positive role models has been lost. Having access to trusted people of different ages encourages young people to look beyond media labels – teen, tween, elderly – that can carry stifling or negative connotations. To break down barriers and combat age-related stereotyping, we need to look for opportunities to bridge these generation gaps, and give our youth an opportunity to develop healthy respect for people of all ages. There is no better place to do this than at summer camp.
In the overnight camp environment, children learn to respect, admire and get along with young people of different ages. As an example, we offer drama programs for ages 9-13. Thirteen year olds who begin by looking down on the ‘little kids’ in their group quickly become amazed that their younger team members are capable of a level of creativity not filtered through adolescent self doubt and self analysis. In working with these younger actors, they permit themselves to move beyond socially-imposed ideas of what teens should and shouldn’t do, because they don’t want to seem lacking in creativity by comparison. Younger classmates, in return, see the achievements of ‘bigger kids’ as something to aspire to.
The effect of mutual respect between campers of different ages – something fostered by all good overnight camps – is palpable. We have a camp dance at the end of each session, and regularly see older kids pinpoint younger ones who stand on the sidelines, and pull them in to join their group. The nine year olds gains confidence – proud to see their older friends actually want them around. And the teens win even more. As part of a group of mixed-age kids, their focus has switched to fun, and away from the stresses of looking or dressing just right, and fighting to attract the attentions of the ‘right’ people. The result is a camp environment that is healthier for all children concerned.
Camp counsellors are generally 5-10 years older than their campers, and their presence in a camp environment is crucial. All parents of older children understand that there comes a time when your own influence upon you kids begins to wane, and the best you can do for your children is provide them with positive role models out of the home. There is no better solution to this need than the camp counsellor at a well run overnight camp: responsible, reliable, positive, and young enough to represent a future that the campers can envisage for themselves – first independence and university life. Which parent would not want some of that to rub off on a typical complex and confused fourteen year old still in the process of figuring out the person they would like to be? Younger teenagers are at an impressionable age, and the presence of a university-age role model at this sensitive point in their development can be immeasurable. Our grown campers tell us again and again that their camp counsellors influenced their course in life, and often gave them a sense of where they wanted to be, themselves, in 5 or 10 years.
Finally, let’s consider the effect upon kids of living, each summer, in an environment of trustworthy and fun-loving adults who are neither family members nor teachers. Our program directors are in their twenties, thirties and forties. Our senior staff members are in their thirties, forties and fifties. A camper once said to me: “I thought at first that you were a lot cooler than my mom, but now I realise my mom is really a lot like you.” Meaningful person-to-person contact with a grown adult can be rare for children. They label us as readily as we sometimes label them. We are too old to really know anything. We are ‘not cool’ and unlikely to understand them. Yet children quickly learn to respect and admire an adult who goes out of their way to help them, or to chat with them – especially when that adult is neither a family member nor a teacher. Campers at our camp regularly write us ‘thank you’ notes for sharing time with them, listening to their worries, or even just chatting about shared interests. With regular adult contact, young people learn to break down the age stereotypes they have carried, and relate to adults as fellow people. And the adults benefit, too. Few grown-ups who work in camp ever dismiss kids or teens based on negative stereotypes. We know society gives them a raw deal these days.
Residential summer camps have the power to transform the media-imposed, negative age-stereotypes our societies so often perpetuate. Camp directors, staff and campers in all well run camps set out each summer with a lofty goal – to recreate the world. So often, our society fails to bridge generation gaps, but at camp, each person can be themselves, moving beyond the labels and stereotypes imposed upon their age. Teenagers can still be children, if they wish. Children can be recognised and respected for outstanding achievements. Older adults can let loose and play in a way they never would in the real world. And everyone can come together as people. We recognise that limitations have been placed on people, in the past, because of their gender. Now we need to recognise that age-stereotyping is a form of oppression, too. And there is no institution better placed to combat age stereotyping than the institution of overnight camp.
Julie Hartley is one of the directors of Centauri Summer Arts Camp (www.centauriartscamp.com). Centauri is an overnight camp in the Niagara Region of Ontario, offering intensive arts training in 40 different arts specialties for youth aged 9-18. For permission to use this article in part or whole, please contact Julie at julie@centauriartscamp.com