10 Benefits of Summer Camp

Travel offers myriad benefits, but where do we begin? How do we learn to go confidently beyond the horizon? Overnight summer camps are a good start. WIth great guides providing a safe environment in which to explore new places, summer camps can lead to a lifelong love of travel and adventure. Below is our list of the top benefits of joining a summer camp. Let us know in the comments which resonate with you, and if there are any you would like to add.

Rock climbing in Colorado — Climbing in Colorado

10. Learn new skills. From knot tying and paddle strokes to learning a new recipe, outdoor travel offers the opportunity to try new things with expert guidance. Who knows, maybe the next new thing you try may become a lifelong passion!

9. Make screen-free connections. Summer camps are the original “unplugged.” Hike, bike, climb, paddle, and swim your way through the days while reconnecting with the natural passage of time.

8. Meet new people who aren’t just like you and learn respect for those differences. The world becomes much more interesting and has a lot more to offer when we learn that we are not the center of it. The perspective gained through traveling with new people is addictive, though, so don’t be surprised if one trip leads to the next, and the next…

7. Become more organized. Take ownership of your own comfort. Knowing where each piece of gear is at all times makes for a successful trip. You’ll find that these skills transfer over to your day to day life. Now where did I put that rain jacket?

6. Feel small and foster empathy for the natural world. For most of us, “being green” was not inspired by fear of losing the rainforest to deforestation, but leisurely floats on a local creek or family trips to the mountains or lake. There is nothing like an expansive view or an encounter with wildlife to remind us that we are merely a piece of the puzzle.

The Needles, Utah — Contemplating feeling small.

5. Gain independence. For many adolescents, overnight camps are the first opportunity to spend time on their own. Practicing personal decision making, all while considering the needs of the group, is a powerful tool for growth.

4. Be stimulated intellectually and learn to be a problem solver. Any program worth joining will offer the opportunity to learn and even present to the group about local cultures, flora and fauna, and natural history of the area. Solving group initiatives and learning to orient using a map are other challenges to be solved.

3. Earn some grit by doing hard things. Earn your stripes while having some type II fun. Every time we persevere and push through difficulties, we are learning to face and overcome new hardships in the future.

A well deserved break after a looooong hike up.

2. Become valorized by contributing to your community group. Learning to contribute to our social group through our own abilities, ie. to make and keep promises, is vital to becoming fully adapted adults.

“It is the ‘valorization’ of the personality, to become aware of one’s own value… he is independent, he is sure of his own actions and knows how to act. This is the basis and law on which the soul must stand... For the ‘valorization’ of the child’s personality there must be very definite basis in social experience.” (Montessori, “Moral and Social Education” 86).

1. Improve your mental health by gaining a broader perspective. We live in challenging times for adolescents. We’re bombarded with messages from parents, friends, and social media about who and what we should be. Taking time for ourselves in our natural surroundings allows perspective on life and time for reflection. We often return to daily life with clearer priorities.