The Carefree Summers of Childhood?

I recently read an excerpt from Lenore Skenazy's book "Free Range Kids" (http://tinyurl.com/oxr7qc).  Skenazy was dubbed "America's Worst Mom" by the media after she let her child ride the subway home alone, but she argues that kids are more responsible and capable than we give them credit for.  Generations and generations of American kids grew up playing unsupervised outside, and turned out fine.  

It has been less than 15 years since I was in elementary school, and I remember many spring and summer days playing in the creek or the woods by my neighborhood, or walking to the pool a few neighborhoods over, with my only instructions being to be home by dinner.  But now I frequently talk to parents who are shocked and concerned that we don't allow kids to bring their cell phones to camp.  

It seems like people are starting to realize that our world of excessive technology and obsessive amounts of time spent indoors may prove to be detrimental to future generations.  Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods" (www.richardlouv.com) looks at what it might mean that this generation of America's kids are growing up indoors.  

In this world of being always plugged in, institutions like summer camp are more important than ever.  Summer camp gives kids the chance to play outside, enjoy nature, and be creative in ways that most kids just don't get to do these days.  Splashing in the lake, surviving summer nights without air conditioning, and playing in the woods are activities that were once standard for American kids, but seem to be going by the wayside.  Summer camp gives today's generation of kids at least a piece of that oh-so-important piece of childhood: a carefree summer existence that is slowly disappearing with the overbooked calendars so common among today's youth.

The Language of Camp

I am always amazed at what a conversation starter camp can be.  I think it is to be expected that among friends who have worked at camp--whether the same camp or different camps--that it would be a popular topic of conversation, as people who work at camp usually like to talk about it, and non-camp friends quickly get sick of camp stories.  Until this year, however, I've never found camp as a major connection point with complete strangers.  I think this might be due to the fact that I was in school, and so when introducing myself to people, I told them my name and that I went to Elon.  Now, the thing that comes after my name is that I work at a summer camp, and I have discovered that there are two types of people:  those who have some connection to camp, and those who don't.  

Those who have no connection to camp typically ask "so what do you do when it isn't summer?"  Those who have some kind of camp experience immediately share it.  Whether they worked at a camp, or just have fond memories of being a camper, they light up a little, and tell me about it.  It seems that camp is a kind of universal language--anytime I run into someone with a camp background, there is an instant connection, and it tends to be an enjoyable conversation.  Every time this happens, I am reminded of the incredible communities that camp builds, and amazed at how, even outside of summer, and outside of any particular place, camp keeps doing what it is best at:  building relationships.  

30 years ago...

I was on the phone today with a dad who was interested in sending his daughter to camp for the first time.  While talking with him about availability and such, he mentioned that he had been a Kanata camper himself 30 years ago, and we ended up having a great conversation about his time at camp and how he is looking forward to sending his daughter for her first time. Right before I started talking to him, I was flipping through old newspapers looking at articles and pictures of years past at Kanata, and it was so great to have a piece of our past find us.  It is amazing the connection that comes from camp--this man was a camper almost 10 years before I was even born, but simply because of the fact that we both had Kanata in common, we were able to share stories--him about our past, and me about our present.  

In the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he actually was holding some pictures from the first time he went to camp--him standing in front of Cabin 13, getting ready for his first week at camp.  After hanging up the phone, I started thinking about what a great thing it is that this dad had such a good experience at Kanata 30 years ago, that, regardless of the fact that he lives several states away now, and hasn't been back to the area recently, he wants his daughter to have her first camp experience at Kanata.  I hope that 30 years from now, she'll be calling the camp office to find out about sending her child for their first summer!

Some things never change!

This afternoon, I found the last few names to complete the list of Kanata directors.  Just filling in those empty years with names makes me feel like we have a better hold on our history.  Looking through old annual reports today to find those names, I found all kinds of other fascinating information.  In 1956, the daily camp schedule was incredibly similar to how our schedule is now, over 50 years later.  Many of the camp activities were the same activities we offer now.  

While there are clearly many differences in camp from the 1950s til now, I think it is amazing that there are some things that have remained just the same.  We have been changing lives in much the same fashion for over 50 years, and I think that is something we can be very proud of.  We talk all the time both about the community of camp, and the importance of being involved in the community around us, and today I read a newspaper article from 1954 that said:  "The camp became a community effort when businessmen joined hands with construction leaders, laborers and others to complete the project, including a nine-acre lake and 13 buildings."  A 1957 article called Kanata a "civic miracle".  

How great that from the very beginning, community was such an integral part of Kanata.  I love the fact that the community joined together to help us get started, and I love the fact that 55 years later, community is still a main focus of ours.  It is a tradition to be proud of.  

The Story of Kanata

Recently, I've started trying to uncover the history of Kanata.  I realized a while back that we don't seem to know a lot of our history, and to me, it seems like knowing our history is an important part of being able to tell our story.   We don't even have a complete list of our directors for the past 55 years, and so that seemed like a good place to start.

For the past few weeks, I've been flipping through a few old brochures I had around, filling in the blanks I knew, and thinking about ways to find the information.  Today, I got a box of old newspaper clippings and old annual reports and other such things from the Durham Y, and I couldn't wait to dig into it and see what I could find.  

A few hours, and lots of yellowing newspapers later, I've only made a bit of a dent in the box, but I am amazed at what I've already found, and I feel like I know so much more about the story of camp.  

My list of directors is growing, and I think I may have even found the first director (H.C. Raiford), but I'm hoping one of the next few articles will confirm it.  I've learned about the Durham Y's history of camping, which started 34 years before Kanata.  In 1921, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, and the Y started Camp Rota-Ki-Y.  

A change of name to Camp Sacarusa (named after a local Indian Chief), a fire, a change in location, and an infantile paralysis epidemic later, the land for Kanata was purchased in 1946.  

I'd always heard that Kanata was built in about three weeks, with a whole lot of help and money from local civic organizations, but I had no idea that 85 acres of the land for camp had been purchased eight years before Kanata's first summer of campers.  In 1947, the first plans for Kanata were drawn up, but the Y didn't have the money at the time, so a trust fund was started to raise the money to build camp.  

Learning the life story of Kanata will probably be a long process, but I'm fascinated by it.  Every time I get to fill in a space on the list of directors, or come across an interesting picture from 30 or 40 years ago, I am thrilled.  For almost half my life, Kanata has been a huge part of who I am, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to explore how Kanata has become what it is today.  

More than just activities...

Yesterday was YMCA Healthy Kids Day, and I spent the morning sitting outside chatting with people who walked by my table, and had some kind of interest in camp.  I talked to a few parents who had fond memories of their own camp days, and couldn't wait until their child was old enough to attend, and other parents who had children well old enough, but couldn't imagine sending their child away for a week.  While talking to all of these families, I noticed that one of the more common questions asked of me was "what kind of activities do you offer?".  This is one of the easier questions to answer:  I can rattle off a list of camp activities in my sleep.

A list of activities gives an insight into how we fill the days at camp, but it is only a few brushstrokes when trying to paint the picture of the value of camp.  Camp is a place where the rules are simple:  try and live by the character traits of honesty, respect, responsibility and caring, and have fun while you do so.  Kids tend to pick up quickly on things like independence, sharing, confidence, and trying new things.  No one complains about having to make their bed every morning because they want a high score on cabin inspection.

Most of all, camp is a place where everyone belongs.  It is a place where making friends is easy, and everyone has something in common.  Camp is a unique place that strikes the balance of allowing people to simultaneously grow up, while allowing them the chance to really enjoy childhood.  It is an experience that every child should have the opportunity to try.

Anticipation

Every year at around this time, I find myself getting ridiculously excited about the fact that camp is in the near future.  Every year since I can remember, I've had a countdown going for the days til I got to go to camp or once on staff, the days til campers arrived.  This year is no exception--despite the fact that I am at camp every day, I have a countdown in my calendar so I know just how many days it is until our campers arrive (58, in case you were wondering).  

Right now, camp is beautiful with the arrival of spring.  I love looking out my window at work and seeing what a gorgeous place I work at.  But I cannot wait for that first day campers come, with all of their energy and excitement.  I can't wait to walk around camp and hear cheers and songs from all directions.  I can't wait to hear splashing in the lake, and shouts of laughter in the pool.  I can't wait to see the empty cabins fill back up and take on the personality that the counselors bring to them.  I can't wait to eat in a dining hall where, after dinner, standing on your bench to sing is a common activity.  I can't wait for Friday night campfires, seeing old friends, and making new ones.  

I love this time of anticipation, waiting for summer to start.  I love remembering all the things I love about camp, I love planning and preparing for camp to start, and I love looking at staff and camper lists to see who is coming back.  I love dreaming of the possibilities the summer holds, and I love getting just a bit more excited every day as camp gets closer and closer.