As the time comes for people to be going off to summer camp, I am reminded of my years at sleepaway camp. Going away to camp for a week or two every summer was always one of the things that I looked forward to the most. Whether you are a camper or a staff member, you get the chance to make lifelong friends when you’re away at camp.
I recently came back from a trip to Ireland in which I got the chance to see a friend that I met at summer camp three years ago. We haven’t seen each other since we met in 2013, but we kept in touch and as soon as I found out that I was going to be in her area, I messaged her and we made plans to meet up. Now this may seem like an odd anecdote, meeting a camp friend all the way in Ireland, but I was lucky enough to go to International Gymnastics Camp when I was younger, a place where many of the campers and staff come from different countries all over the world. There are many camps like this one all over the country and you can almost always attend or find a job at a summer camp.
Some people may not like the idea of spending their summer vacation away from their families, but getting the summer camp experience is something that I believe everyone should try at least once in their life. There are so many benefits of going to camp like meeting new friends, learning new skills, spending the day staying active, enjoying nature, and gaining independence.
When you spend time at camp away from home, you are forced to make friends. No one goes to camp wanting to spend their time there alone. You can be whoever you want to at camp because chances are, unless you make a friend and plan to go back to camp with them the next year, you won’t see a lot of those people again. It’s so easy to make friends at camp; everyone there has potential to be your friend. All you have to do is walk up to someone that you think looks interesting and introduce yourself. Some of my best friendships from camp happened that way, and if you are too nervous to do that, you will always make friends in your cabin/bunk. You’re going to be living with these people for at least a week; there is no way that you won’t make at least one really good friend that you are living with.
No matter what camp that you go to you will learn at least one new skill. I went to a camp geared towards gymnastics, but I still learned plenty of other things there. I learned how to rock climb, tie-dye, make friendship bracelets (which I still make every summer), shoot a bow and arrow, kayak, and so much more. You also learn social skills like making friends. It will always be important to make friends in your life and at a place like summer camp you kind of have to make friends. Not having your parents there and making friends can be totally different if you don’t have the familiar face to tell everything to at the end of every day.
As a camper at gymnastics camp I was spending pretty much the entire day being active, but at every camp that you go to, there will be some specified time to get active. Whether you are learning a new skill like kayaking or something, or just running around with your new camp friends, you are getting exercise every day, and having lots of fun while doing it! You may be running around in a city camp or somewhere in the woods, but either way you’ll get the chance to spend some time outside. Lastly, you get to gain a little bit of independence from a young age. You’re spending some time away from your parents and it’s nice to feel like you can support yourself.
Whether you’re working at a camp this summer or being a camper yourself, enjoy your vacation and make the most of being away at camp!
