Youth in camp are diverse in countless ways: racially, economically, physically, educationally, socially… and behaviorally.
Typical Behavior Patterns
Bloom, J.W & A.C. Ballentine, et al. (1990), ~ Camper Guidance: A basic handbook. Martinsville, Ind: American Camping Association, Inc. $4.95
In order to be positive influences on children and youth and to help them define themselves within camp and the larger world, staff need to understand some of the similarities among young people in addition to their differences.
The following lists describe typical behavior patterns of different age groups. The types of counselors to which each group tends to best respond are also noted.
The Very Young (5 through 7 years)
- Strongly attached to home and family
- Short interest span
- Aware mainly of self and own desires
- Prefer imaginative, make-believe play
- Like to explore their expanding world
- Desire repetition of enjoyable experiences
- Easily upset by change in routines or environment
- Learning to get along with one another, and to work and play in small groups
- Boys and girls play together readily
- Very dependent on adults for meeting physical and emotional needs
- Need patient understanding and close supervision
Respond best to counselors who look after their needs, show interest in them, and who are fair and capable of humor and imagination. The nature of the counselors is more important than their skills.
Beginning to Play Together (7 through 10 years)
- Ready for a live-away experience
- Lengthening interest span
- Aware of others and their wants
- Willing to share
- Desire acceptance from own age group
- Need close friendship with playmate
- Able to express selves freely in art forms and play
- Interested in competition related to one’s standing in the group
- Desire better skills performance.
- Interest in group games and activities
- Want everyone to obey stated rules and regulations .
- Strongly identify with own sex and age group
Respond to counselors similar to the very young age group, with growing importance on counselors activity skills.
Group stage (10 through 12 years)
- Strong desire for live-away experience
- Want to be together in groups, teams
- Have longer interest span, patience to work toward short-term goals
- Form cliques and friendships with own sex and age group
- Seek status through excellence in skills and knowledge of grown-up things
- Fairly competitive in team and individual activities
- Growing concern with physical size and appearance
- Girls at upper-age level develop interest in boys
- Boys and girls can work and socialize in programs where they share planning responsibilities
- Like to make, do, collect things
- Enjoy being mischievous and daring
Respond enthusiastically to counselors who can understand and guide their tremendous energy and mischievousness; tend to idolize the counselors who measure up to this task.
Drive for Independence (12 through 15 years)
- Growing away from family ties and influence
- Still want reassurance of adult supervision and attention to daily needs
- Strong drive for conformity with own age group
- Intense feelings and emotions
- Greatly influenced by popular adults and teenage idols — hero worship and crush stage
- Rapidly changing interests and ambitions
- Long interest span and increasing capacity for self-discipline
- Prefer competition with outside groups over competition with friends
- Idealistic about the world at large
- Concerned with personal appearance, frequently self-conscious and inhibited
- Puberty; girls begin to menstruate, boys’ sex glands begin to function actively; first for girls later for boys
- First girls, then boys, begin to establish heterosexual relationships
- Boys and girls can work together on projects better than they can socialize
Respond to counselors who exemplify the idealism of this stage. The intelligence and variety of experience of the counselors becomes as important as their skills. Period of greatest potential influence by counselors.
Impatient to Grow Up (15 through 17 years)
- Want to earn money for independence and freedom
- Pressure for increased responsibility
- Need to be treated as young adults
- Occasionally revert to childish behavior
- Seek prestige and belonging to the power group
- Able to concentrate and specialize in selected skills and interests
- Expansive and changing ambitions
- Conflict between idealism and materialism
- Develop crushes with depth of feeling
- Tend to cover own weaknesses with similar weaknesses of the group
- Very critical of self
Respond best to counselors with the ability to identify and understand their individual conflicts, concerns, and ambitions.
Child Protection and Abuse
Johnson, B.C. (1992) For Their Sake: Recognizing, responding to, and reporting child abuse. Martinsville, Ind: American Camping Association, Inc. $19.95
The 1995 Risk Management Forum, scheduled for Nov. 1-4 in Tarpon Springs, Fla., will present a range of child pfOreetion and staffing issues.
Since about 40% of the calls that come into the ACA Crisis Hotline each summer involve questions about sexual and physical abuse, we offer these tips for staff and directors to deal with this sensitive issue.
Develop a reporting policy
There are nearly 3 million reports of child abuse in the United Stales each year. Although requirements differ from state to state, every state maintains a mandatory child abuse reporting law. Resident and day camp employees are among the mandated reporters.
- Identify appropriate limits for what your organization can do to help. When you reach your limit, get professional help.
- Establish a clear understanding of what certain physical gestures and actions mean as they are used at camp.
When a child reveals an accusation
- Believe the child.
Most accusations are true because it takes courage to talk about abuse. Only children who have experienced abuse have the ability to understand and explain it.
A child may accuse the wrong person of abuse because be or she wants to reveal the abuse, but is afraid of the real abuser and any consequences of telling. - Make a report.
Let the authorities determine whether the abuse occurred. You will not be held liable for making a report that turns out to be false. You may be held liable tor not making a report
Tips for Staff
- Always be in view of others, even when meeting individually with a camper.
- Do not allow campers into private staff areas.
- Use a set procedure for handling discipline.
- Use discretion in what personal or private experiences you share with a child. Do not ask a child personal questions regarding sexual experiences.
- Report and/or record suspicious or unusual observations.
- Staff, the same gender as the campers, should supervise private activities (e.g., changing clothes, taking showers) in groups of two or more.
- Be aware of a child’s comfort level with physical and emotional displays of affection. Don’t force your affection on a child.
Tips for directors
- Become acquainted with the problems, issues, and reporting laws pertaining to child abuse.
- Establish a relationship with local authorities and professionals before a crisis arises.
- Select your staff carefully, including screening for potential abusers.
- Thoroughly train all staff members about child protection and abuse, including their responsibility for prevention, reporting, and safety.
- Regularly observe staff members’ interactions with campers.
- Examine your program, identifying situations in which abuse might occur. Then develop written policies that include procedures for dealing with the occurrence, discovery, and accusation of abuse.
For information about child abuse laws and reporting procedures, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-8OO-4AChild.
From CAMPING Magazine, March/April 1995, p.30-31