As a camp director I appreciate my staff for making sure every child has a helmet for the climbing wall, for mountain biking, for snow tubing during Vacation Camp… but as a parent I wish there were a magic helmet for all the other tender, tentative moments of their childhood. A helmet to protect them from failure, from insecurity, from the apprehension of their first day in a new school, town, or camp.
But in the absence of such a fictitious safety item, we have to rely on the everyday tools of resilience: connection, competence, and autonomy. These are the core facets of growing up that we all crave, and which reside at the center of what we do at Summer Fenn.
We know that the number one reason that kids beg to come back to camp is because of the friends they will see, the memories they cherish, the connection they feel to their counselors, their peers, and the Summer Fenn Way. Our campers have time to develop competency in a variety of different skill areas by repeating their electives over more than one day, diving in to Special Programs, and with the gentle encouragement to take appropriate risks in a supportive space. Experiencing the autonomy that summer offers is embodied in the Day Tripper programs; decoding secrets of history, exploring nature, and traveling to new destinations each day.
I am honored to take part in the building and nurturing of the tender moments that childhood brings, and promise that we will strive everyday to provide the magic helmet of resilience for your child, too.
-Maggie
Posted by on Tuesday May, 26, 2015