Breaking Norms and Building Youth through 4-H Camping

4-H camp week is the sacred week of the summer that many youth look forward to every year.  The 4-H residential camping program features a week-long, overnight stay at one of the various 4-H camps in Florida (Timpoochee, Cherry Lake, Cloverleaf) and is generally shared with at least one other county.  During this week, youth venture out with their peers and explore their environment through a wealth of activities ranging from snorkeling, kayaking, shooting sports, crafts, creative dramatics, aquatic sciences, STEM, and so much more!  Laced within the camp program of activities are life skills these youth may acquire and build on throughout their lives such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, empathy for others, and confidence to name a few.

Walton and Holmes counties camped at 4-H Camp Timpoochee June 10-14, 2019.  Amongst record setting numbers for each county’s camp history, the Agents also observed many opportunities for growth in their campers and counselors.  One specifically was a male camper who initially seemed to have difficulty adjusting to camp life.  He is an only child, had never stayed away from home and thus, prior to camp, had set a day limit for himself because he was so anxious.  Once the counselor noticed his camper’s struggle, he immediately began working with his fellow counselor team to devise a plan tailor made for his camper to ensure he felt a sense of belonging and stayed at camp all week.  By day two, the camper’s attitude toward camp life had flipped from negative to positive and he even shared with his parents, “Camp is awesome!  Please don’t come pick me up yet.  I’m having so much fun!”  Within another day’s time, the male counselor team had this camper (and nearly all other boy campers), motivated to hold the door for others simply by turning it into a game of “pass it on,” the door that is.  It was truly a sight for the Agents to see their counselor team solving problems cooperatively for the benefit of the camp family and building confidence in their campers.

Counselors are the front lines during county camp week.  They are the leadership within the cabins and group activities alongside camping staff.  These teens are trained by their 4-H Agents for a minimum of 6 hours prior to camp to prepare them to handle various situations.  Each teen comes with their own set of skills and their own “treasure chest” of problem-solving abilities they contribute to the counselor team each year.  This camping season, one female counselor capitalized on her training and created an actual “treasure chest” for her campers within her cabin.  She utilized this as a positive reinforcement strategy where her campers could win coins for doing great things throughout the week.  The campers then could turn in their coins to gain a treasure from the chest!  Within this cabin, this strategy worked wonders to motivate the girl campers to keep their cabin clean, sing together for meals, show appropriate behaviors throughout camp, and participate in all activities. 

 

Often times camp is described as “the safe place,” a place where youth can come to drop the stereotypes, drop the stressors of home life or school life, and just be themselves.  While 4-H Agents, 4-H Camp Directors and staff are the adult leaders, these campers and counselors teach us lessons daily during county camp week that we store in our own “treasure chests” for the next camping season to make our best years even BETTER!

For more information on how your family can participate in 4-H, find your local UF IFAS Extension Office and contact your 4-H Agent to explore what programs are offered in your area.