The Benefits of Adventurous Outdoors Summer Camps
As more and more studies show that today’s teenagers are experiencing higher than ever levels of pressure, depression, and anxiety, parents continually seek out programs that boost confidence, increase independence and leadership skills, and offer inclusive communities so that their children can make genuine, lifelong friendships.
Our adventure camps provide an array of lifelong benefits including:
A much-needed break from technology and digital media
A chance to “rewrite” one’s narrative or story
Multiple opportunities to step outside one’s comfort zone and experience personal growth
Connecting to and developing an appreciation of nature
Building lifelong friendships in a supportive, welcoming community
Developing skills to thrive in the 21st century
Break from technology
Studies have shown that ever-growing use of technology and digital media are related to an increase in physical, psychological, and behavior disorders among adolescents. Now more than ever, children and young adults are reporting overwhelming anxiety and worry in their day-to-day life, and they haven’t found effective ways to cope with the stress. It’s no secret that social media and smartphone use are linked to depression in adolescents. The question is: How can we help them manage and decrease anxiety?
It’s simple! Give them something exciting to experience at our Adventure Summer camp, let them detox and unplug from technology for at the very minimum of 2 weeks! Give them a much-needed break and relieving the non-stop pressure they feel at school. Let them thrive and enjoy the summer holiday as the holiday should be; run around, have fun, be outdoors!
A new narrative
A major appeal of our adventurous summer camp is that kids are able to be who they truly want to be—not who they feel pigeonholed into being at school. They are not here to be bound by social norms or uniformity expected from a school, but rather, they are here to get a breath of fresh air and freedom, literally and figuratively. They can break free of whatever personality they’ve taken on at home: the athletic one, the quiet one, the noisy one, the fidgety one, the social one. At camp, students have the opportunity to rewrite their story in a supportive and judgment-free community of people who accept them for who they are. Have fun and make friendship with like-minded people.
Comfort zones and personal growth
Many of us stay wrapped snugly in our comfort zones; we fear challenging ourselves because we don’t want to fail. Today’s children are less-equipped to deal with challenging situations, which leads to a fixed mindset of trying, failing, and giving up. Our Adventure summer program promotes and provide endless opportunities for children & teenagers to develop and cultivate a growth mindset, allowing them to try new things, fail, rebound from that failure, and then ultimately succeed because they’re working hard. What does this lead to?
Think about the Yerkes-Dodson law: At our Adventure summer camp, when students go outside their comfort zone and trying things they never think they would, they perform better, their skills increase, and they feel more comfortable about leaving their comfort zone again. Plus, new experiences and new skills open the door to continue trying new things, which leads to teenagers becoming more well-rounded and open to embracing challenge. Often, it’s us as parents who hold our children back from venturing out and learning to take risks on their own.
Lifelong appreciation of nature
It’s no secret that being outside reduces stress, depression, and anxiety. At a time when children and teenagers spend nearly nine hours per day online, it has never been more important to emphasize the importance of having unstructured time outside.
Kids who spend time outside have better social awareness, higher confidence, more creativity, reduced stress, and sleep better (exposure to sunlight helps regulate sleep patterns) than those who spend most of their time indoors.
They pick up new hobbies that they can continue for a lifetime (and that supplement their current, more strenuous athletic hobbies, like soccer or running), including rock climbing, hiking & cave exploration, mountain biking, rafting, and kayaking, to name a few. We strive for our students to become advocates and conservationists for nature, the outdoors, and wilderness, so that they’re still around for their grandchildren to enjoy!
Building genuine friendships
While your children may have friendships that are healthy, sustainable, and genuine. Outside of school, kids tend to bond with others on a more voluntary basis, mostly because they have similar interests or hobbies. At Adventurous summer camp, our students choose to push the envelope and do something different than their peers at school for the summer. They’re choosing to step outside their comfort zones and assimilate into a group of people whom they’ve never met. They quickly find common ground with people they might have otherwise not socialized with at school. We don’t tolerate cliques, mutually exclusive relationships, or bullying; rather, our instructors model a welcoming, inclusive, and judgment-free community—one where everyone feels welcome and free to be their best selves.
21st century and leadership skills
Sure, this is a buzzword/phrase—but for good reason. 21st century skills aren’t taught in school or in athletics; these non-cognitive skills are recognized by leaders in education and business (like Google, Apple, and Dell) to be key to thriving in today’s world. We call our set of 21st skills the Great 8 Outcomes:
Communication
Collaboration and social achievement
Creativity
Critical thinking
Leadership
Self-management
Resilience
Optimism
The biggest discrepancy in the skills that top businesses expect in their employees and what their employees actually possess is in the area of leadership. Students improve their leadership through experience and practice, and few children and teenagers get real opportunities to develop these skills in primary and high school. The complexities of community living and always being in an outdoor environment at Adventure Outdoors summer camp provide multiple opportunities to learn and practice leadership.
