Studies are now finding what those of us who work with young people have experienced for a while. According to Patti Neighmond, over the last decade, there has been a 52% increase in the number of teens facing serious depression, including 1 in 5 girls having an episode of major depression in 2017. While the article identifies a number of factors that might be contributing to this, including more likelihood of teens reporting how they are feeling, and an increase of economic and political uncertainty, the article attributes the chief contributor of the rise of stress in young people to the increased accessibility of cell phones which provide ever more access to social media.
Since its inception, Farm & Wilderness has been unplugged. This is more important now than ever before because camp itself may be the “fix” for much of the societally induced stress of children. Instead of spending up to 8 or 9 hours a day looking at a screen, camp requires being physically active and provides an opportunity to see, hear and feel in a more real, physical realm. Because they are tired from their busy day, kids sleep better, the lack of which is often described as a contributing feature to the increase in youth stress.
Additionally, instead of spending the 8-to-9 hours a day managing their virtual life, at camp, life is real. Kids don’t have to create a brand. Instead, as easily as visiting the costume box (some semblance of which is found at most F&W programs), they can try on different roles, helping them sort out and develop their own a sense of who they really are. Kids at camp also have the opportunity to grow real friendships. This includes learning how to talk face to face, as well as how to communicate and negotiate when disagreements arise. If a child is worried about what one of their peers is saying about them (an often feature of pre-teen life), they are able to talk with the peer or use the sage wisdom of counselors right in their midst for strategies of how to approach. These camp friendships can include being physically present for each other to celebrate accomplishments or commiserate about hard times. Being with each other in real life offers kids the opportunity to give and get a hug, supplying that physical touch that is so important to healthy development. No wonder that youth report a closeness among the friends they made at camp unlike what they experience in the other parts of their life.
Youth recognize all these positive features of an unplugged summer long saying so on camp surveys. Yet, pressures beyond our camp walls, often prevent young people from doing what they know is good for themselves. So, while lots of services exist to help young people manage their anxiety, why not just send them for a summer at camp? It may be just what the doctor ordered!