Stop Bullying Now. Take A Stand. Lend A Hand.

Every summer nearly 10 million youth go to camp. For nearly 150 years, camps have dotted the entire geography of the U.S. (and the world)—from urban areas in major cities to the coastal areas on both sides of the country to secluded areas of the Great Lakes. Camps are located across the country. In fact, there may be some camps near you. Camps are often affiliated with local recreation centers, city parks, places of worship, and schools.

The earliest camps can be found in the Northeast part of the United States. Some camps there have been around since 1900. As the people in the U.S. moved south and west, camps sprung up there, too.

In fact, several new camps open up every summer all over the U.S.

Camps offer a variety of activities and programs that appeal to everyone. You can find camps that offer activities like swimming, arts and crafts, hiking, sports, games, etc. OR, you can choose a specialty camp that concentrates on a certain type of activity. There are camps for kids who want to learn about outer space or dance or computers or clowning or cooking or extreme sports or music performance.

Take a look at all the possible things you can do at camp:

Academics Aerobics/Exercise Aquatic Activities Archery Arts and Crafts Aviation Backpacking Baseball/Softball Basketball Biking Boating Camping Skills/Outdoor Living Canoeing Caving Ceramics/Pottery Challenge/Ropes Course Climbing/Rappelling Clowning Community Service Computer Dance Drama Drawing/Painting Farming/Ranching Gardening Fencing Field Trips Fishing Football Golf Gymnastics

Hiking Hockey Horseback Riding-English Horseback Riding-Western International Culture Kayaking Language Studies Leadership Development Martial Arts Model Rocketry Music Nature/Environmental Studies Performing Arts Radio/TV/Video Rafting Religious Study Riflery Sailing Scuba Skating Snow Sports Soccer Sports- Team and Field Swimming Lessons Swimming Team building Tennis Tour/Travel/Trips Waterskiing Wilderness Trips Windsurfing

Let’s start with a couple of main categories: You can choose to send your children to camp for part of the day. This type of program is called a "day" camp. There are also camps in which your children stay overnight for a period of time—be it in a cabin, a lodge, a tent, a teepee or under the stars. These camps are called "sleep-away" or "resident" camps. Your children can spend three days, a week, a month, or most of the summer at a resident camp.

Some camps run both day and resident programs at the same time, at the same place. You’ll need to decide which kind of camp you will want your children to attend. Often, campers go to a day camp for their first experience and then go to a resident camp as they become more experienced. Sometimes, children go to both a day camp and a resident camp in the same summer in different locations.

The entire newness of camp can be scary for a child… what is the food going to be like? Are there going to be bugs? How cold is the water in the lake? Will I know anyone there? You and your child have looked at the camp video, talked to other parents, visited with the camp director, taken a tour of the camp, etc., but making friends in a new environment still can be a challenge.

Everyone needs friends. For some children, making friends is easy and for others, it can be difficult. By the time a child is camp age (five to six years old), s/he has had experiences in the neighborhood, in a place of worship, on a sports team, or in a school type setting. Camp is a very different environment than most schools… for instance, there aren’t desks and homework. Admittedly, there are announcements, rules to follow, times to be quiet, and the little wooden spoons that come with the single serving ice cream… However, the giggling that takes place in drama class, the sharing of brushes in arts and crafts, and the roasting of marshmallows, are the magic of camp. It is these subtle differences, among others, that really allow for connections with other people to happen.

You'll need to prepare your child for camp just like any other experience. Decisions about camp—like where to go and what to pack—should be a joint activity, keeping in mind your child’s maturity. If your child feels a part of the decision-making process, his/her chances of having a positive experience will improve. These are huge steps in helping your child feel comfortable at camp.

Choose a camp that is suited to your child's personality, temperament, and interests. If your child likes music, sports, or horseback riding, it makes sense to pick a camp with strengths in that area. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with encouraging your child to try new things or to have a variety of experiences. You know your child better than anyone else—you’ll know the correct balance of the familiar and the unknown that will make him/her feel comfortable. When children feel comfortable with their environment, it is easier for them to begin to make friends.

Don’t push younger children to go to camp too early. The "right" age will vary from child to child. Some kids are "ready" for camp at age five or six, while others are ready at fourteen or fifteen. You can gauge your child's readiness by similar experiences—how they react to drop off at school, how they behave in play groups, or how they react to staying at a relative's house overnight. If your child finds these situations stressful, consider a camp where they know and like at least one other person their own age. Having one friend makes it easier to meet other kids.

Lastly, help children keep in touch with friends from summer camp. Plan times for them to get together if they live nearby, or for friends who live at a distance, letters, phone calls, and e-mail can help them maintain contact during the school year.

Counselors and other adults who work at camp are there to help your child be and feel safe at all times. Counselors and staff spend a lot of time getting to know each of the campers. It is their job to make sure that everyone works together as a team, is respectful of each other, and when things aren't going well, to step in and help campers with the situation. In fact, when the counselors first come to work at camp, they spend time learning how, among a million or so other things, to teach archery, how to play get-to-know-you games, how to help campers work together, and how to make campers feel welcome and respected by everyone. In fact, they even spend time in staff training learning about what happens when campers don’t get along. Part of this specialized training is to help them support campers who may be new to the camp feel welcome, quickly address times in which something that was said may have hurt a camper's feelings, make sure that everyone gets a chance to talk or to go first in an activity and spot actions by campers that may be perceived as disrespectful.

YES! You may find information about the camp’s policies by checking out the camp’s Web site and other promotional material. Speak directly to the Camp Director about bullying and hear how the camp handles bullying.

Camps realize that the potential for bullying exists in any group situation and that there must be measures in place to keep such behavior out of camp. Parents will find that camps have statements, procedures, and policies about camp being a bully-free environment. Every child has the right to expect to have the best possible experience at camp. When camp staff works together as a team to identify and manage instances of bullying, campers can be assured of being in a place where the intent to hurt another person is not tolerated. During pre-camp training, staff are exposed to this issue and have opportunities to role play, facilitate, and learn how to handle bullying situations.

You may find your child's camp has a behavior "contract" that describes the expectations of all persons in camp. You and your child may be asked to read, sign, and return this document to the camp. While going over this document, use the opportunity to speak to your child about bullying. Encourage them to ask a counselor or the camp director whenever they feel they may need help. Part of the camp experience is learning how to deal with new people and different situations, but sometimes there are situations where children need to ask for adult help.

If you suspect that your child may be reluctant to tell anyone about being bullied, find opportunities to discuss the issue. For instance, you might see a situation on a TV show or in a movie and use it as a conversation starter, asking "What do you think of this?" or "What do you think that person should have done?" This might lead to questions like: "Have you ever seen this happen?" or "Have you ever experienced this?" Let your child know that if s/he is being bullied—or sees it happening to someone else—it's important to talk to an adult about it, whether it’s you, a staff member at camp, or the camp director.

There are some indicators/warning signs to look for if your child is being bullied. If your child is attending day camp, you might notice your child acting differently or seeming anxious, or not eating, sleeping well, or not doing the things that s/he usually enjoys. S/he may seem moodier or more easily upset than usual or may start avoiding certain situations, like getting into the car to go to camp or being stressed as you begin the process of getting ready for camp. An abrupt change in your child's passion for going to camp may be because s/he is being bullied. Have a conversation with your child. It may be that s/he is unhappy about the part s/he got in the drama production or s/he really is struggling with another camper. Have a conversation with the camp staff and the camp director. All of these people, you included, are part of a team of partners to provide a safe, happy camp environment for your child.

In instances where your child is in a sleep-away camp (resident camp), you may have contact using letters or notes, one way e-mails, or phone conversations but not the day-to-day interaction of a day camp. You know your child. Find out what her/his camp life is like. Again, the conversations you have with your camper may be that he just got back from the climbing tower and didn't get to the top of it like s/he wanted or there is a fellow camper who s/he isn't getting along with at the moment.

When in doubt, contact the camp. The camp's staff is there to make sure your child has a safe, quality experience. Let the staff know that your child doesn't seem "right" and you are concerned. The staff will help answer your questions, speak to the camper, speak to his staff members, and reconnect with you.

www.CampParents.org helps you find the right camp for every child. Find a Camp—our camp locator with data from over 2,400 ACA-Accredited® camps nationwide—allows you to customize your search for the perfect summer camp and identify camp programs that best fit each camper and camp family.