The Boston Globe published an article yesterday about how traditional summer camps are making a comeback. The story focuses on Pine Island camp in New England that hosts 86 boys for seven weeks each summer.
What I found most interesting was the brief history of the traditional summer camp, the societal changes that originated the concept, societal changes that caused the nature centric summer camp to dwindle, and new concerns (not so different than the old concerns) that are bringing them back.
Traditional summer camps in the woods became popular a century ago, in response to concerns about urbanization and the effects of city life on children. They thrived in the 1920s, offering youngsters from cities and suburbs a chance to experience nature and develop wilderness skills: building a fire; reading a compass; paddling a canoe. But beginning in the 1970s, the rise of technology, more protective parenting, and other societal changes threatened traditional camps. When Swan took over as director in 1989, enrollment at Pine Island had dwindled from 85 to 45 boys.
However, it seems that the same drivers that caused the origination of the summer camp concept in the last century are sparking a renewed interest in this century. In the 1920's, it was urbanization. Now it is the encroachment of the electronic world on our children. In both scenarios, the common element is the potential damage caused by disconnection from nature.
"If you live in an air-conditioned world, going from house to car to mall, you have no understanding of nature, so why do you need to care about the environment?" said Andrea Raisfeld of Bedford, N.Y., who sends her two boys to Pine Island. "When they go to camp and see moose, eagles, and osprey, it's teaching them about the glory of nature.
"I have a good friend who is exploring the idea of building a summer camp on his ranch... I'm sure that he will find this article encouraging.
Original Article is Here:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/07/nature_makes_a_comeback/?page=full