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22ndCenturyMedia.com camp guide
22nd century media | February 22, 2018 | 7
What is ‘Social Fit’ and why is it so important at camp?
When campers arrive for their first
day of camp, the first piece of information
they usually receive is the name of
the cabin group to which they have been
assigned. But how are these cabin groupings
arranged?
At many summer camps, they are organized
by arranging campers into groups
based on age and gender. This method of
grouping, where birthdays represent the
key piece of information, is very similar
to class organization procedures at
schools. If one of the main goals in sending
a child to camp is to make friends,
then organizing cabins in this way does
not make sense.
There are so many variables that contribute
to friendship-making, and age
tends to be fairly low on the list. Much
more important are factors such as interests,
abilities, social skills and introversion
versus extroversion. Some 13-yearolds
are very active, competitive, and
athletic, while others are more shy, cautious,
or cerebral. If we want to maximize
a camper’s chances of making genuine
friendships at camp, we need to give him
a lot of opportunities to spend time with
like-minded peers, which means putting
them in the same cabin.
At Camp Kodiak, we call this “social
fit.” We build our cabins according to
which campers we think would get along,
have common interests, have similar
needs, and are closely related in age.
We know that youngsters with learning
disabilities, ADHD and ASD, have higher
incidences of experiencing social difficulties
than their typically-developing peers.
Anecdotally, we hear stories from parents
about difficulties their children have had
in the past. Many of them have been bullied
or excluded, made to feel peripheral
or unwelcome in existing cliques. Since
our campers are at greater risk of isolation
and friendlessness, trying an overnight
camp (or another camp after a previous
negative experience) feels scary, so it is
paramount that we set them up for social
success.
Not all of our campers have social skills
difficulties; some are children or adolescents
just navigating the regular social
ups and downs that come with growing
up. These campers, too, benefit from social
fit because they need peers who challenge
them and are good candidates for
true, reciprocal friendships.
Creating cabin groupings that offer our
campers the best social fit provides all
of our campers with many opportunities
each day to practise and refine their social
skills. With the guidance and assistance
of Camp Kodiak’s trained, professional
staff, our campers (and their parents) notice
significant growth in their level of
confidence in social environments and
their ability to relate to others.
How do we determine the best social fit
and groupings for cabins? Find out more
at www.campkodiak.com. We will also be
hosting an open house event in Chicago
on Saturday, March 3. For more information,
call us at (877) 569-7595 for complete
details.
Submitted by Camp Kodiak, 4069 Pheasant
Run, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, L5L
2C2, (877) 569-7595.