How Summer Camp Can Help Your Child Become A Leader!

How summer camp can help your child become a leader

- Courtney Mclaughlin

When a child meets new people and explores outside of his comfort zone at summer camp, he returns home with more than dirty clothes, lifelong friends and wonderful memories. Summer camp can also serve as the catalyst for developing leadership skills — a benefit that comes in handy long after those camp days are over. Many summer camps intentionally put leadership opportunities at the forefront of each camper’s experience.

A PLACE TO SORT THINGS OUT

Michelle Icard has spent a good portion of her career helping parents and middle schoolers survive and thrive during the preteen years. Athena’s Path (for girls) and Hero’s Pursuit (for boys) camps, which Icard developed, are replicated throughout the country and teach the importance of social leadership through games, discussion and role-playing activities. Creating a leadership philosophy is one of the goals campers work toward during their time at Athena’s Path or Hero’s Pursuit. Whether at camp or engaging in new experiences outside the home, the first step in helping kids develop leadership smarts is giving them space to figure things out, Icard says.

“Kids learn best when they have the opportunity to take risks and step outside their comfort zone,” Icard says. “At home parents can foster leadership skills by letting their kids make mistakes. Kids need the opportunity to try new things, mess up, be resilient and try again.”

During the week of Athena's Path or Hero's Pursuit camps, participants explore topics such as redefining leadership, responding to criticism, exiting toxic friendships and responding to media influence.