Camp Kupugani Blog
Achieving Legitimacy as a Parent
I recently finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s recent David and Goliath. One facet of the book centered on the limits of authority and how the efficacy of authoritarianism is not as high as many people think. In past experiences with parents of campers at our girls-only and boys-only summer camps, I’ve witnessed how certain children—when freed of the expectations and restrictions sometimes placed on them by well-meaning parents—can surpass those limitations. Often, it can be how campers, inspired by great role counselor role models, try to be their best selves for […]
Why People Don’t Believe That I’m Shy
I’m shy. Although most non-shy people don’t believe me when I tell them that. True, as a director of a summer camp, I’m aware that most people in similar positions are innately comfortable with speaking in front of groups and/or interacting with new and different people. And yet, I’m shy. Filled with apprehension, sweaty armpits, accelerated heartbeat, and other psycho-social nervous ramifications when put into situations filled with new people, I’ve nonetheless learned to cope. Recently, I’ve been reading David and Goliath, by (fellow Jamaican Canadian) Malcolm Gladwell. It has […]
Why Camp Counselors Make Great Leaders
A recent blog by Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, Inc, a Fortune 500 company, underscores the skills and character of camp counselors. Bergman’s perspective underscores what we as camp directors know from years of experience seeing young people give their all to care for the campers in their charge. They commit themselves to continually caring for children, spending hours, days, weeks and months concentrating on maximizing the camp experience for those under their care. Even the most devoted parent spends maybe a couple-few hours with their child; imagine the […]
8 Ways to Respond to Bigoted Words
As this month continues in recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month, we look at we as adults can respond to situations where a bigoted bully might be acting wrong. Below is advice verbatim from the Anti-Defamation League about bigoted words. Challenging bigoted and offensive remarks are critical to ensuring dignity and respect for all people. Below are step-by-step strategies that can assist you if you find yourself in situations where such remarks are made. Think Explore your understanding of the situation. Take a moment to reflect on what was said […]
9 Ways to Preclude Your Child from Becoming a Bully
As we continue with our theme of addressing bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month, here are nine good tips on how to raise children who don’t bully others. Just as we do at our intentionally empowering summer camp for girls and summer camp for boys, as parents or adults working with children, we can focus on concrete strategies to help them develop into aware, compassionate beings who can be resistant to the potential lure of being a bully. Sociologist and child development coach Christine Carter shares some of these during […]
How to Deal with Mean People
During this October’s National Bullying Awareness month, even as we focus on bullying behavior, we can also examine what we as individuals can do if/when confronted by behavior that is mean. As we do at our girls-only and boys-only summer camps, we can focus on empowering ourselves to make our world a better place. Here’s a good article from sociologist Christine Carter on steps individuals can take when confronted by mean behavior from others. The whole article is at this link, with the main takeaways summarized below: To maximize social and […]
4 Warning Signs That Your Child is Being Bullied
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, so a good time to focus our blogs on how to minimize or prevent bullying in our communities, just as we do in the summer at our multicultural summer camp. A recent article featured on Tesh.com discusses signs that your child might be being bullied. It’s important to note since the majority of children will not tell their parents that they’re being bullied. Summary below: Signs of Being Bullied Frequent headaches or stomach aches. Aching heads and stomachs are the go-to excuses for kids […]
Navigating the Pre-Teen Years
Here’s a good post from blogger Jodi Durr (Meaningful Mama) with some tips on navigating those sometimes treacherous pre-teen years. At our girls-only summer camp, we get lots of practice; below are some of the article’s highlights that can work well for you at home. Recognize it is Normal – Each child is an individual and should be treated as such, but the change in hormones and how their brains are developing is fairly consistent with other people their age. A Commitment to Love and Show Grace – Make it clear to your […]
Fun and Funny Camp Videos
Check out this link for a new camp video, https://youtu.be/aljJVLp7AWw plus a couple of other funny ones here https://youtu.be/Cs0oVhOzO58 and here that show the fun and benefits of camp!
How to Enhance Your Daughter’s Future
Our son Mico had a soccer game yesterday (in which he and his team played very well…but that’s not the point). His team is coached by a now-sixteen year-old girl, who has been coaching his team for several years now, since she was thirteen. (Her little sister also plays on the team.) She is confident, assertive, caring, great with the kids on the team who play very hard, practice very hard, learn a lot, and have a ton of fun. Clearly, her parents avoided doing any of the child development […]
Importance of Girls Camps Given Societal Issues
If you’re an NFL fan at all, lately there has been a lot of attention surrounding the league’s treatment of players with allegations of domestic violence. While the controversy has had potential good points, like the increased attention regarding the dearth of women in decision-making positions in the league, it has highlighted just how far the league, and American society generally, has in regards to issues that significantly impact women. For me, it underscores the importance of continuing to foster environments where girls and young women can strengthen themselves. It […]
Why We Need to Be Inclusive and Culturally Competent
Everyday, it’s easy to pick an example of a stereotype being perpetuated; we seem to continually forget the lessons of history and repeat discriminatory behavior—and rationalize to ourselves why it’s okay. Today it’s Muslims and homosexuals, yesterday (in historical terms) it was blacks and Jews, the day before interracial couples and Protestants, you get the drift… At our girls-only and boys-only camps, we exist for children as they are so they imagine the women and men they can become. To do that, we help them celebrate and appreciate their own […]
