Character Development

Celebrating Father Figures

While we’ve been enjoying our counselor training session, Kupugani’s outgoing mailbox has been filling up with Father’s Day cards on the way to the families of our counselors, both near and far. As a multicultural empowerment camp, we recognize the importance of positive male role models in the lives of our campers. Father figures encourage us to be our best. June brings the sun, sport, and fun so often associated with both camp and Father’s day. This Father’s Day, we hope that you enjoy all that summer brings and take […]

Character Development and Academic Development

I recently communicated with a parent grappling with a decision of not wanting to “reward” her child with summer camp, due to her child’s having to attend summer school. She felt that to reward the child with camp after failing school classes wouldn’t be a good choice. My response was that, while I certainly appreciate the challenging decisions a parent must make, to encourage her to think further whether camp for her child would be an overall benefit, rather than a negative at this point in her child’s development. Camp […]

25 Ways to Avoid Yelling

As a camp director of our multicultural summer camp for girls-only and boys-only, parents often compliment me on my “way” with children, as we serve as substitute summer parents for their precious cargo. In the summers, we get the benefit of having amazing staff who seem to have boundless energy and patience. In the non-summer months, as I get older, sometimes my own boundless energy and patience isn’t quite as boundless as it used to be. Although I give myself credit for being a pretty good and mindful parent most […]

Friends Positively Influence Self Esteem

Being intentional about empowerment at our girls-only and boys-only multicultural summer camps, we’ve always recognized the importance of connecting with others, and the value of developing community. A recent study underscores the value of having a best friend in whom to confide; feelings of self-worth and morale are directly strengthened by the presence of a best friend. Read up more on how friends help us to negate negativity here.

Camps Help Make Children Resilient

In a recent article published in the American Camp Association’s Camp Magazine, Dr. Michael Ungar, a professor of social work at Dalhousie University and scientific director of the Resilience Research Centre (go Canada!), discussed how camps, like good schools and loving families, immunize children against adversity by giving them manageable amounts of stress and the supports they need to learn how to cope effectively. Debunking the resilience myth that resilient individuals are those who overcome adversity because of special individual qualities, Dr. Ungar recognizes that studies from fields ranging from child development to […]

9 Healthy Ways to Communicate

As winter continues and we often spend more time indoors than in the warmer months, it’s an especially important time to be mindful of being kind to each other, and trying to communicate in healthy ways. Here’s a tip sheet on healthy ways to communicate from renowned facilitator Lee Mun Wah, from Berkeley, California. Reflect back what is being said. Use their words, not yours. Begin where they are, not where you want them to be. Be curious and open to what they are trying to say. Notice what they […]

We’re in Charge of Our Own Happiness

At our multicultural summer camp, we’re always mindful about intentional ways to empower girl campers and boy campers, as well as how we can better our own lives. I came across an old article the other day (a blog post by Stephanie Jacobs, citing the work of M.J. Ryan, executive coach and author of “The Happiness Makeover”–the link has since disappeared). It described the link between positive psychology and happiness. The main takeaway is that, whatever your innate happiness level, you can cultivate additional happiness by acting and thinking positively. […]

Resolutions You Can Keep

Hoping to provide some early empowerment tips from our multicultural camp, here’s some early borrowed advice for 2013! As 2013 begins, many folks want to make resolutions that they can keep. But that’s a hard one since they so often fail. Sociologist Christine Carter offers some useful advice on her website on how to make resolutions that will stick. pick just one resolution that research shows will make you happier Some good options to choose from… Spend more time with friends. Study after study shows that we tend to be happier […]

Celebrating Father Figures