character development

Empowerment and Self-confidence

Camp Kupugani is a multicultural summer camp with a large focus on empowerment. The main proponent of empowerment is self-confidence, which–clearly an important thing to have as a world changer–but why? Let’s break it apart a bit. The root of confidence is the word “confide,” also meaning “to reveal”. With confidence, we reveal a commitment to trust, loyalty and honesty. A person without confidence is typically viewed as having a lack of drive and passion, and aversion to any risk. On the contrary, confidence equates or exudes competence. Confident people […]

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 […]

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 […]

Empowerment and Self-confidence