No Retreat: Convening Communities of Caring in Times of Loss and Grief

As camp professionals we’ve got a lock on how to plan for, organize, and deliver high-quality summer learning programs for children and young adults. Amidst the rush of preparing our staff to be effective counselors of youth, establish meaningful mentoring relationships, and model such important constructs as sensitivity, positive risk-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership, we…

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Unpacking Summer

Ending summer and starting school may present as significant challenges for young people of all ages. This may be especially the case for those who participated in experiential learning programs, such as summer camp, during June, July or August. Indeed, after the last activity has ended, the last marshmallow has roasted, the last sunset has…

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What We Can Do To Help Teens Face Mental Health Issues

First, the good news. A new Youth Risk Behavior Survey report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partially meant to focus the nation on behaviors among young people that cause the most serious health problems, and to assess how those risk behaviors change over time. This will help to foster critical prevention strategies for…

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Unplugged – Digital health and summer camp

A new report from the Pew Research Center reveals the staggering amount of time young people spend online. It states that today almost half (45 percent) of 13- to 17-year-olds say they are online on a “near-constant basis,” essentially doubling the number from a Pew measure in 2014-2015. And a lot of that time is on social…

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How You Can Help Your Child After They’ve Been Diagnosed with Mental Illness

Within the past few years, you’ve probably heard more people talking about the issue of mental health– and for good reason. According to the National Mental Health Association, mental health problems affect one in every five young people at any given time. Moreover, an estimated two-thirds of all young people with mental health problems are not receiving…

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