Project Description

The Importance of Experiencing Summer Camp in 2022

After a two-year hiatus, campers will return to Camp Helen Brachman to participate in traditional summer camp sessions once again. 

In 2020, COA’s Camp Helen Brachman joined the number of camps around the country faced with the decision to suspend traditional summer camp operations, a decision made to best ensure the safety of campers and staff alike. But the time has come to safely resume camp once again. 

With the return of summer camp comes the return of opportunities for youth to learn and grow in nature while they try new activities, make friends, and feel a sense of belonging and community. 

The Benefits of Experiencing Summer Camp 

The benefits of youth experiencing summer camp are immeasurable. Traditional summer camp promotes the mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being of youth. 

By participating in programming at COA’s Camp Helen Brachman, campers have opportunities to develop and practice skills that are distinct and transferable. Research suggests that the skills campers learn last far beyond their camp experience. Camp helps equip children with the skills they need to succeed at school, college, and in their first jobs, including… 

  • teamwork, 
  • problem-solving skills,
  • leadership, 
  • communication skills,
  • responsibility, 
  • resourcefulness, 
  • perseverance,
  • relationship skills,
  • and more. 

Why is it so important for children to experience summer camp THIS summer? 

It’s not a secret that the pandemic caused many disruptions to a child’s academic and social-emotional learning and limited the opportunities they had to socialize with their peers. Throughout the pandemic, children felt disconnected from school, friends, mentors, and many communities and teams they were once a part of. They also lost opportunities to learn and practice social and emotional skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, opportunities that occurred naturally as they interacted with peers at school or in similar settings. 

By attending traditional summer camp sessions at Camp Helen Brachman this summer, youth can experience a sense of belonging as they are presented with opportunities to grow and develop in a safe environment. 

Experiences at camp will help make up for lost time and opportunities. 

Camp is an opportunity, in a fun way, to rebuild skillsets that were lost over the past few years and help young people socialize with one another again. While having fun and exploring their own interests, campers will increase their self-awareness, problem solving, teamwork, and self-confidence. Learning about themselves and the world around them in a supportive environment is crucial for a child’s growth and development. 

CHB offers opportunities to learn new skills, helping campers gain self-confidence along the way. 

At camp, children have the chance to learn new things such as how to swim, how to solve a puzzle as a team, or how to tell time and direction by following the sun and the stars. Overcoming challenges while at camp instills a sense of personal pride in campers, and gives them the confidence to experience new things and overcome future challenges. 

Camp Helen Brachman provides a sense of community. 

When campers visit CHB, they live, learn, and play within a community of diverse peers and staff. Camp helps children feel a sense of connection and belonging as they create new friendships and memories. 

While summer camp has always been an invaluable experience, camp is needed now more than ever as youth continue to navigate the impact the pandemic has had on their physical and mental well-being. 

 

Learn more about the importance of summer camp: 

Interested in learning more about Camp Helen Brachman? Visit our camp page and follow us on Facebook.

 

For over 115 years, COA has provided transformative camp experiences for hundreds of Milwaukee’s youth at COA’s Camp Helen Brachman (CHB), located in central Wisconsin. Camp Helen Brachman strives to provide youth with fun and structured opportunities for personal growth in a safe and natural environment while upholding our four core values: kindness, strength, respect, and responsibility.