By Mike Halpern / Director, Mosholu Day Camp
Recently a former camper reached out to me on Facebook. I always enjoy hearing the stories and seeing the impact of Mosholu Day Camp on our participants, but this story was so powerful that I wanted to share it. Steven (not his real name) was one of those campers that I will never forget and his story reminds me of why I do this work.
At the age of 5, Steven was one of those kids that people would say was wise beyond his years. He was extremely intelligent and was very verbal. Upon going to Kindergarten, Steven stuck out. He did not fit in with the other kids and really was not accepted. Kindergarten play time is typically a time where kids start to play with each other but Steven typically stayed on his own. He enjoyed speaking with the teacher, but often argued with the other kids. After a very rough year, Steven’s parents registered him at Mosholu Day Camp. They were up front about his socialization difficulties, but really wanted him to learn techniques for fitting in. It was a tough go at first. Steven wanted to do things his way, and did not want to cooperate with the other kids in the group.
Unlike school, camp deals in smaller staff to child ratios and while teachers are trained to deal with educating children, young camp staff have much less training. The big difference was that one of Steven’s counselors had the time to work with him. There was no curriculum or mandates. The camp atmosphere was just about safety and having fun. Steven’s counselor had the time to speak with him, work with him, and bring him into group social situations. By the end of the summer Steven had a small group of friends. Every day Steven and his friends loved to catch frogs. They would laugh and play and Steven seemed to fit in. On the last day of camp, Steven and his friends stood by the bus. Steven was crying. He hugged his counselor and got on the bus. The entire camp staff felt the success of the summer through Steven’s eyes.
When first grade started, Steven had changed socially. The kids in school still seemed to be put off by his intelligence, but without being aware of it, Steven had learned some social skills over the summer. The first week of the school year, during lunchtime, Steven tried to tell the other kids’ stories about catching frogs and camp. One of the other boys, had similar experiences at his summer camp and the two began talking. Before long, Steven had a new best friend. While school continued to be somewhat difficult for Steven to fit in, it was a much better experience.
The following summer, Steven and his best friend both registered for Mosholu Day Camp. This time from the get go, both boys exuded confidence and seemed to be the leaders of the group. Their favorite pass time changed from frog catching to swimming and the 38 days of summer were filled with fantastic memories for the boys.
Eventually Steven’s friend moved away, but Steven continued to return to Mosholu every summer. While he had his good and bad years socially in school, Steven seemed to thrive at camp. The entire camp staff knew him and he loved the attention. New campers seemed to be drawn to Steven because he was so confident and happy. The school years for Steven seemed to improve as well. His intelligence allowed for success in the classroom, and he seemed to have developed self esteem.
Years’ later, Steven joined the Mosholu Day Camp staff. Camp was his passion and every summer he is looked forward to a place where he could be different than he was perceived to be at school. He enjoyed working with all of the children and helped them to love camp and use the summer experiences to help campers grow. After a couple of years as a counselor, Steven left us and went off to college.
It turns out that he went to a very prestigious college and now has a great job working for a large firm in Florida. Steven is married and is expecting a child of his own. He tells me that there is no question that his child will be attending summer camp, but due to living in Florida, unfortunately not Mosholu.
As Steven and many kids can testify, camp is more than just summer child care. It is a place where young campers can come into their own. A place where children can thrive and a place where everyone can find their own niche. Camp is a fantastic place to make memories and even a better place to make and remake yourself. Camp has a major and lasting impact on our campers and the experiences can be life changing. I take pride in the fact that Mosholu Day Camp has touched so many people’s lives and hope we continue to impact today’s youth.
To learn more about Mosholu Day Camp, click here!