Can No-Tech Summer Camps Revive Letter Writing?
Posted by anastasia on 04-22-2009Long-time Ypulse readers know I am one of those crazy summer camp fanatics. Started sleep-away camp at 7, was a C.I.T. at 13, junior counselor at 14 and worked at two other overnight camps while in college. So you could say I'm a camp purist [see my post about the 80s summer camp bible Camp Camp].
To me, camp was about seeing your "camp friends," rushing from activity to activity (i.e. from swimming to sports to arts and crafts), going on supper hikes or overnights, getting mosquito bites, getting dirty and then cleaning up for the all-important camp dance. But my generation didn't grow up with the internet and cell phones — we weren't so used to being connected to our parents and friends 24/7. If we were so homesick that our counselors couldn't console us, they walked us to the office where we were able to place a phone call home. We would wait anxiously for each day's mail to be delivered to get word from friends and parents and use our "siesta" or quiet time to write back.
A journalist asked me how I thought today's tweens and teens will cope with camps that actually forbid or strictly limit technology use at camp (i.e. no cell phones, maybe just an iPod that can be used at specified times). As tech positive as I am, I actually like the idea of keeping some summer camps tech-free zones. These days there are all kinds of specialized camps to choose from (even spa camps!), so if parents or their kids want to integrate technology into the camp experience, there are plenty of camps to choose from.
Back to how kids will cope at no-tech camps — my sense is that it will be an initial shock to the system. Maybe they'll dig around in their pockets searching for that phantom cell phone or "jones" to check their Facebook messages for the first couple of days, but if they're having fun, engaging in activities and hanging out with their bunk mates, my guess is that they get over it. If anything I imagine their parents, who are so used to being tethered to their kids and able to check in multiple times a day, itching to speed dial their son or daughter.
While I imagine mom and dad taking the time to put together a care package to send to their campers, I wonder if tweens and teens who are so dependent on digital communication tools would actually write to their friends at camp…or write back. The no-tech campers have no choice, but I can see friends back home faced with the challenge of picking up a pen and actually writing a letter back. This made me think that no-tech campers might just revive the lost art of letter writing — maybe their friends will get these letters with stickers and hearts and smileys and think, "how retro." Or maybe these campers will just have to wait until they get home and log back on to find out what everyone's been up to over the summer.
P.S. Given this survey from Harris Interactive, which reveals two-thirds of folks polled think we're too gadget dependent, I wonder if no-tech camps will see an uptick in new campers.
Categorized under: Web
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:37 am
I LOVE summer camp too! My life-long camp still remains no-tech for campers, and I think it's a great thing. In our end of the week reflections campers regularly comment on how nice it was to have a chance to "get away," "think things through," and gain perspective. One of my favorite things about camp was the opportunity to interact with an entirely different set of people and find fresh ideas and opinions. I think it would be harder for campers to fully engage themselves in these new interactions if they're communicating with peers from home via phone or laptop every few minutes.
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Hi Anastasia, Thought you might like to know that Latinitas offers multimedia and technology camps where we place equal emphasis on the importance of knowing good old fashion writing skills as well as cutting edge technology. http://www.LatinitasMagazine.org
April 24th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
What a great topic for a discussion! I ran a session on this topic for some American Camp Association camp conferences this spring. Kids seem to do better with out technology than the staff. Developmentally, for the most part campers are very much about the relationships they are building at that moment, figuring out who they are, having fun, etc. As they move into late teenage years they are developing deeper connections – that is when the technology separation is more challenging.
Parents are a whole other animal. They have so much more to worry about than parents of previous generations. They need the support to not pass on their anxiety or fear to their children. Kids still take their cues from their parents. When the parent is still nervous about sending their child to camp, it tells the camper that the parent is not confident the child can make it away from home. Those are the parents that send 2 phones, the one that gets confiscated and the one the camper uses to call home.
Some camps are quite lucky because they do not have cell service – makes it easier to regulate.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:11 am
Our camp, "Camp Friendship" has always been a no tech summer camp but that doesn't stop parents from sending 2 cell phones much like Jenn said. It's amazing how quickly most campers get over it while parents are still calling every day to make sure everything is fine. We have been using the Bunk1 services to help our parents stay connected with their campers. So far it seems to be helping but it does bring up other issues.
While parents do seem to appreciate the no tech at camp idea they just want to stay informed and snail mail just doesn't provide that instant gratification.
We do encourage letter writing for out parents and campers
May 20th, 2009 at 8:25 am
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