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In last week’s Essentials I linked to an AP story on the difficulty some kids and teens may have unplugging for summer camp (with a quote from Anastasia who wrote an earlier post on the subject.) We decided to turn the question over to a couple of our camper-aged Youth Advisory Board members, Alyx and Nina, and hear their thoughts on the subject. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

Unplugging For Summer Camp, Cont’d

Alyx says:

Technology is like a drug. It has become my only constant pastime during the summer. If I’m not on the computer reading blogs or Facebooking, then I’m playing a video game I’ve already beaten last summer.

This summer I’m going away to camp where my technology might be limited. And yes, of course I would like to have my cell phone. Even then, as one of those teens who doesn’t have internet on my phone, I still feel out of touch from the world we’re used to having at our fingertips the rest of the year. One thing that makes me hesitate before going to summer camp is the fact that I might be cut off from the world around me. What would happen if I came back from camp and one of my favorite musical artists had died or someone had gotten married? Besides gossip, just think about how much new music I would miss listening to over the summer.

But on the upside to no technology, it gives us a way to get back to our roots and try new things or even do things that we don’t have time for with our busy schedules during the school year. If you actually think about it, it’s so sad the amount of things we could do in the time we waste doing pointless things with our technology. I bet if I did creative writing every time I was messing around on the computer or playing a video game, I could have finished my own novel! (In fact, I have done that in past summers, and it’s a much better way to spend time than whatever else I would have been doing.)

At the end of the day, there is an upside and downside to being at summer camps without technology. Maybe we can find a happy medium to where we limit ourselves, but don’t have to be cut off completely.

 Nina L. adds:

The thought of being away from my email, Facebook, and cell phone would definitely be intimidating.  Being “plugged in” consumes so much of my free time, but sometimes I don’t want to be reachable.  It would be really nice not to be concentrating on the latest gossip at home so that I can truly experience and enjoy the camp experience.

About Alyx

Alyx Steadman is a freshman in high school in Montana, and loves every minute of it. He loves reading, writing, acting, singing, and being a social butterfly. In the past people have accused him of being a YouTube addict and a pop culture junkie (and sadly Alyx cannot deny these accusations). His love for teen culture has led him to many hours slaving on the computer soaking up every piece of drama Hollywood has to offer. In the future he hopes to pursue a writing career as some type of journalist. Excited doesn’t even begin to cover how he’s feeling to be in the Ypulse Advisory Board. “Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in.”

About Nina

Nina is a freshman in high school in Washington state. She plays the flute in the school band. Even though she’s not as writing inclined as the other board members, Nina is the youngest of the group and may share an opinion with a younger audience. Nina is very interested in fashion, new technology and teen culture. Having three and a half sisters (an exchange sister for the year) she knows a lot about how teenage girls interact with each other and their parents. Nina ‘s biggest love is music, either classical or contemporary, it doesn’t matter. She cares about all of it.

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Categorized under: Web

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