Social media is a platform which allows users to share all kinds of information easily. Some choose to update people on their families, other upload pictures of their vacations. However, these platforms also allow us to voice our opinions, write stuff that may be false, and can easily become a way for people to spread anger and sadness. We often complain that social media has created this new environment that we live in today, one where people are cold and less kind, where the hustle and bustle of life have us forgetting to say things like, “Thank you.” Social media does not force us to do anything, it simply provides an opportunity for us to communicate, much like books or television. Ultimately, we are the things that spread these messages, we are the ones that decide what to share, and we are responsible for all the damage done by social media.

As many have discussed the impacts of social media on society, there have been many studies performed on the actual impacts it has. Dr. Sara Kornath teaches as a professor of philanthropy, having a degree in social psychology. As such, she has explored societies decline in empathy, and looked at factors such as social media, and she has found an interesting correlation.

“There's a lot of research, including our own that finds a correlation between narcissism and social media usage, but I don't necessarily think that means that social media use causes increased narcissism. The studies that have tracked people over time find if anything, it's the other way around, that narcissistic people are just attracted to use social media because...

It can be used to fit their aims, which is to get a lot of attention. I did present that work, it's still unpublished, but finding that empathy is correlated with less social media use. Since then, a mini meta-analysis came out with five different studies examining that link between empathy and social media. Interestingly, it actually found that there's a small positive correlation. More empathetic people are using social media on average, a little bit more.”

Dr. Kornath has shown that the issues with social media are not due to the existence of these platforms themselves, but it is the human component which has allowed these platforms to become what we believe as the biggest problem in our society. How can we fix this problem?

In the camp world, we are no strangers to these empathetic practices, in fact, we would like to consider it the norm. Day camps, overnight camps, all seem to have these lessons at the forefront of their teaching, with what little teaching they do. Good counselors lead by example, they are kind and courteous to each and every person they interact with. From this, the campers then learn the appropriate behavior from a role model, making them want to have similar behavior to that of the counselor. They begin to greet people more, they begin using their manners more, they just generally become more empathetic. One could say that kindness builds kindness, which has long-term positive impacts. How can we measure these changes? Often, campers do not want to leave camp. While some may believe that it is because they will miss all of the fun things of camp, the usual reason campers never want to leave is because of their friendships. The bonds they forge at camp are so incredibly strong, transcending time and the space between us, and that is likely to do with the empathetic practices of camp. Why would anyone want to leave a summer paradise where everyone is kind all of the time? Some adults are lucky enough to be a part of camp life, and they often feel the same things that campers do. A place that is unlike college or work, where every single person you see is kind every day of the week. Why can our society at large put this into practice themselves?

Before camp every summer, our staff sits down and reads a poem called “If Only the World Were More Like Camp.” The message of the poem is that camp creates an atmosphere of love and empathy, and that if the world were more like it, our lives would be much better off. Maybe, social media just needs a little bit more camp energy, where we talk lovingly to one another, of excitement for new adventures of your friends, or maybe the simple “Happy Birthday” to an old friend you have not seen in a while. We have to relearn and reteach ourselves and our society how to be kind by being kind first. If kindness truly does build kindness, who better to start building that kindness than ourselves? Make the world more like camp, care about the people that are important to you, and treat those you do not know with respect and a smile. The best cure to a bad day is making someone smile, so instead of spreading anger, spread love. Show your children, your peers, anyone, the positive impacts of empathy and kindness. If kindness can build kindness, then hate can surely build hate. Decide what you would rather build, a world full of impersonal narcissists, or one full of joy and love. Be the change you wish to see, become kinder, and the world around you will follow.

Sources:

Speaking of Psychology: The Decline of Empathy and the Rise of Narcissism. Dec. 2019, www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/empathy-narcissism.

Recently, I read the below article about keeping our children safe during a pandemic in the summer of 2021.  I whole hardily agree in what was said and yet I found something missing. Last summer we ran summer camp without it. This year, science has brought testing, a game changer for overnight summer camps . Summer Camp will  be more safe and manageable when overnight summer camps use preamp and during camp testing. Our “safe bubble” will more quickly be available getting us into the fun of Summer camp, COVID FREE. At SNC Policy will develop as the summer nears. But here is what we did in 2020, Camp COVID Policy

Summer Camps 2021: Health & Safety First

By Rina Meyer, MD

As school starts to wind down and vaccine rates increase, East End families are cautiously looking toward a summer of fun. Although we still don’t know what the summer will bring in terms of infection rates or public health policies, here are some tips to make your summer as safe as possible…

MASKS 

As we’ve learned, COVID is a virus which attacks the respiratory tract and is spread by droplets (a small amount of liquid produced by exhaling). These tiny droplets can become aerosolized and fly through the air, where they can be inhaled by others. The best way to protect yourself and those around you is to be vigilant about wearing masks…even if someone has been vaccinated!

The best thing to do is to wear a cloth mask (either purchased or homemade, a good chance for some camp-inspired creativity) or a disposable mask (but save the N95 masks for your healthcare providers who have been properly fitted for them). Avoid masks with ventilation valves, as this can increase the spread of disease. The only way that a mask can protect anyone is to wear it correctly…this means masks should cover your mouth and nose at all times and fit snugly.

Try not to touch your mask while wearing it, and wash your hands if you do! When you remove your mask, remove it by the ear loops or tie—don’t touch the front of the mask (where the germs are) or your face. Wash or sanitize your hands after taking off your mask, and make sure to launder your mask regularly.

HAND WASHING—NOT GLOVES 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that gloves only be used for those caring for or cleaning up after those who are sick. It is not necessary (and may be more dangerous) for your kids to use gloves during summer fun, especially during camp activities, including eating and drinking. If your child is wearing gloves and touches their face, it may make things worse.

Instead of gloves, remind them to wash or sanitize their hands frequently (with a product that is at least 60% alcohol). Make sure that their camp supplies include a liberal supply of hand sanitizer. You can make it fun by picking products of fun scents and colors. Washing your hands is one of the best ways to not only prevent COVID, but a whole host of other illnesses.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

This is still the most important way to keep yourself and your kids safe! Make sure that your kids’ camps are taking all reasonable precautions to limit large gatherings and plan more outdoor fun. When not at camp, continue to take precautions. When opting for outdoor dining venues, make sure the venue has spread-out tables and the staff are wearing masks. Be mindful of wearing masks in stores, following arrows in store aisles and not crowding cash registers. If you are venturing out to beaches or parks, choose times that are less busy and keep your distance from others.

Just because COVID is on everyone’s mind, there are also some non-COVID things to consider for the summer…

ALLERGIES 

According to the CDC, food allergies are on the rise. About 6-8% of children have at least one food allergy and these can be serious. Symptoms of food allergies can include hives, itching, rashes, coughing, vomiting, lip swelling and difficulty breathing. In short, food allergies can be life threatening for some children.

If your child has a food allergy, make sure the camp staff understands exactly what triggers their symptoms, what their symptoms are and how to manage an emergency. Equip your camper with the medications recommended by your doctor, including an epi-pen (an injectable rescue medication for anaphylactic shock) if necessary. Remind your child to ask questions when offered new foods or treats, and be prepared to send special snacks for your day camper if the camp can’t accommodate special requests. If one of your child’s co-campers has an allergy, do your best to respect the rules and don’t send food that could be dangerous.

LYME DISEASE 

Long Island (and Wisconsin)  is notorious for deer ticks that carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the most common bacteria that cause Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness that can cause rash, joint pain, headaches, fever and swollen lymph nodes, among other symptoms. If untreated, Lyme disease can also cause neurologic symptoms and cardiac damage. It’s important to minimize your child’s risk for tick bites and to identify early signs of possible Lyme disease, which can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Whenever possible make sure your child wears a hat, long sleeves and long pants in heavily wooded areas. Encourage them to tuck their pants into their socks to further minimize exposed skin. Make sure your child is using insect repellent, with 20% DEET concentration, but avoid their hands, mouth and eyes. When hiking through brush and woods, encourage your children to stay on well-marked trails, which tend to have fewer heavily wooded areas.

Once your child comes home after a long day, teach him or her to check themselves for ticks (or make sure their counselor at sleepaway camp encourages this). In general, the shorter the time a tick is on your body, the less likely it is to cause disease. A deer tick is as small as the period on the end of a sentence and may be hard to see, but make sure everyone is looking.

Finding a deer tick is not an automatic reason to visit the infirmary or your pediatrician, but it is important to stay vigilant. Symptoms of Lyme disease can appear up to a month after a tick bite. Remind your children to alert camp staff or you if they have fevers, feel achy or sick, have “swollen glands,” or a new rash. The classic rash associated with Lyme disease is a bullseye, also known as erythema migrans. Any of these findings should send your child to the camp infirmary or their home pediatrician.

SUNBLOCK 

Camp is at its best and most fun when the sun is shining, but it’s crucial to protect your children from the risks it can pose. Remember, having five prior sunburns significantly increases your risk for melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) later in life.

The sun is at its peak intensity from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is usually prime time at camp. Encourage your children to wear wide-brimmed hats in the sun, as well as sunglasses with ultraviolet (UV) protection. It’s a chance for them to make a fashion statement, as well as a positive health choice!

Sunscreen only works when it’s being used in the right amounts and at the right times. Start with an SPF of at least 15 and cover all areas of the body that aren’t covered by clothing. It’s important to reapply sunscreen frequently—every two hours, especially if your child is swimming or sweating a lot in the heat. Even waterproof sunscreen must be reapplied. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a young adult needs about one ounce of sunscreen per application.

***

Although a few things are still unclear about this summer, by following these commonsense tips, we can make summer 2021 on the East End safe and fun for everyone!

Dr. Rina Meyer is a board-certified pediatric hematologist-oncologist in practice at Stony Brook Children’s. She is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Her views are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of Stony Brook University or Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

COVID has been a crazy time for all of us. Yet,  summer camps are in full swing for 2021 and the demand is amaingly high. Despite SNC safely running last year, we have seen a huge jump in early registrations. Some camps have raised rates or start wait lists. Camps do have a limited capacity and it is not easy to add more beds especially when we are all distancing our selves. Here is a recent article about overnight summer camps in the North-East.

Competition for summer camp spots is heating up, despite many uncertainties

By Andy Rosen Globe Staff,Updated February 9, 2021, 8:58 a.m.

After nearly a year of living in close quarters, families are snapping up scarce spots at Massachusetts summer camps, anxious for their children to be able to spend time in the fresh air with peers ― away from home.

Operators of day and overnight programs say they are doing all they can to restore camp activities that last year were canceled or severely curtailed in an effort to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus. But the planning comes with a huge asterisk. State public health authorities have not yet released rules for how programs can be run safely — nor have they said whether overnight camps can open at all.

Many camp operators say they have no choice but to move forward as though the season will take place, hoping to avoid another year of lost revenue.

“The risk here is great,” said Matthew Scholl, president of the Massachusetts Camping Association. Scholl, who also runs the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA camps in Western Massachusetts, said camps must start preparing now for the upcoming season. He said he has had productive conversations with state public health officials, but camps are still awaiting authoritative information on how many children they’ll be able to accommodate, what the rules will be, and what kinds of programs are acceptable.

Camps in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont are feeling more confident about overnight programs, because those states allowed such programs last year, according to Michele Rowcliffe, executive director of the New England branch of the American Camp Association, an industry accrediting organization. Last year, it took state and federal officials so long to develop safety guidelines that many camp operators decided there wasn’t time to implement them, and remained closed. Massachusetts and Connecticut last year enforced outright bans on overnight camps.

Camp operators say it’s too soon to guess how the total capacity for campers in Massachusetts will compare with previous years. Some camps and summer programs are waiting for the state to act before opening up registration. Those that are going ahead with sign-ups are keeping their programs small for now, hoping that they can offer additional spaces once they find out about mandated restrictions. That’s made summer camp slots almost as precious as a pre-pandemic ticket to a Taylor Swift concert.

“We had nothing last summer, and we cannot repeat that again this summer,” said Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, a psychiatrist who lives in Hyde Park and is trying to find a camp for her boys, ages 4 and 6. The best guaranteed options she can find cost the family a total upward of $8,000 for the season. She is getting used to the idea that she may have to pay more than anticipated, but recognizes that some other families don’t have that option.

“I just worry about the ongoing disparities that kids of color and kids from low-income environments are going to experience,” Christian-Brathwaite said. “If it’s difficult for us ― how much harder is it going to be for parents who haven’t been employed?”

Camp operators say they are optimistic that the outlook will improve as the season draws nearer.

“Hang tight, because we’re hopeful that there’s going to be some adjustments,” said Eric Arnold, executive director of Hale, which runs day sessions and overnight camping at its 1,137-acre property in Westwood.

Beyond the questions surrounding state regulations, Arnold said, the organization is still waiting to hear from groups it partners with on free or reduced-price programs — such as school systems and community centers — that have not yet decided whether they will offer such assistance this year. He said the organization is holding back many slots in its camp programs for people who don’t have the ability to pay.

At the YMCA of Greater Boston, demand for summer camp programs is on the rise. James Morton, chief executive of the organization, said registration for overnight camp is 31 percent higher than it was last year at this time — when the threat of COVID-19 was still not fully known. Day camps also are reporting higher interest than last year.

The Boston YMCA runs overnight camps in New Hampshire, but is eagerly awaiting details on what it must do to operate its day camps closer to home. The nonprofit enrolled about 1,500 children in 2020 and wants to double that number this summer. It also plans to add additional summer learning opportunities for students who may have fallen behind at school.

“This summer is probably the most important summer that we’ve ever experienced in our 170-year history,” said Morton, who believes camp can help children overcome the isolation they may have felt at home. “Here’s an opportunity for us to mitigate some of that by providing young people with every opportunity to interact with other young people so that we can help them recover some of the social-emotional skills they might have lost.”

Boston Centers for Youth & Families, run by the city, typically begins registration in March for its summer day programs, but it is still waiting to see how many of its programs it will be able to restore for this summer. Last year, it served about 3,000 kids through online and in-person programs, the department said. In a normal summer, about 4,600 young people participate in in-person day offerings.

Last year, many camps said they struggled to attract families because of concerns about COVID-19.

Crossroads, a nonprofit that offers overnight and day camps in Duxbury and Brewster, last year scrapped those programs in favor of a partnership with BCYF to offer day programs at sites in the city. Only about 400 people signed up for 1,000 spaces.

This year, parents seem to be more comfortable with the pandemic safety protocols that camps have put in place, said Simon Hess, president of Crossroads. It surveyed families of high school-age participants about whether they were interested in attending camp this summer. Only two of 63 said they wouldn’t come under any circumstances.

But when the Duxbury and Brewster camps open as expected this year, he said, they will only be able to serve about 320 people — down from 1,000 in a normal year — because of the need for social distancing and other protocols.

Delicia Stephens, a South Boston educator whose two children have been involved with Crossroads for years, said her 11-year-old daughter, Sanyrah Andrews, is eager to participate this summer after taking part in the BCYF collaboration last year. But Stephens said she’s not planning to shop around for a different camp if her daughter does not get a spot at Crossroads.

“If that happens, then she won’t go anywhere,” Stephens said. “I’m only willing to send her to the Crossroads program. Because I trust them. I know them.”

It is the summer of 2020 and 85% of the Overnight Summer Camps were closed. At Swift Nature Camp we opened and with proper protocols kept our campers and children safe. If I had to pick one thing that campers were appreciative for at camp it would be the chance to be outside, running, playing and enjoying nature. Below is an article from Richard Louv about nature and the pand

Our Need for Nature in the Time of COVID 

Join me in the movement to connect children and nature

JANUARY 2021
Back in June, The New York Times ran this headline: “Nature Deficit Disorder is Really a Thing,” adding, “Children’s behavior may suffer from lack of access to outdoor space, a problem heightened by the pandemic.” The Times got that one right, and we appreciated it.

One of the pleasures for those of us who work with the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is that we get to meet so many people whose lives and communities have been changed through our shared cause. 

We hear from parents who have witnessed the power of nature to help reduce their children’s symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and, for some parents, help fight their own depression. We’re inspired by parents who have launched nature clubs to help families get a regular dose of “Vitamin N”—and of course, we meet children. We’ve seen their eyes light up in the presence of a mud puddle or a frog or a star.

We’ve encountered young college students inspired by the children and nature movement to pursue careers in environmental education, outdoor recreation and nature therapy. 

We’ve spent time with countless teachers who talk about the impact of outdoor learning and play on their students. As one teacher told me, “When I take my students outdoors, the troublemaker in the classroom becomes the leader in nature. Not just better behaved, the leader.” 

And we hear from grandparents who have committed themselves to do everything they can to make sure theirs isn’t the last generation in which it’s considered normal and expected for a child to go outside and lie in the grass and watch the clouds.

“This is fundamentally a movement of people helping people. Of all ages.”

We’ve met conservationists, despairing at the state of the environment, who say they’ve been revived by the children and nature movement. We know pediatricians who write nature prescriptions or incorporate the healing qualities of the natural world into their practices.

We’re working with mayors and other community leaders who are transforming their cities, neighborhoods, and institutions in ways that assure that all children, not just a few, have a chance to read under a tree or see the stars. Today, through the partnership of C&NN and the National League of Cities, 18 major cities are focused on deep systems-level change to improve equitable access to nature, charting a course that can be applied in countless cities and municipalities.

We’ve been inspired by librarians who create “nature smart” libraries with outdoor learning centers and reading areas; and by dramatic growth in the number of nature-based preschools across the nation and around the world.

Through C&NN’s efforts, and the good work of other organizations, the green school yards movement is transforming the school experience, not only for thousands of students but for community members who help create and enjoy these new outdoor spaces. The payoff: healthier families, improved test scores, resilient communities.

“In a few short years, we’ve seen this movement spread around the urbanizing world. This may, in fact, be one of the most effective social movements of our time.”

It’s a movement based on a rapidly growing body of research on the benefits of nature connection for physical, mental and cognitive health. When I was writing Last Child in the Woods, published first in 2005, I could confidently cite about sixty studies, pursued by a handful of pioneering researchers. Today, C&NN has assembled an online research library, available free to anyone in the world, offering abstracts of over 1,000 studies, with more added every month.  

Now comes COVID. The pandemic, as tragic as it is, has dramatically increased public awareness of the deep human hunger for nature connection. 

Even before we began socially distancing, health professionals worried about an epidemic of human loneliness, which, along with smoking and obesity, is a high-risk factor for early death. Today, families, stressed by fear of the virus, facing economic uncertainty and hardship, find themselves cut off from their usual social circles. They have turned to nature for solace and connection. 

Families have rushed to foster pets and they have forged a stronger bond with the animals right outside their windows. In a July op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, I wrote about a woman whose daughter had a strong attachment to a screech owl that lived in a tree outside a bedroom window. Long before the coronavirus, the owl disappeared one day. A few weeks ago, when her family was feeling particularly anxious, her daughter suddenly brightened and shouted, ‘The owl’s back!’” Her young son now rises early to watch the owl, “and the owl watches him,” his mother reports. For this family, nature connection brings “an awareness of something greater.”

No matter what our age, when isolated and on our own, we find ourselves yearning for a horizon of trees, wind across a prairie, and for our extended family of animals.

During lockdown, a friend of mine placed a bird feeder outside her elderly mother’s bedroom window so her mother could be soothed by sparrows, chickadees and doves. My friend reports that she is grateful for “all the fluff and feathers God provides, to be healing for our wounded spirit” — and won’t again take the presence of wild animals for granted. 

Some of us are lucky to live in places where connecting to nature is easier. But too many people have too little access to parks, yards or even a tree outside a window.

These inequities may worsen. Economic deterioration now threatens the survival of programs and parks that connect children and families to nature – especially those who otherwise would have little access. While more adults are packing the parks, children are often not with them. We fear that children may be spending even less time in the natural world than before the contagion of COVID-19. 

Research tells us that time spent in nature can soften the effects of psychological and physical trauma. In the coming months, as the pandemic-related mental health crisis continues and grows, access to the natural world – to the “fluff and feathers” and an “awareness of something greater” – will be more important than ever.

This is why I ask you to support the Children & Nature Network and other good organizations working to make sure that all children – not just a few – receive the healing gifts of nature. Learn more about our work and please join us today.

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I have recently noticed a trend not only in myself in in society. It is when we endlessly scrool our newsfeeds despite it bringing us dispare and anger. Many of my friends have told me they nolonger read thier newsfeed and how doing this has increased thier. overall joy and happiness. So I began researching the effect this might have on our kids. Here is what I found.

Doomscrolling: 11 Experts Share Tips on How to Stop the Negativity

December 9, 2020 By Smart Social 

We know that we adults are just as bad as teenagers when it comes to “doomscrolling” or “doomsurfing.” Never heard of it? It’s the act of consuming an endless stream of negative online news. Many people can’t help it. We like to read into sad news, disheartening news, and news that is just downright depressing. So how do we end the cycle of doomscrolling for ourselves and teach our tweens and teens how to stop it as well? 

We asked 11 experts to share their tips and thoughts on how to teach teens to stop doomscrolling, look for the positives, and teach them to recognize the negative impacts news and social media can have on their mental wellbeing.

1. As teenagers continue to develop, don’t be afraid to intervene 

While working with our kids to help them manage their relationship to news, social media, and doomscrolling, we can keep a couple of things in mind. First, if we’re struggling ourselves to stop doomscrolling or to limit our social media usage, it’s unrealistic for us to expect our teenagers to stop easily. This is even more true when we realize that their prefrontal cortex is still developing, which makes it even harder for them to manage impulse control.

Social media works hard to keep us plugged in, to keep us scrolling, and to keep looking at paid advertisements while we do so. So rather than expecting our teenage kids to be able to face this on their own, it may be helpful for us parents to intervene. This could look like setting a timer, having times when phones are not accessible (or to have WiFi shut down at certain times, or use an app that shuts the phone down, such as Moment or Offtime). 

It may also be helpful to have discussions with your teen about how they feel while they’re using social media, what triggers they might notice that make them want to log onto social media, and how social media operates. These types of authentic discussions may help them be more critical in their consumption and to continue forming healthy habits around technology and media as they transition into adulthood.

2. Explain cultivation theory and encourage the balance of positive stories 

Cultivation theory suggests that a primary danger of doomscrolling is that the more exposure we have to negative stories about the world, the more negative our perceptions of the world become. Researcher George Gerbner called this specific type of cultivation “mean world syndrome” and it can color not only how we see the world, but how we choose to interact with the world and the people in it. 

To protect teens against allowing doomscrolling to shape their perceptions of the world, one thing we can do is explain cultivation theory to them, specifically pointing out the damaging impact of regular exposure to sad or disheartening stories on their perceptions of the world.

In addition, we can encourage them to balance those stories with other, more positive ones. Teaching this important theory of media literacy is key to helping make sure teens don’t cultivate incorrect and overly-negative perceptions of the world.

3. Instead of Doomscrolling, subscribe to positive, feel-good blogs and websites

I was once a serial doomscroller. But being one doesn’t mean you can’t overcome this toxic habit that can affect your mental health. Here’s one effective way to have a good relationship with social media and avoid doomscrolling:

Subscribe to newsletters, websites, and social media accounts that create a feel-good vibe.

Keeping your boundaries from catastrophic news can be tough. However, it will be much easier if you focus and surround yourself with websites that make the digital space a better place. Push that subscribe button and follow sites that promote positivity, gratitude, healing, kindness, or even a good laugh. This uplifting content will help you to conquer doomscrolling by filling your feed with feel-good materials. It requires time, effort, and willingness to feed your thoughts with positivity and maintain strong mental health. Thus, it is your responsibility to choose and manage what goes in and out of your mind. You need to be intentional and picky of sites or content that you are engaging. With this, it will help you avoid the dangers that you can get from doomscrolling.

4. Teach your teens to recognize doomscrolling for themselves and create their own power to close out of the apps 

One of the best things we can do to help teens avoid doomscrolling is to lead by example. If all of the daily activities and life events teens ever experience are negative, this will feed their appetite for more negative news. What we need to do is show them positive experiences and fun activities, so they have a zest for life. That way when they get into a doomscroll, they will have the mindset and ability to say, “this is all too negative and I need to stop scrolling”, and close the app. You want them to do it of their own accord. Simply telling them to close the browser or app when there is too much negativity will never work! 

Teens don’t want to listen. Instead, we need to focus on building an attitude that is positive, so they don’t want to be brought down. Take your teen to a concert, baseball game, watch funny movies together, take a random road trip somewhere fun, or just do something as small as making an unexpected run for ice cream. It doesn’t matter what you do together, as long as you’re doing something fun and positive. This will help nurture an outlook of positivity, so they will want to end a doomscroll, rather than being told to do so.

5. Lead by example

We need to teach the importance of self-care and switching off in schools. Education is important and kids need to know that consuming too much negative news will impact their mental wellbeing. It’s also important to practice what you preach and you can’t tell teens not to doomscroll if you’re constantly doing it yourself. I’m a self-confessed doomscroller. I know it does me no good, yet I continue to read the bleakest, most depressing news I can find. To try and overcome this, I have set some basic rules. I have an 8PM curfew when it comes to my phone and I plug it in overnight in a different room. I find that this helps me to switch off in the evening and sleep. Doing this needs to become commonplace for us all because culturally we all need to make a change in order for the younger generation to learn that doomscrolling is unhealthy. It isn’t always possible to make tweaks like this but attempting to reduce your consumption is important. 

It’s also good to talk openly about any benefits you’ve experienced by making a change. Explaining how much better your sleep is, how much more connected to the moment you feel, and how you now have more time to pursue your hobbies because you’re not constantly doomscrolling will impact the teens around us. By expressing the benefits, teens will see that putting their phone/laptop/tablet down can be positive.

6. Try a social media fast 

One approach to breaking the addiction to doomscrolling is to explain to the teenager that most apps are designed with gamification in mind. Teenagers don’t like the idea of being controlled, so they might not like that most apps are designed to do exactly that.What’s more effective than this is a break from social media and doomscrolling. Challenge your teens to a 72-hour social media fast. Maybe get a trusted third party to change their passwords, so they can’t accidentally relapse by ghosting to their favorite app.At the end of the three days ask them if they felt any withdrawal symptoms as a result of not being able to go online. Then explain that the anxiety and unrest they felt was because they’re psychologically addicted to data feeds of useless information that are of no real benefit to them.

7. Don’t Sabotage Your Mental Health With Doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is a form of self-sabotage. It’s letting the internet steal your joy. It’s difficult to step away from the internet and social media, but what I find works is finding an offline activity to replace the time you spend on your phone. Make a solid plan, don’t allow any idle time to fill, because that’s when you’re going to be tempted to doomscroll, out of habit. Put your phone out of reach and go watch a movie, play with your dog, draw, or read a book. Teens may be comforted by their favorite show or a chat with a friend. They really need it.

8. Listen to a podcast or volunteer with a non-profit organization

Doomscrolling is more prevalent than ever. Negative news and fear sell a lot more than positive events. As a result, we are continuously bombarded by them, changing how we think and operate. Our children are also exposed to it, and if we do nothing about this, their more malleable minds will suffer.We need to consciously make efforts to tone down doomscrolling, and tune into sources of positivity such as Here’s Something Good at iHeartRadio. This podcast inspires us to do good with useful tips, and shared experiences.We need to overcome our fears and live life as though each day could be our last. We need to remember that what is most valuable is the legacies we leave behind. Nothing is more meaningful than striving to become a better person every day while touching the lives of others, and volunteering for nonprofits is a great way to accomplish this.

9. Teach your teens to manage and control their doomscrolling themselves 

I think one way we can teach teens to end the cycle is for parents to regularly share happy or exciting news with their teens. This promotes positivity and shows teens that all news isn’t negative and sometimes we are only shown or fed the negative news headlines. Another way is for parents to communicate with their child that they have the power to control what to do if they feel depressed. If they feel sad after reading a piece of news, immediately close the article. After all, teens can’t be monitored 24/7 to prevent them from reading sad news. They have to learn how to manage it and control it by themselves to stop this vicious cycle.

10. Turn off push notifications 

Push notifications are among the major reasons to have any of us addicted to our phones. They make us want to check different applications over and over again. You open the app to check that one notification and end-up spending hours scrolling through not just that one platform but also other mediums.It’s a psychological phenomenon, that once you enter a place even when you do not want to, you then do not want to leave it even if you want to — and vice versa. So we need to not enter an app at any cost, that’s the first step.One way you can teach your teens to end this cycle is by having them turn their push notifications off for specific apps to not get distracted, or use the iPhone’s Screen Time feature to block updates and notifications for a set amount of time. This will help end the cycle as your child will only be checking their phone and various apps actively, not passively. 

11. Stop scrolling on social media in bed

It’s incredibly easy to get caught in the doomscrolling void, especially when our social media circles tend to be an echo chamber filled with like-minded people. If everyone is struggling, it’s easier to get stuck in that cycle. This can lead to you never really seeing the upside of anything. Instead of just being cautious or even a little cynical, you’re always that way and can easily become depressed, disillusioned, and otherwise miserable.

Breaking the habit is hard. Make sure to not scroll social media in bed, for one. That’s where most people do most of their doomscrolling. I’d also recommend setting time limits for yourself.

Conclusion

Everything starts with setting the example we want our teens to follow. We have all doomscrolled longer than we care to admit, but recognizing the trap and exiting out of the negative news is the first step in the right direction.

 

Source: Jonathan Wells

1. Camp appears to be a key context for developing relationship skills. This is consistent with past research on camp, but [new] findings suggest that the relationship skills young people gain at camp might play a role beyond the camp experience.
2. As a context for developing relationship skills, preliminary findings suggest that camp is an integral part of a young person’s overall learning, alongside school and other educational contexts.
3. Camp is a unique learning experience that appears to promote skills transferable to 21st century school and work contexts.
4. Preliminary findings suggest that camp is a safe place for young people to explore who they are and how they want to be viewed by others.
5. Camp gives campers the opportunity to practice being around and appreciating people with attitudes, values, and abilities different from their own.

So, what do the kids say

• Camp helped me make new friends. (96%)
• Camp helped me to get to know kids who are different from me. (93%)
• The people at camp helped me feel good about myself. (92%)
• At camp, I did things I was afraid to do at first. (74%)

Their parents explain the outcomes for their kids, including the following.

• My child gained self-confidence at camp. (70%)
• My child continues to participate in some of the new activities he or she learned at camp. (63%)
• My child remains in contact with friends made at camp. (69%)

As leaders in “trauma-informed” education, summer camps also support children who have experienced trauma in their lives.

In her Camping Magazine article “A Time to Grieve: Dealing With Loss and Change This Summer and Beyond” editor-in-chief Marcia Ellett points to work of camp professionals, and others, in ensuring “best practices and educational resources to facilitate the mental, emotional, and physical health of grieving children and their families.” She cites the important impact of the National Alliance for Grieving Children, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the needs of children and teens who are grieving a death and provides education and resources for anyone supporting them (Ellett, 2020).

It takes a village.

Speaking about trauma-informed programming, Linda Ebner Erceg, RN, MS, PHN, adds, “That also means not only understanding the prevalence of trauma … but also recognizing that trauma histories will arrive with some campers and staff, and those histories have the potential to color the camp experience. Being trauma-informed also means assessing camp practices to determine their potential to trigger trauma responses …” (Ebner Erceg, 2018). 

Trauma is the experience of a person to an event that is emotionally painful or stressful. Trauma can result in lasting mental and physical effects and is defined by the experience of the survivor. According to recognizetrauma.org

The behaviors caused by trauma sometimes depend on a child’s age when the symptoms appear. However, some symptoms can affect all children, including:  

• Major changes in eating or sleeping
• Nightmares
• Anger or rage
• Unreasonable fear
• Unusually strong startle reactions

What if trauma-informed became trauma-resolved? It has, in the form of Experience Camps, which offer free one-week camps for boys and girls “who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver.”

Sara Deren, Chief Experience Officer, and Cara Allen, Chief Clinical Officer, told me on a Zoom call that their camps provide a blend of typical camp activities with a clinical component to help kids process grief:

Grief can change the trajectory of a child’s life. The only question is how. We know that grief camp can help foster resilience. It's a place where kids can laugh, cry, play, create, remember the person who died, or forget the grief that weighs them down. It's a place where they can feel “normal,” because everyone there has been through something similar and understands what it's like to lose someone important to them.

In interviews, three Experience Camps campers, Peyton (age 10), Nani (age 16), and Graham (age 17) – each of whom lost a parent – told me about their losses and reflected on their stays.

Peyton: 

• I lost my dad when I was five. My mom has been there for me and when I cry, she says life is unfair sometimes.
• Camp was very fun, though I was scared of the fish. I made a lot of friends I could talk to. I liked the water swing into the lake and I did it a bunch of times, even though I was afraid.

• Nani:

  • The day I celebrated my 10th birthday is the day my dad passed away. It helps to share memories of him with my brother and uncle.
  • At camp, I have a community of people who understand the loss of a parent. It’s helpful to recognize I am not alone in this and that I am not as broken as I was feeling, I went to camp for six years, made great friends, and had group chats. Everybody knows you as a person and encourages you to be happy again and not feel guilty about it. Going through grief makes time stop, so it’s powerful to have the camp experience.

   

  Graham:

  • When I was in sixth grade, I was walking home from school and saw my dad’s car in the driveway two hours earlier than usual – not a good sign. My mom had brain cancer with chemo and radiation for five years. I was confused and dazed but I never lost hope. My relationship with my dad is strong, so I talk about it with him at dinner every night. When I have my breakdowns, I call him. I was sad and angry. I was in denial. Being vulnerable is the biggest challenge.
  • My first summer at camp in Maine was a little scary. I was pretty silent but listened to the other kids, which was helpful. I thought, ‘Wow, they’re strong.’ Every one of them lost someone they loved, which helped us to form a community. I am afraid of heights, but I did the rock-climbing wall anyway. And I learned to comfort others. It’s the best week of the year.

   

  The common themes of loss, struggle, challenge, and positive risk-takingabound. Pitching the magic of summer camp for children with unresolved grief.

  Information about other camps for grieving children, including Camp Amanda the Panda, Camp Erin, and Comfort Zone Camp can be found herehttps://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/contrib/extlink/extlink_s.png"); width: 1px; height: 1px; position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); white-space: nowrap; clip-path: inset(50%); border: 0px; background-position: 2px center; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">.

   

  References

  ACA. (2020a). Research and evaluation. American Camp Association. https://www.acacamps.org/research (30 Nov. 2020).

  ACA. (2020b). The value of camp. Benefits of Camp. American Camp Association. https://www.acacamps.org/campers-families/because-camp/benefits-camp/value-camp (30 Nov. 2020).

  Browne, L. (2018). Research 360: promising themes from phase 1 of the 5-year impact study. January 29, 2018. American Camp Association. https://www.acacamps.org/news-publications/blogs/research-360/research-360-promising-themes-phase-1-5-year-impact-study (30 Nov. 2020).

  

  Stephen Wallace is director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE), a national collaborative of institutions and organizations committed to increasing positive youth outcomes.

  Online:

   Stephen Gray Wallace - Author, Speaker, Consultant
  

  • SHARTWEET

     

DID YOU KKNOW YOUR CHILD CARE TAX CREDIT CAN HELP REDUCE THE COST OF SUMMER CAMP?

INVESTOPEDIA MAKES THES SUGGESTIONS.

Childcare benefits 

Paying a daycare center, babysitter, or even summer-camp fees for a child can be a lot cheaper with tax benefits. A child which constitutes a qualified tax dependent who is 13 or younger, as well as a disabled dependent of any age, make parents eligible for a tax credit that can ease their federal income tax obligation.3

• Up to 35% of qualifying child care expenses (capped at $3,000) for a single child.4
• Up to $6,000 for multiple children or dependents.4

This tax credit is intended for both employed and self-employed parents and guardians who earn income regularly. Individuals and couples who have been unemployed for a part of the year can also use it. To qualify, all the following conditions must be met:

• You must have earned income in the past tax year (both your spouse and you if you are filing together).4
• You must be the child’s (or dependent’s) custodial parent or caretaker.4
• You must either work and earn an income, or actively be looking for employment.4
• Your child/dependent must be 13 or younger—unless they have a physical or mental disability that makes them unable to care for themselves.4
• The provider(s) of childcare must not be your dependent or spouse, nor the child’s parent.4

The IRS has a broad spectrum of expenses it considers childcare-related, which are not limited to daycare and babysitters. The full list of potentially eligible expenses includes the following:

• Babysitter or licensed childcare center3
• Maid, housekeeper, or cook who cares for the child/dependent3
• Summer camps, day camps, and even sports camps can qualify if they care for the child/dependent while the parents are working. Overnight camps are not included and do not qualify3
• Before-school and after-school care for children of 13 and younger3
• Nurse, or other care providers for disabled children or dependents3

ACA works with accredited camps to provide:

What are some of the 300 ACA standards ?

What's the difference between state licensing of camps and accreditation by ACA?

How do ACA standards exceed state licensing requirements?

How can I verify that my child's camp is ACA accredited?

As parents  we all want to be the best parents we can be. Our goal is to help develop children who are kind, considerate, independant and can do things for themselves. In short, we want our children to be thier personal best. Yet, thier is one thing that every parent MUST remember. The video is a parent skill video that will help you help your child. The steps outlined are the same steps we train our camp counselors  to do in helping a child. Watch this video to learn this helpful 4 step program.

Keeping Summer Camp Magic Alive Through COVID-19

At the end of summer camp 2019, as we all said goodbye to SNC for the year and started to make plans of returning in 2020, we did not anticipate an obstacle quite like COVID-19. As the pandemic started to grip the nation, life as we knew it was about to change. It didn’t take long for my college to shut down, originally only being an extended spring break, which quickly turned into remote learning from my hometown for the rest of the year. Friendships made at school were suddenly taken away, plans that were made for the end of the school year, all gone thanks to a pandemic. Yet, despite all of this, SNC 2020 still happened as planned, with a few adjustments of course. 

Coming to camp wearing a face mask would be the first noticeable change that took place in the summer. As I showed up, the bright smiles I was used to seeing on the first day back were replaced with a piece of fabric that made breathing more difficult. Usually during staff training, all the male counselors would sleep in one cabin and all the female counselors would sleep in another cabin. This year, we were split up, having to open multiple cabins so that we could minimize the risk of spreading the virus if one of us had it. Despite this, some things didn’t change. We still created strong bonds with each other and grew from strangers to friends, we still laughed and joked, it still felt like we were at camp. With camp set up and ready to go, there was only one crucial piece missing, the kids.

Our first session is always the shorter Discovery session. It is designed for campers who have never been to Swift to feel out if this camp will become their new summer home. In previous years, our biggest worry was homesick kids, as many of them had never been away from home for two weeks. This year, we had the unique obstacle of COVID, which would test our abilities as a team, communicating with each other if we were worried about a possible case of COVID, enforcing children to wear face masks in hot and humid weather, having a UV light in the cabins, and having a reworked schedule. With all of these changes, some of the returning counselors wondered if it was even the same camp we had come to love. As it would turn out, it was. It became clear quickly that there did not appear to be any cases in camp, and as no one could leave and come back, all worries of spreading the virus were gone and we got to enjoy camp as we knew it. After the first week, we relaxed COVID restrictions, the masks we once wore over our faces were no longer present, instead replaced by the beaming smiles of kids. 3rd activity and Free Time came back, which was fantastic, because even counselors love Free Time. Camp was back to normal, and there was no greater feeling. As the second week came to a close, so too did the session, and we sent home all of our new friends happy, dirty, tired, and most importantly, COVID free. For them, it was the end. For us, it was merely the beginning.

While Discovery felt difficult with COVID policies, the first Explorer session would present a new issue. Many kids in these sessions have been coming here for years, and they knew how the schedule worked and what camp felt like, so when that was all changed due to a virus, they faced a similar problem the returning counselors had. Was this the camp that they had grown to love and call home in the summer? The hardest part about this session was not being able to hug all the kids you remembered from years prior as they got dropped off. We had hit the reset button, our guards were up, and we were ready to beat our invisible virus enemy again. As a counselor, I am always shocked by how much the kids change over a year of time. In the months we aren’t at camp, little boys and girls turn into young men and women. Some kids feel like they’ve grown a foot since you’ve last seen them. Seeing these changes is one of the most exciting parts of this job, because even though they’ve changed on the outside, they are still the same kids on the inside. There were several returning campers I didn’t recognize at first glance due to their growth and the face mask over their mouth. After settling back into our COVID scheduling, it again became clear that the chances of the virus being present here were quite low, and a bit into the second week of camp, we relaxed restrictions. All of a sudden, it was back to normal, the bell woke us up, we stood shoulder to shoulder in the bathroom all trying to brush our teeth, and we high fived and sang on our way into the dining hall. Camp was back, and for a longer time during this session. Free Time and 3rd activity allowed us all to meet new people and make new friends, whether they had been coming for years or this was their first year here, camp was in full swing. Smiles, laughter, and singing filled the dining hall, and the returning campers remembered why they come back every summer. The second week quickly came to a close and the third week flew by, bringing us to the end of another session. Again, we sent the kids home happy, dirty, tired, and COVID free. 

When the final session of the summer came around, we knew COVID cases were rising, and some of us began to worry about having the virus at camp. As the final group of campers arrived, we all had to put masks back on and completely restart, which was very difficult for both staff and campers who stayed for 6 weeks. We had just enjoyed living mask free at camp, and for one last time, we started all over again. However, the first week flew by and we once again began to relax COVID policies more and more, until we were able to return all the way back to normal camp. The last session always feels the fastest, and this one was no exception, and felt like it ended as quickly as it started and the summer was coming to a close. Due to our strict policies, and possibly a little bit of camp magic, we were very fortunate not to have a single case of COVID amongst campers or staff.

We always tell the campers that camp is a magical place, and some choose to believe it, and some don’t. After this summer I can say, without a doubt, this is the most magical place to exist. Despite there being a pandemic, we still had camp. Even with COVID restrictions, we still had fun. And even though case numbers grew as the summer went on, no one here ever got the virus. Against all odds, we had another successful summer, filled with laughter, singing, and a ridiculous amount of sand in everything we owned. We would wake up every morning, feeling thankful that we were at camp, having fun, and being safe, even if it meant wearing a face mask. But the days where the masks came off, there were screams and cheers of joy, because it meant that we were finally back home for the summer, the way we wanted it to be all year. And it made leaving even more bittersweet than it usually is, because we overcame an invisible enemy, by working together, by using patience, knowing the best days were ahead of us, and by uniting as a community to ensure we could all get the experience that we wanted to have. If that isn’t the very magic of camp at work, I have no idea what is. This summer exemplified what camp is about, adapting to change, working together, and overcoming any challenges that come along. With summer 2020 behind, we are already looking forward to summer at SNC 2021. Until then, keep smiling, respect one another, and when it’s summertime again, we will be up here waiting for you to return.