Stephen Gray Wallace is president and director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education

As parents of a teen, I often worry about how todays childrens are fairing in this world of Social Media. I know I try to keep our son away from the adictive behaviors that the electronic world brings. The science says we and our kids are being manipulated by big business  like the Googles, and all the other social media types. They are working dilegently to hook us and our kids on their sites. Here is a recent article of some of the downsides of Social Media on our children

The Effects of Social Media and How to Build a Healthy Relationship
April 12, 2018 By Smart Social Team

More and more, students are gaining access to social media and devices at a younger age. According to research, 85% of parents with teenage children ages 13-17 report that their child have a social networking profile. While social media can be used positively as a tool to help with college admissions, career opportunities, and creating an online resume — more often students are making choices on social media that can have a negative impact on their future. In order for social media to be used in a positive way it’s imperative that parents and educators teach students about the effects of social media.

So, we asked 5 experts to share some of the negative effects of social media and how parents can teach students to have a healthy relationship with technology.

1. Social media can negatively affect students’ college and career opportunities

Jonas Sickler, ReputationManagement.com, @RepMgmt_com
The news says that teens are addicted to social media, and parents yell at their kids to unplug, but the real danger teens face with social media may not turn up until later in their lives—when they’re applying for college or looking for a job. So how can parents help their kids?

Parents should realize that their kids are already using social media. By attempting to restrict social media use, parents risk both the safety and online reputation of their children who will use the technology without the crucial guidance needed to keep them safe.

Even adults have a hard time navigating and understanding the privacy settings on their social media accounts, but we must make an effort to teach your kids how to properly configure aggressive privacy settings.

Public WiFi is dangerous. Parents must teach their kids never to send passwords or sensitive information when on free wifi networks. As expensive as it is to buy more data, it may be worth the cost to keep your kids off public WiFi networks.

2. Schedule social media time for students

Lesley Vos, PlagiarismCheck, @LesleyVos
A lack of literacy and interpersonal skills are some of the most negative effects of social media. Teens know how to find and contact people online but fail to build effective communication offline. Constitution of social interaction breaks, the importance of face-to-face contacts diminishes, literacy collapses (poor spelling and grammar, no argumentation, and inability to put ideas into words are far from all consequences here), and teens simply don’t learn to build relationships. What to do? Schedule “social media” time, encourage offline communication with friends, delete social media apps from a phone, and forget about gadgets once you go to bed.

3. Blue light emitted from screens can cause teens to lose sleep

Josh Ochs, SmartSocial, @JoshOchs
Teens are notorious for staying glued to their devices late into the night. As a result, teens might not be getting enough sleep for optimal alertness and concentration during the day. Also, there’s another factor that might be causing all of us to be losing sleep: blue light emitting from our electronic screens. The light from our screens can suppress melatonin—a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles—and increase alertness (which is great in some circumstances, but not so much if you’re trying to sleep).

Limiting screen time at night is great in theory but can be hard to enforce. So, if you’re struggling to limit screen time at night, consider using these alternatives to unplugging all the screens in your house after dark:

• Wear “blue blocker” glasses before bed
• Use warm-light light bulbs
• Enable the Night Shift feature on iOS devices

4. Interacting on social media can cause students to lose social skills

Heidi McBain, MA, LMFT, LPC, RPT
Social media can become an obsession and students can start to forget what’s most important in life. How often do we see a family out to dinner and everyone is on their mobile devices? The concern is that tweens and teens are so used to interacting with their friends on social media the importance of face-to-face interactions may start to get lost, and they might start to lose (or never learn) some of these social skills. Also, on social media people are often just putting their “best face” out into the world, meaning that people can see someone at an event having fun, but what’s really going on with them at a deeper level gets lost unless you see them or talk to them outside of the social media world.

Parents need to lead by example and set parameters around social media use. If you don’t want you child on technology all the time, then you need to model this behavior for them. Don’t use your phone while driving, plug your phone in when you get home and ignore it, and read on a separate device that doesn’t have all your social media apps on it. Also, start setting boundaries early/when they are young with technology and your children, and prepare for some push back. Our kids get one hour a day on their devices once all homework and chores are complete, they set a timer and when it’s done it’s done. They plug their devices in downstairs, and yes, we all have old fashioned alarm clocks that we use to wake up in the mornings! We are a little more lax on vacation when we’re in the car or on an airplane traveling, but when we’re out-and-about visiting people or seeing new things, all technology is put away so we can all enjoy the present moment together.

5. Social media encourages students to chase perfection

Daniel Patterson, Patterson Perspective Inc., @cdmveep
Some negative effects of social media include:

• Establishing an over-reliance on 3rd parties to define personal happiness and success
• Chasing perfection: what others appear to be, do, like, etc as dominant personal bellwether for choices, decisions, and opinions
• Getting stuck in the audience: being so consumed with others’ lives that living their own life, having independent passions becomes secondary

How to build a healthy relationship with technology:

• Use moderation. Parents should limit screen-time, especially at night, to allow for sleep, detachment, and a mental reset
• Call a spade a spade: be direct and point out the inaccuracies or false optics on social media. Teach students to read through the fanfare and value quality content over showy content
• Lead by example: ditch the smartphone at dinner, implement phone free car rides/road trips, get outside and engage with your teen…I hear a lot of “teens need to go outside”…so show ‘em how it’s done!
• Empower children to experience moments without memorializing them. So, yes, this means even you might have to skip the selfie and taking phone pictures at your next outing…but try it! See how freeing it feels

So as as an Overnight Summer Camp Director, it is easy to see how going away from home and being out in the Northwoods of Wisconsin could solve all of the above issues, while reducing the conflict and nagging parents often create while trying to reduce their childs addiction to social media. So why don't more familes embrase summer camp? I think often parents only see camp as a way to give their children a fun time. Rather than seeing camp as a place to help their child develop interpersonal skills, like: team building, responsibiliry, communication, leadership and reducing their dependance on electronics. So much more than FUN happen at Overnight Summer Camp .

Camp Jobs Prepare you for the Workforce and for Life

 Summer Camp Jobs have always been Fun, but have you ever wondered what's really going on and how it can be a resume builder for you? Recently, loads of research is coming out showing that camp jobs are give camp staff the skills that will be needed into the future. It is suggested that over the next 10-20 years automation will have taken many jobs, yet, the experts say, it is the soft skills that computers will have difficult time replaceing. Camp is all about soft skills.  We will teach you how to use these soft skills while you practice your leadership skills.

Here are skills you will develop:

1) Oral Communication Skills - We will give you the opportunity to learn how to communicate effectively with people at every level of camp including campers, fellow staff, camp directors and parents. The goals of your communication will require you to change your tactic depending on your audience and the activity.

2) Critical Thinking Skills - We will help you think on your feet and make good sound decisions. After all you are responsible for the safety of children. Daily you will be become a problem solver. You will be asked to solve a myriad of issues from safety to how to get 10 children's teeth brushed and back in the cabin within 12 minutes. This is hands on practice at problem solving.

3) Interpersonal & Leadership Skills - We will train you how to model professionalism and compassion by managing a group of campers while contributing to the personal growth and development of each individual participant.

4) Collaborative Skills - You will receive on the ground, practical, real life training in how to work with a team and help build the culture of your camp community.

5) Creativity - You will develop innovative and fun ways to engage an audience of 2- 100 and implement alternate plans when faced with unexpected changes to the daily routine.

CAMP - THE REAL JOB WITH REAL EXPERIENCE

21st Century Skills - Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and contribution are important for success in today's world. At camp these skills are taught, developed and practiced. These skills are what today's employers are looking for.

Letters of Recommendation - Because we will know you better than any other employer you have had, we live with you. We can write amazingly specific letters of recommendation that will highlight the key traits your future boss is looking for.

Professional Development - Ongoing professional development sets you up to learn about your job while building a strong team with the people you will be working with, and offers support all throughout the summer.

Pay Check - Yes, you will get paid for your time at camp. We pay a base salary, experience bonuses, and a travel bonus. Since your room & food is included, your personal expenses are almost nil resulting in most staff leaving with most of their earnings.

Leadership - You will be supervising 8-10 children along with your co-counselor in real life situations...not simulated experience. You will hone your skills to be engaging and motivating as you make decisions, manage behaviors while adjusting your living ethics. These are skills you will take with you for life.

Networking - SNC has about 100 campers and 25 staff. All of these folks can and will become networking possibilities for you. Chances are we have contacts in your career.

Diverse & Global - At camp we provide campers and staff from around the world. It is always an exciting session when we have all 7 continents represented at camp. Seven you say? Yes, we have a stuffed penguin in the dinning hall.

Training & Certification - We train our staff in First Aid, Life-guarding and other certifications that will go with you from camp, and be represented on your resume.

Internships - It's easy to see how all these skills can be used in almost any college major. We can work with you and your school to create an internship that is relevant to you and your career. This is much more than getting coffee for the executive.

So there you have it. As you can see, being a camp counselor is the best of both worlds: being outside having fun while changing the world one camper at a time. Yet, it also can provide you with the skills you will need in your professional life and your personal life. Summer Camp gives you the skills to be a better person.

As a Camp Director and parent of a teen who is studying this week for his SAT's, I often ask myself if we have missed the boat by sending our child to camp every summer. Not only Swift Nature Camp but other camps "his camps" rather than working on his resume.  Below is an article that helped me figure it all out.

Reprinted from the Washington Post -2016

Indeed, every summer, my kids “miss out” on the specialized, résumé-building summers that their peers have. Their friends go to one-sport summer camps and take summer school to skip ahead in math. Older peers go to SAT/ACT prep classes. One kid worked in his dad’s business as an intern, while another enrolled in a summer program that helped him write all his college essays.

Many (this woman included) would say that I’m doing my children a serious disservice by choosing a quaint and out-of-date ideal instead. There are online “Ivy League Coaches” that might say we are making a terrible mistake.

We don’t think this is a mistake at all. It might not be something to put on the college application (unless my child eventually becomes a counselor), but that isn’t the goal for us.

Our goal is bigger.

We are consciously opting out of the things-to-put-on-the-college-application arms race and instead betting on three huge benefits of summer camp, which we believe will give them a true competitive advantage in life:

1. Building creativity.

2. Developing broadly as a human being.

3. Not-living-in-my-basement-as-an-adult independence.

MIT’s Erik Brynjolfsson says in his book The Second Machine Age that we have reached a pivotal moment where technology is replacing skills and people at an accelerated pace. He argues that creativity and innovation are becoming competitive advantages in the race against artificial intelligence, because creativity is something a machine has a hard time replicating.

The problem is that creativity seems so intangible.

Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” He believed that people invent when they connect the dots between the experiences they’ve had. To do this, he argued, we need to have more experiences and spend more time thinking about those experiences.

Indeed. According to Adam Grant’s book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, researchers at Michigan State University found that to receive the Nobel Prize, you need deep study in your field and those broad experiences Jobs was talking about. They studied the winning scientists from 1901 through 2005 and compared them with typical scientists living at the same time. Grant writes that the Nobel Prize winners were:

• Two times more likely to play an instrument, compose or conduct.

• Seven times more likely to draw, paint or sculpt.

• Seven-and-a-half times more likely to do woodwork or be a mechanic, electrician or glass-blower.

• Twelve times more likely to write poetry, plays, novels or short stories.

• And 22 times more likely to be an amateur actor, dancer or magician.

You read that right. Magician.

It’s not just that this kind of original thinker actively seeks out creative pursuits. These original experiences provide a new way of looking at the world, which helped the prizewinners think differently in their day jobs.

The beauty of summer camp is that not only do kids get to do all sorts of crazy new things, they also get to do it in nature, which lends its own creative boost.

Most importantly, my kids have such intensely packed schedules full of sports, music, art classes, community service and technological stimulation throughout the school year that it makes finding these all-important quiet mental spaces more difficult.

Summers provide a much-needed opportunity for my children to unplug, achieve focus and develop those creative thought processes and connections.

OK, OK. Creativity might be a compelling tool to beat out that neighbour girl applying to the same college, but what about this “developing broadly as a human being” stuff?

I didn’t come up with that phrase. Harvard did.

William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions at Harvard, has penned a compelling letter to parents. It practically begs and pleads with them to re-evaluate the summer extracurriculars race and to “bring summer back,” with an “old-fashioned summer job” perhaps, or simply time to “gather strength for the school year ahead.”

Fitzsimmons writes, “What can be negative is when people lose sight of the fact that it’s important to develop broadly as a human being, as opposed to being an achievement machine. In the end, people will do much better reflecting, perhaps through some down time, in the summer.”

In terms of “developing broadly as a human being,” summer camp can provide an impressive list of life skills.

Studies over the past decade have shown outdoor programs stimulate the development of interpersonal competencies, enhance leadership skills and have positive effects on adolescents’ sense of empowerment, self-control, independence, self-understanding, assertiveness, decision-making skills, self-esteem, leadership, academics, personality and interpersonal relations.

Now for the cherry on top: independence.

Michael Thompson, the author of Homesick and Happy, has written, “ ... there are things that, as a parent, you cannot do for your children, as much as you might wish to. You cannot make them happy (if you try too hard they become whiners); you cannot give them self-esteem and confidence (those come from their own accomplishments); you cannot pick friends for them and micromanage their social lives, and finally you cannot give them independence. The only way children can grow into independence is to have their parents open the door and let them walk out. That’s what makes camp such a life-changing experience for children.”

So, yes, Ms. Tiger Mom, I am letting my children walk out the door and make useless lanyards for two months.

They might not have anything “constructive” to place on their college application, but they will reflect, unwind, think and laugh. They will explore, perform skits they wrote themselves and make those endless friendship bracelets to tie onto the wrists of lifelong friends.

The result will be that when they come back through our door, we’re pretty sure that, in addition to having gobs of creativity and independence, they’ll be more comfortable with who they are as people.

And just maybe they’ll even bring back a few magic tricks.

Laura Clydesdale lives in Berkeley, Calif., with her husband and children. She blogs at lauraclydesdale.com. Follow her on Twitter @l_clydesdale.

Last night we had a surprise 70th Birthday Party, it was for our sons Godfather. Yet, what happened was something parents rarely see, our son putting down his phone, having face to face conversations with strangers, yes socializing. Then of course the coolest part is to have other adults come up to us and tell us "what a wonderful young man our son is" or "he is so creative". Obliviously, it makes a parent proud, yet more importantly, it makes us more confident that he will be a fruitful part of society. Reconfirming to this family that Overnight Summer Camp should be a part of every child's life.

10 Reasons to Send Your Child to Overnight Summer Camp

Camps are fun. But why are they important? In a world gone tech crazy, sometimes the great outdoors is just that: great. Here are 10 reasons why every child should go to camp.

2. Self-esteem boost-When kids are at camp, they don’t have mom and dad there to help them approach people and make connections. They have to put themselves out there, it teaches the kids confidence when making friends from all over.

Learning how to canoe or developing archery skills also makes a child realize how capable he or she is to learn and grow. According to the American Camp Association, 92 percent of kids who attend camp say that the people at camp helped them feel good about themselves.

3. Attune to nature-Camp gets kids outdoors and enjoying nature. Kids today spend much less time outdoors, causing a “nature deficit” according to many reports and a popular book on the issue, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. But camp reconnects them with nature, seeing things like frogs and trails in person and experiencing swimming in a lake or biking along a path.

4. Develops independence-It’s a great way to encourage self-development and also develop independence. Kids are empowered at camp to take care of themselves, with guidance from camp counselors. Bedtimes are set and schedules are packed, but children still have to get themselves up and ready, make their camp beds and find their way to the mess hall. And kids a little too attached to mom and dad can learn how to trust themselves to make decisions and take care of themselves.

5. Instills leadership skills-It teaches them important leadership skills because camps allow kids to make choices and direct summer projects, they’re natural leadership training places. These kids are less likely to be affected by peer pressure and more likely to set the pace and tone for other kids – and feel empowered in tasks they take on throughout their lives.

6. Gives wonderful memories-Camp builds good memories for the future, to enjoy the summer with a lake-front experience, swimming and meeting new friends. Kids have tons of memories of the good times, silly shenanigans and fun activities. It’s a time of discovery and self-improvement that stays with a kid long into adulthood.

7. Helps them make friends-They get to become lifelong friends with people they don’t necessarily live right next door to.

This offers a unique opportunity for your child to branch out in the buddies he or she has. Navigating and building these friendships over the summer also teaches children how to be more socially confident – something they can take back to school with them in the fall.

8. Gets them active-Camp helps kids learn how to be kids again. In this technology-filled world, camps cut back on distractions. Many effectively ban cell phones and computers, so kids can truly take advantage of all summertime has to offer. That means those prone to sit on their duffs and text or play video games are forced to get up – and get moving!

9. Develop interests-Camps are a nurturing environment for a child to explore activities and programs that could turn into lifelong passions. With so much to do at summer camp (archery, swimming, canoeing, crafts, etc.), there are many fun activities for kids to discover.

That’s why it’s the perfect place for your child to tap into an interest that he or she wants to carry on after camp is over. Did your daughter go ga-ga for horseback riding? Perhaps she’s a budding equestrian who would enjoy regular lessons.

10. Occupies the summer-Most parents work over the summer. After all, when school lets out, kids have to go somewhere to spend their time. Camp isn’t just a “parking spot” for kids, though: It also offers fun, excitement and lessons that last.

Source: MetroParent.com

I recently found this comic and it really brought home the point of how times have changed in my lifetime. The addictive behavior of technology is a powerful force. The most recent impact is the closing of nearly 800 Toys R Us Stores in the USA. Yet this is only the beginning of how Play will change and in turn impact our kids. Below is a article by Esther Entin and published in The Atlantic that is important for all parents. It makes me realize that Overnight Summer Camp may be one of the last few areas that are tech free and dedicated to play.

What are your memories of playing as a child? Some of us will remember hide and seek, house, tag, and red rover red rover. Others may recall arguing about rules in kickball or stick ball or taking turns at jump rope, or creating imaginary worlds with our dolls, building forts, putting on plays, or dressing-up. From long summer days to a few precious after-school hours, kid-organized play may have filled much of your free time. But what about your children? Are their opportunities for play the same as yours were? Most likely not.

Play time is in short supply for children these days and the lifelong consequences for developing children can be more serious than many people realize.

THE DECLINE OF PLAY

An article in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Play details not only how much children's play time has declined, but how this lack of play affects emotional development, leading to the rise of anxiety, depression, and problems of attention and self control.

THE LOSS OF PLAY AND RISE OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

There has been a significant increase in anxiety and depression from 1950 to present day in teens and young adults and Gray cites several studies documenting this rise. One showed that five to eight times as many children and college students reported clinically significant depression or anxiety than 50 years ago and another documented a similar trend in the fourteen- to sixteen-year-old age group between 1948 and 1989.

Suicide rates quadrupled from 1950 to 2005 for children less than fifteen years and for teens and young adults ages 15-25, they doubled. Gray believes that the loss of unstructured, free play for play's sake is at the core of this alarming observation and that as a society, we should reassess the role of free play and the factors that seem to have all but eliminated it from our children's lives.

When parents realize the major role that free play can take in the development of emotionally healthy children and adults, they may wish to reassess the priorities ruling their children's lives. The competing needs for childcare, academic and athletic success, and children's safety are compelling. But perhaps parents can begin to identify small changes -- such as openings in the schedule, backing off from quite so many supervised activities, and possibly slightly less hovering on the playground that would start the pendulum returning to the direction of free, imaginative, kid-directed play.

My “Happy Place” is often the response campers give when we ask them to describe their time at Swift Nature Camp. As the Director, part of my job is to stand back and observe.  What I see from Campers & Staff is smiles, I hear laughter and notice a relaxed atmosphere all of which facilitate camp joy.

We all want happy kids. Meet Dr Martin Seligman who is a new breed of psychologists called Positive Psychologists. They ask not what is wrong with people, but what is right. They research what makes us do well in life and the reasons why some people thrive and find success and happiness in life.

We first have to agree that happiness is internal that can be shown externally or not. So instead of using a one-dimensional definition that’s dependent on momentary emotions and personality traits, Dr. Seligman has developed a more thorough theory of well-being that moves beyond the standard happiness traits.

PERMA  is what Dr. Seligman uses to define his theory and the five measurable elements he has determined lead to well-being. Camp is filled with these PERMA Pillars and maybe thats why SNC is a “Happy Place”.
P: Positive Emotion-Is feeling happy, having positive thoughts about yourself, the people around you, or your surroundings. When someone reports they are feeling content, relaxed, or happy, then they are experiencing positive emotions. At camp, positive emotions are the norm, not the exception. We’re singing; we’re dancing; we’re doing skits that don’t make sense but that cause us to laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. Whether we’re telling jokes and stories around the campfire or just entertaining ourselves talking and hanging out together, positive emotion is literally swirling around camp. You can almost see a haze of happiness and fun surrounding everyone at camp.

E: Engagement-is being  interested in and connected to what they are doing. When you’re engaged in your hobby, book or school, you’re fired up about learning something new and energized by the activity. Camp constantly exposes kids to new experiences and challenges – both recreational and social – that get them interested and excited to learn. They’re pushed to get outside their comfort zone to really engage and succeed. 

R: Relationships-As  Dr. Seligman says“other people are the best antidote to the downs of life and the single most reliable up.” Our life’s relationships – with our parents, our siblings, our friends, our spouses, and our co-workers – are key to our happiness. At camp we see old friends, make new friends, and just spend quality time building connecting with others.  Camp is an oasis that is competition and stress free, built on positive relationship building, often giving campers tools they can take and use at home.

M: Meaning- Comes from “belonging to and serving something you believe is bigger than the self.” A team, religion, family. Cabin life helps kids gain an understanding of how valued they are. Swift shows campers what it means to be a valued and be an accepted member of a community. No camper is invisible, daily  they connect with others, camp promotes integration. Kids learn that they are an important and valued member of their cabin group, and they discover their character strengths through recognition from peers and counselors. Campers learn the power they have by positively impacting others with friendship, gratitude & kindness.



A: Achievement-People flourish when pursuing goals not just mastering a skill. So, while having a great achievement is wonderful, much of flourishing comes from the striving towards the achievement. Ralph Waldo Emerson understood this by explaining, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Daily at SNC, kids have the opportunity to try new things and master new skills. Simply practicing and working towards improving or challenge themselves to try something new adds to campers self confidence and their flourishing at camp.

We hope that whether your child has been at camp for 1 year or many, you see the positive impact Swift Nature Camp has had on your child. We all want happy kids. PERMA is just one way we can better prepare children for adult life and how we deal with difficult situations when they occur. PERMA is just another skill that SNC provides to its campers and one we hope you can use in your home.

Looking for an affordable Wisconsin overnight summer camp in 2023? Look no further than Swift Nature Camp, located just 3 hours from Madison, Wi. And now, we're offering an incredible opportunity: one lucky winner will receive a FREE summer camp session for 2023! That's right, you could enjoy two weeks of summer camp completely free of charge, thanks to Swift Nature Camp.

Entering is easy. Simply click on the "Free Summer Camp" link, watch our 2 minute video, and fill out the entry form with your name and email. It's that simple! And with a value of $1500, this is an opportunity you won't want to miss. Thats Right one "FREE WISCONSIN OVERNIGHT SUMMER CAMP" winner will be awarded in just 10 days.

At Swift Nature Camp, we believe that every child deserves the chance to experience the magic of summer camp. That's why we offer a wide variety of fun and educational activities, from swimming and hiking to science and art. Our experienced counselors and staff work hard to ensure that every camper feels welcome, safe, and supported, no matter their background or experience level and yes we are screen free.

So why wait? Enter now! Click to win a FREE DISCOVERY CAMP session at Swift Nature Camp. We can't wait to see you this summer!

Read more about Discovery Camp a special Camp only for 1st timers

Overnight Summer Camp Is Expensive.Looking for an affordable summer camp in Minnesota? How about FREE Summer Camp? At Swift Nature Camp we are giving you a no cost option for summer camp.! Located just 2.5 hours from Minneapolis and offers a fun and supportive environment for kids to learn important life skills. And now, we're excited to announce that we're giving away one (1) FREE Discovery Camp for 2023! That's right - you could win two weeks of FREE summer camp simply by watching our video and filling out the entry form. This is a $1500 value and an opportunity you won't want to miss. Don't let the cost of summer camp hold you back from giving your child an unforgettable summer experience. Enter now for your chance to win and give your child the gift of summer camp at Swift Nature Camp. Only one winner per summer Good luck!

Read more about Discovery Camp a special Camp only for 1st time Campers