By William Armstrong
A major concern for parents is how their son grows up, and how the places they spend time affect that growth. Whether it be the influences of school, friends or the internet, it seems as if there aren’t many good places for a boy can be encouraged to become a man. Perhaps, especially in the current time, you are concerned as to how your son will turn out in his walk with god. Maybe, you are looking for the right place to send your son to escape the confined nature of the modern life. This article will show you some of the benefits of boys only camps to emphasize that camp can be one of those few places.
Role models
Currently, young boys tend to look up to people such as: Pop-stars, Actors, Athletes, Youtubers, and others of that sort. These people tend to be somewhat detached from normal life, because of this, many of the young people get caught up in the dream of being famous. They see the unreal things that these singers and movie stars do and try to mimic that behavior, which oftentimes leads to poor results. At an all boys camp on the other hand, all of the people that they are around and could potentially look up to are the counselors and staff members. A group of young men who have gone through training to guide and keep safe the boys put in their care, which gives them the opportunity to show lots of maturity to younger guys. The counselors interact with your camper on an almost constant basis, allowing the guys to see an achievable and down to earth person that they can learn from.
Genuine Behavior
This may be a strange sounding topic, but there is no mistaking that boys, especially teenage and beyond guys tend to change their behavior around girls their age. Whether it be to impress them, or save face and pride, or something along those lines, every guy can most likely remember a time where they were not themselves because a girl you liked was in the room. Unsurprisingly enough, not being yourself doesn’t help someone grow as a person. By removing the distraction of the other gender, an all boys camp can help a young man really focus on who he is, without having to worry about how someone else sees him.
Positive interactions with other boys: Many summer camps split their camps into groups or cabins, usually randomly assigning people to cabins by rough age. By being put in a group with a bunch of mostly unknown guys, it forces a young man to exercise his social skills as he gets to know the other boys who he will be with for the week. When you are with people you’ve never met for long amounts of time as many groups are, it’s bound to happen that someone gets on your nerves. This conflict, under the guidance of the counselors, is a learning opportunity that builds a boy’s ability to resolve problems as well as grow his patience with other people. It can also bring to a camper’s attention parts of himself that he might need to work on when it comes to social interactions.
Christian leadership
While this topic might not be a part of an all boy only camp, I know the spiritual growth that the counselors can foster through the various devotions a camp might do. Some camps even use a “discipleship” type ministry, where a counselor doesn’t just teach god through his words, but his actions as well; by living a life that reflects the glory of god in their actions, in every interaction with the campers they minister to. In know personally that the counselors at the camp that I was a camper at really sparked my pursuit of god, as I saw what a man of God looked like. It creates a good environment for your camper to get the answers they need to strengthen their faith.
Physical Challenges
Most days at camp are filled with activity, whether it be skills they learn, all camp games the campers play, or an activity with the cabin, exercise is never far. This can cause for a lot of physical and mental growth in a young boy, as they learn and test their limits. A lot of boys only camps also tend to be mainly outdoors, allowing a break from the normally cooped up modern day life to admire God’s creation and get their energy out. Depending on how the camp plans these activities, they can calm down and tire out the campers so that they are more receptive to the message in devotionals.
Competition
One of the best ways to grow and improve is competition, at a boys only camp, this playing field is much more even. This fosters better competition and a feeling of fairness between competitors. As a camper competes with his fellow cabin mates and against other groups, it brings the cabin together and strengthens the bond they form. Another lesser emphasized aspect, but still important part of competition is sportsmanship. With the guidance of counselors, good sportsmanship in playing and finishing games and activities can really help a young man’s character grow.
Camp is a great place for all boys to grow and improve in their walks as men. I hope after reading this article, you have been shown all the wonderful ways they can learn new skills and knowledge at camp. It is a great way to spend part of a summer and extremely beneficial to the life of your son if you choose to send him.