What Is Your Summer Camp Staff Going to Do About It?
As Camp Directors, we have the honour and privilege of helping to raise a generation (or more) of campers and staff who can learn to make a difference, a real difference. The following activity is best done with staff, LIT, or older campers
Activity: THE DAILY NEWS
Bring in several newspapers. If staff members have been at camp for several weeks or months, they will be very excited to hear from the 'outside world'. Try to get a variety of papers (local, national, provincial, state, etc.). If you have a large group, get several copies of each one. There will be a lot of things in the paper that may not work for this exercise (ex. comics, cars, fashion, sports, etc.) so you will need enough sections of the ‘news’ to go around.
Divide your people into small groups. Have each group look at a section of the paper to get ideas about global issues that concern us all, no matter where we live. Ask each group to discuss what responsibilities, if any, we have or should have regarding the issues that they raise. After they have had time for reading and discussing, come together again as a larger group and discuss some of the issues together.
Be sure they focus not just on the issues but on our responsibility as children of this planet for problems that do not directly affect us. Encourage deep discussion and respectful debate.
Take time now to regather in their original small groups and have them come up with several concrete steps they can take now while at camp to aid their chosen issue of concern.
End this activity be hearing from all groups and allowing additional ideas or input from the others. Commend them for the steps they have taken and encourage them in this journey. Follow up throughout the coming weeks at camp. You may want to share their successes with the rest of camp!
