More Relevant Than Ever Owning the Power of Camp

1. More Relevant Than EverOwning the Power of Camp Steve Baskin LOM Conference November 6, 2018 steveb@campchampions.com

2. An Odd Irony • The world is changing at an accelerating pace • Summer camp is over 150 years old . . . • . . . and has barely changed • A recipe for obsolescence? • No. Our outcomes are more critical than ever.

3. Focus on Outcomes • Success • Faith • Community “Magic” of Camp Fun Love of Nature

4. What Parents Want

5. 21st Century Skills

6. What Businesses Are Saying?

7. Spiritual Success

8. What is Success? God Family Career Community

9. 3 Challenging Trends Reduced Faith “Over-Parenting” Technology Inundation

10. Reduced Faith

11. Faith is Dropping % of US Population Pew Research Center

12. Churches Struggle to Engage Youth • Secularism of media • Myriad of entertainment options • Obsession with youth (less veneration of older generations) • Traditions seem inaccessible

13. Over-Parenting

14. Grit and Self control

15. Safetyism

16. Anti-Fragile

17. Technological Inundation

18. Disturbing Usage 60+ Hours! 53 Hours!

19. First Concern: Skill Development Personal Professional

20. Skills Require Practice

21. Second Concern: Emotional Impact Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis. - Jean W. Twenge (September 2017 issue)

22. Major Change in 2012 • Year > 50% of Americans had smartphones • Social media expands • 1st Wave - Facebook (2004); Twitter (2006) • Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat all in 2010 • Widespread expansion on R&D

23. Powerful Summary “Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy. There is not a single exception. All screen activities are linked to less happiness and all nonscreen activities are linked to more happiness.”

24. Increased Loneliness

25. Teen Suicides • Drastic change between 2007 and 2015 • 15-19 year-olds • Boys up 30% • Girls up 100% • 12-14 year-olds • Boys up 100% • Girls up 200% (Three times more than 2007!)

26. Third Concern: Impact on Faith % of US Population Pew Research Center

27. Camp Addresses these Challenges

28. Camp Helps and Protects Skill Acquisition Address Digital Challenges Faith Formation

29. Teaching Skills • Engaged, non-parent role models • Rich, challenging environment • Active problem solving • Facilitated, active learning • Adults encourage faith & reflection

30. Engaged non-parent adults

31. Rich, challenging environment

32. Problem Solving

33. Facilitated, active learning

34. Adults Encourage questioning/reflection

35. Antidote to Digital Addiction Face-to-Face Active/Engaging Low Tech Social Non-Tech Role Models

36. Face-To-Face Friends

37. Tech Free and Fun

38. Challenge and Strength

39. Camp Is The Only Place Where children will be tech free AND happy for over 24 hours.

40. Faith Formation at camp Foundation of Jewish Camp Sorenson

41. Christian Faith at camp Jake Sorenson

42. Faith-Centered

43. Relational

44. Different from Home and Participatory

45. In Nature - Awe

46. Family Camp And Retreats

47. Bringing Faith Home

48. Leaving with Hope

49. Thank you!