Summer Camp: More Important Than Ever! By Andy Pritikin
Summer camps became the darlings of American families post-pandemic, as lockdowns forced parents to acknowledge the social skills deficit that kids were experiencing. While many families have fallen back to old ways, there’s a new sobering variable today making the camp experience more vital than ever: A.I.
Automation is affecting us all in our day-to-day and professional lives. Suddenly, hundreds of career paths and frontline jobs have gone the way of the dodo bird- If a robot or an app can do it, why pay for a human to do it? My friend’s company replaced 40 employees last year with 1.5 and an automation app, and he adds, “I don’t have to tell the automation program to stop scrolling on its phone!”
What will remain for our children are jobs requiring HUMAN skills that A.I. bots cannot replicate: Social Skills and Character Skills like Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Leadership, Risk-Taking, and Empathy.
Put yourself into the life of a kid today- Surrounded by intoxicating screens at home: iPads, computers, streaming TVs, smart phones, video games- and when they get to school, they get handed a laptop or stare at their teacher’s screens most of the day. Even the most disciplined families’ kids are staring at screens 4-8 hours per day, much of their waking lives.
Where’s the antidote to this societal reality? Two words: SUMMER CAMP
Summer Camp, where kids can be kids– Outdoors, screen-free, playing with each other, navigating social relationship, getting sweaty and dirty, swimming, chasing butterflies, overcoming disappointments, and learning how to compromise- the way it was for thousands of years before Microsoft, Apple, Meta, TikTok, and the Internet hijacked our world and the lives of our precious children.
Imagine a place where kids learn the skills of making and keeping friends, look out for each other, stick up for each other, and learn independence by taking initiative for themselves. This place exists at 2400 summer camps accredited by the American Camp Association. Give your kids the opportunity to truly grow this summer, on the path to becoming happy, successful adults- at Camp!
Andy Pritikin is the Owner/Director of Liberty Lake Day Camp, Past President of the American Camp Association NY/NJ, Partner of Everwood Day Camp and Camp Southwoods, and host of the Day Camp Podcast.
