No Fences: Why Boys' Lives Turn Around at Camp
A New Foundation
When you arrive at Allegany Boys Camp, you’ll notice that it doesn’t look much like a detention camp.
That’s because it isn’t one.
No fences, no cold sterile barracks, no threatening signs. That’s because camp is not meant to punish your child for what he’s done wrong.It’s meant to bring out the best in him.
Every boy who enrolls in camp has freely chosen to be here. And every part of his experience here is engineered to support his power of choice and honor his personhood.
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A New Focus
A boy with a history of disruptive behavior is used to being seen as a problem. He expects authority figures to be constantly reacting to his latest crisis or misdeed. And the more a boy gets a reputation as a “problem kid,” the more people assume the worst about whatever he does.
This ends when a boy comes to camp. All camp staff are trained to focus on the positive in every boy. Whatever his history, we assume he wants to learn and succeed. High expectations and a positive focus set the stage for trust and cooperation from day one.
A New Environment
Camp gives a boy a chance to start over with a clean slate. For eighteen months, he gets to leave behind the school where he’s been failing, the friends that drag him down, and the teachers he thinks are always on his case. This interrupts his negative thought patterns and opens space for a fresh start.
The predictable schedule and structured activities at camp help boys feel secure and build sound habits, starting with things as simple as going to sleep and waking up on time every day.
A New Tribe
A boy needs a supportive peer group and strong, trusting relationships with adults. At camp, he joins a group of boys who will be together constantly, led by two counselors who oversee the group 24/7.
Most boys respond well to the stable, supportive presence of group counselors and other camp leaders. And their new peers are boys who have been in the group longer and are already learning to practice better ways of coping with problems.
With the right tools and support, young men do an amazing job of helping each other work through crises and make better choices.
A New Approach to Conflict
Most boys who come to camp have trouble managing conflict. Whether they tend to avoid dealing with conflict or to explode and lash out, they lack the skills to solve normal disagreements and navigate relationships.
Effective problem solving is the most valuable skill a boy will learn at camp. Boys learn to deal with their interpersonal problems promptly and directly. Day or night, when a problem pops up between campers, everything else stops. Resolving the problem becomes the top priority, and the group huddles to talk it through.
Campers who have been in the program awhile become valuable facilitators in this process. As they learn conflict management skills, they can use them to help newer campers deal with disagreements constructively.
A New Self-Image
Often, a boy comes to camp with a mind full of harmful self-beliefs playing on repeat. The more he fails, the more he believes he’s a failure, setting him up to fail again.
In contrast, camp life is engineered to let a boy start chalking up successes from day one. Each day he faces tasks that are challenging but achievable. When he needs it, he gets kind, supportive coaching from group leaders and help from his peers.
When a boy splits a log or gets a compliment on a meal he cooked, he learns he has the power to bring value to the world. When he sleeps comfortably in a tent he helped build, he feels the rewards of hard work and planning and the sweet taste of ownership in a job well done.
A New Life Story
A typical camper arrives in camp with low self-confidence and little trust in adults. But as he bonds with his group and builds a relationship with the leaders, he starts living a new story.
A successful camp graduate hasn’t just learned to respect authority and control his emotions. He’s actually learning to mentor newer campers to conquer the problems he used to have. When he came, he saw himself as an agent of chaos and misery, at war with the world and the adults who control it. When he leaves, he sees himself as a young man in control of his future.
He has more confidence in his abilities, and he knows he has something to offer the world. He values planning and hard work, and he can cooperate with others to reach his goals.
In just eighteen months, he’s begun rewriting his whole future.
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