Friends, fresh air and free-play: The Importance of Summer Camp in the Wake of a Pandemic

Shine: A child and youth development podcast

The pandemic has provided challenges on a scale that none of us have seen in our lifetimes. It’s been up to us as adults to help our youth navigate this with compassion and grace in the moment while also fueling their optimism with opportunities to reconnect with meaningful people and places in their lives — like summer camp.

Sometimes it takes the smallest of assurances, like playing outside, tossing a ball, riding bikes, taking a hike, having a snack together while the leaves rustle in the breeze that can do the best talking and offer the best reassurance.

Summer Camp is important not just for kids who need to get back to nature, but for parents who have pulled double and triple duty as unexpected homeschooling teachers this past year. Parents will need to refill their cups, and healthy time apart from our kids can help us refuel this coming summer as we get ready for the Fall 2021 school year.

In this episode, we interview two Catalyst employees who are intimately familiar with the magic and benefits of summer camp.

• Ronnie Hanks, Senior Manager for Catalyst Camps
• Kassie Vargas, Assistant Site Supervisor for Catalyst Kids and former Catalyst Camp Manager

Learn more about Catalyst Camps at catalyst-camps.org, or contact Ronnie directly with questions about Catalyst Camp: [e-mail]