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Camp Sequoia is an intentional community that takes pride in being uniquely designed to scaffold social success. We empower young men in a nurturing environment that takes a different, research-supported approach. We interview all of our campers to craft a camp setting where campers can thrive rather than just survive. Many of our campers have ADHD or similar diagnoses, so we structure our program around improving social skills in ways that are both fun and engaging for campers.
There are a number of benefits we impart on the boys who stay with us every summer, but there are three that really stand out. What makes Camp Sequoia the destination for your #bestsocialself?
Social Growth That’s Both Fun and Fulfilling
First and foremost, our goal is to make sure our campers have an absolutely fantastic summer. Blending social growth and fun isn’t the easiest task, but two decades of experience has helped us to craft a winning formula.
From extensive staff training and certification to developmentally appropriate teaching ratios, we have a profound understanding of the little things that eliminate small friction points and set up our campers to become the best versions of themselves. Our 2 staff for every 5 campers are US based and culturally competent to understand the realities of the growth and development of our campers.
Smaller groups ensure each camper is fully addressed and receives individualized attention to succeed on the tasks at hand, as we discuss further in our blog on “The Benefits of Small Group Instruction at Summer Camp”. From STEM to archery to general athletics, our counselors will be there every step of the way. By mixing individualized attention with fun activities in a safe environment, we help create the opportunity for meaningful growth.
Peer Relationship Approach
The Davidson Institute has several good articles on specific characteristics of dual exceptionality, including a couple of case studies with students who are gifted and exhibit characteristics of being twice-exceptional. We discuss this topic further in our blog, “How Summer Camp is Instrumental in Developing Peer Relationships.”
A common theme we see in our campers is they either gravitate towards befriending those younger than them, where they feel most comfortable and compatible, or adults much older than them. At Camp Sequoia, we like to group our campers by similar age into Divisions. Once assigned to their Division, they will be paired with a (just one– not a bunkhouse full) roommate selected with similar interests and participate in activities with all of the campers in their Division.
Inquiry based, camper centered activities form the core of helping our young men achieve success. By grouping the boys together with others in their age bracket with similar interests, they can branch out, develop their social skills, and make friends with their same-age peers. Introducing these skills at camp then carries over to the regular school year where they can continue to flourish and grow.
Social Cognition and Frustration Tolerance development
By incorporating a framework of frustration tolerance and social cognition growth, we’re able to ensure our campers become well rounded young men. Increased frustration tolerance allows our campers to actively work through and better cope with situations that may frustrate them.
We help them by providing them with new methods and approaches so they can make consistently appropriate conclusions down the road when they aren’t with us at camp. Having experts in this field on staff allows us to provide this support in an authentic, inquiry-based way.
Social cognition deals with the appropriate ways we interact with others on a daily basis. This encompasses all verbal and non-verbal communications that go into successfully reading social cues. By training and certifying our staff in best practices and modeling these for our campers, we provide a supportive environment in which our young men can thrive at camp and beyond.
Camp Sequoia Has All the Benefits of Summer Camp and More
Helping our campers be the best versions is what we do at Camp Sequoia. A summer of fun, friends, and social confidence are typical outcomes for campers who join us for our residential or Hawaii adventures. If you’re interested in enrolling your son in our summer camp program or would like information about our weekend adventures, please get in touch with us! You can contact us online or call us at 610-771-0111.