Collaborating with you.

   Young people are amazingly resilient. They have the capacity to face the unknown, to try things beyond their comfort levels, to take risks and to deal with disappointment. Likewise, they enjoy life to an extent that many adults wishfully admire. Their exhilaration is unmatched as they accomplish something for the first time, overcome an obstacle, or achieve recognition as a worthy, capable individual. This is who children are and what they can do.

    But they can’t, most of them, do that by themselves.  Well, they can DO it by themselves, but probably not without the support and encouragement of some important people in their lives, most notably parents.

    Parenting requires a complex set of skills. One of those is the ability to balance. How much to tell our children what to do versus let them discover for themselves? How much to let them experience disappointment versus protecting them from it? How much to try to have them experience all  that was important to us growing up versus letting their path be different? So many things to balance.

    It’s those balancing decisions we make for our kids that combine with their innate abilities and potential to tell an important story. It’s a story that describes whether or not our children will become strong and independent adults.

    We are proud to collaborate with you this summer to help your child grow up well. There are many reasons you are making this camp experience possible for your son or daughter. One of those is to let us help you make some of those important balancing decisions.

    Becoming independent is a necessary part of growing up, but you need some reassurance that your child will still have some guidance and will be safe when he/she is not with you. Camp provides that.

   Children need to learn about other people’s customs, backgrounds and values. They need to find their place in a diverse world and discover how they can function in it. Camp provides that.

   Children need to accomplish things on their own, to feel the pride that they have done something without their parents’ help. Camp provides that.

    Children need to face adversity at a level they can handle and learn that they have the ability to overcome it. Camp provides that.

   Children need to build up the confidence to set high expectations and follow their dreams. They need to interact with a variety of adult role models who can encourage them by example. Camp provides that.

   Camp helps parents raise their children. We, the staff of Campus Kids-NJ, are very proud of the role we play in helping our campers grow into happy, successful adults.

   As partners, we need to promise each other that we’ll

keep communications open. Let us know when you have a suggestion, question or criticism. Likewise, we will ask you for help sometimes and will share with you what’s happening at camp.

   We’ll be seeing you soon. Can’t wait!

-Tom