Happiness. It’s a good thing. Research and connected projects like Blue Zones have helped us learn that happiness isn’t something you chase or manufacture—if it’s to be meaningful and long-lasting. Intrinsic happiness is lived and bubbles up from the inside out, not the outside in. It’s created through the many threads of our life that weave together to make up a journey that includes work, play, family, friends, colleagues, community, faith, connections and disconnections.
Happiness is felt when the way we contribute to our community intersects with a purpose driven by our passions.
Happiness = Outdoors. In what ways do we do this for ourselves? (Happy parents are better parents). In what ways do we do this for our children? (Happy children are better students). Think back to your own childhood, and the times you experience the most joy. For many—this reflection lands on a time of being outside; riding a bike, playing made-up games with friends and at summer camp.
We have learned that there are ways of living and being that help set up a situation that increases the likelihood of happiness being felt and experienced. Why is this important? In general, happy people are better positioned to form effective relationships which lead to people who are contributing to work, family, community and life through a conduit of skills, strengths, and talents that they enjoy—thrive!
Outdoor = Camp! We know outdoor experiences help children thrive. We know camp experiences in particular provide youth with an opportunity to build resiliency and grit, the ability to work collaboratively with others, goal-setting, self-control/discipline, motivation, self-confidence, mindset, curiosity and effort—to name just a few.
And yet, in an effort to make our children more successful, we have forgotten the ROI of the outdoor experience. We have limited, even removed recess time from schools, over scheduled our children’s days, and hurried them indoors to complete tasks, homework, or enjoy screen-time.
We have a wonderful opportunity to help our children develop and grow, become smart, capable team members and leaders and to be wildly successful, thriving human beings. The experience of camp is huge—and is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
This summer, seek out meaningful experiences for the children in your life.
Lessons learned at camp become those threads that make up our lives—and inform the way we go about being in the world.
Lyn Lucas is the Chief Program Officer at Camp Fire First Texas. Her specialties include working with children in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, managing school-age programs and NAEYC-accredited early childhood education programs. Lyn holds a Master of Education in curriculum studies and serves on the Texas Youth and Child Care Worker Association board.
