Powell, G.M. (2002). Because we weren’t expecting it. Camping Magazine, 75 (1), 7-8.
We opened our hymnals to sing America the Beautiful. The organ became silent
as we sang the third verse honoring “heroes proved in liberating strife.” My
niece leaned over and whispered, “Why did the music stop? It makes it sound
sad.” As we sat down after the hymn, the minister called our attention to a
listing of those called up to serve in response to our national emergency, and
then we settled in for the sermon. My niece quietly opened her drawing pad and
wrote boldly at the top, “9-30-01.” As that day was her day to turn seven years
old, I anticipated the drawing of happy birthday images . . . but then she
whispered, “Was the plane crash in August or September?” Next, she wrote,
“9-11-01.” The drawing began with two tall buildings; a plane and flames then
evolved. Next, she added a person at the top of each building, one crying, the
other with an open mouth and wide eyes . . . then the fire trucks and ambulance
with stick figures saying, “I’ll help you!” I watched as she finished her
picture by writing, “A plane hit the twin towers. It was scary.” She looked up
at me and wrote a note on the bulletin, “Do you like my drawing?” I wrote back,
“I think you did an excellent job with your picture, but I wish that it had not
happened, so there would not be this kind of picture to draw.” She slowly
nodded. “I agree,” came the note back. “What made it scary for you?” I wrote.
Without hesitation, she whispered, “Because we weren’t expecting it.” She then
closed her pad and snuggled up to her daddy for the end of the sermon.
Camp has long been associated with opportunities for dealing with and
overcoming fear — the fears of being away from home . . . snakes, spiders, and
darkness . . . as well as wondering whether one will fit in or be picked upon.
In addition, many programs intentionally create perceived-risk situations
through adventure/challenge activities, using these opportunities to process
and overcome children’s inner fears related to confidence and trust. The
current difference is that our fears are of the unknown and the unthinkable,
and while we, as adults, don’t have the security of knowing answers, the
campers will still be seeking feelings of security from us. While we are unsure
of answers and outcomes, we can take confident steps to apply the coping
principles that help us work with campers to overcome some of the known fears.
In addition, many of the indicators of stress and worry that staff need to
be sensitive to at the current time are not unique to this type of fear of the
unknown (NIMH, 2001). They can be similar to signs related to abuse,
depression, and self-esteem to which staff are already sensitive. The research
surrounding youth reactions to trauma range from examination of direct
victimization through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to indirect
exposure through media outlets or conversation. In all of the cases, there is a
wide range of reaction for both children and adults (Yehuda, McFarlane, &
Shalev, 1998). The complicating factor is that research has shown that
children’s abilities to recover from an event are influenced by the response of
the parent (Bromet, Goldgaber, Carlson, Panina, Golovakha, Gluzman, Gilbert,
Lyubsky, and Schwartz, 2000).
Specific guidelines have been developed to address what teachers can expect
from students of different age groups through a time of crisis and trauma
(Gurwitch, Sivovsky, Schultz, Kees, & Burlingame, 2001) that can be adapted
for the summer camp setting. In general, the following is a list of reactions
to expect. The key is to discuss previously the multiple ways of handling each
issue when and if it is encountered:
The same authors outline specific guidelines for ways adults can help.
Specifically for teachers and parents, the recommendations are as follows:
An interesting point about these guidelines is that while the modifications
differ slightly for age groups, ranging from elementary school to adults, the
common threads for each age group are time to recover, avoidance of reminders
of the trauma, and soothing activities to restore a sense of trust and
connection with others. Summer camp has the potential to serve a natural role
in the healing of our children and staff. The challenge now is that there is
little research-based evaluation of what types of interventions work best for
children and adults (NIMH, 2001). The caution is that each one is dealing with
a fear of the unknown in a different manner, so communication, patience, and
the building of understanding will be key aspects to be aware of during the
summer. We can expect (or predict) that it will be a summer of more of the
“unexpected” than usual.
Gwynn Powell is an assistant professor at the
University of Georgia teaching recreation and camp administration. She has
twelve years of professional year-round experience in camping. Please contact
Powell through e-mail, gpowell@coe.uga.edu
for further information regarding article content or to share research ideas.
References
National Institute of Mental Health (2001). Helping Children and Adolescents
Cope with Violence and Disasters. [Electronic Version] Fact Sheet: 01-3518.
Retrieved from: www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm.
Yehuda, R., McFarlane, A.C. & Shalev, A.Y.
(1998). Predicting the development of posttraumatic stress disorder from the
acute response to a traumatic event. Biological Psychiatry 44, 1305-13.
Bromet, E.J., Goldgaber, D., Carlson, G.,
Panina, N., Golovakha, E., Gluzman, S.F., Gilbert, T., Lyubsky, S., &
Schwartz, J.E. (2000). Children’s well-being 11 years after the Chernobyl
catastrophe. Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 563-71.
Gurwitch, R.H., Sivovsky, J.F., Schultz, S.,
Kees, M., & Burlingame, S. (2001). Reactions and Guideline for Children Following
Trauma/Disaster. Retrieved from: www.apa.org/practice/ptguidelines.html.