Summer camp is essential not just beneficial for children. At Manitou, your child will of course benefit from the excitement and spontaneous fun that you imagine when you think of “summer camp”. That “fun” is not based upon a 'tweet', but true positive social interaction. At camp your child is removed from social networking sites and texting, and immersed into spontaneous fun and positive social interactions. The technological world we live in has incredible benefits but the isolation that results causes an erosion of natural play and we all know that play is where children learn to compromise, collaborate and create.

At camp kids learn social skills, team work, while improving their self confidence and self esteem. Good things happen at camp because children are relieved of the pressure of judgment during the school year and this is replaced with a true respect for a child's individuality. How often do we hear that the greatest gift of a Manitou summer is “I can be myself and be loved for it” In essence, camp builds character. It builds on the skills that make us happiest in life and no doubt also impacts on the success of our social relationships, and our careers. At Manitou it goes without saying that we want your child to feel good about themselves, make new and unique friendships and to have lasting memories that are a harbinger of contentment and meaning in one's life for years to come. We also believe we have an obligation to do even more than that, we hope to teach your child qualities that will help him or her endure, connect, and be guided by a moral compass.

That is why we aim to inculcate at every opportunity values of respect, integrity, and tolerance. But the quality that we stress more than any other is one of gratitude. If your child is able to feel a deep sense of gratitude, your child will become more compassionate, empathetic and generous. In essence, the greatest gift of a successful camp experience is teaching your child about gratitude, and turning them into caring, optimistic, and positive children.

Before you know it, your child will be heading off to college or university and you will be fortunate to say that your child adjusted better than most because they went to summer camp. Numerous studies have shown that children that go to camp fare far better at college/university than those that have not been so fortunate. Why? Because camp helps students adjust to being away from home - it's like practice! Camp enables children to experience successful independence and sharpens their social awareness. Camp also helps children learn to deal with uncertainty. In fact the importance of camp has been clearly illustrated by the University of Denver Business School which requires every graduate to attend summer camp to learn “value based leadership”, a skill set that can only be learned in a camp setting.

Recently we just spoke to two succesful job applicants; the first who remarked that she was fortunate to get into medical school, the other thrilled to get a job in the law firm of his choice. In both cases, they were surprised to learn from their employer that it was their camp experience that pushed them over the top as the candidate of choice. As one interviewer said “camp people are better able to deal with every day stresses, and are more empathetic to the patient or client and that is critical to the success of our candidates.”

But don't worry - we know for many of you thinking ahead to university let alone to high school is a stretch! So if your child is in grade 1, or coming to camp for the first time at age 15, rest assured we will give your child the nurturing and support that is essential for their success this summer. But isn't it nice to know that this Manitou experience will positively impact them for a lifetime? H

ere's to another safe and wonderful summer!

Mark and Jeff