It takes a few days to get accustomed to life without screens, but when you do, the difference is noticeable.
You can feel it in yourself and see it in others.
Conversations happen at meals, with everyone at the table participating. The ability to focus and concentrate returns. Studies show that even the capacity for empathy goes up toward the end of the first week without screens.
Today, Karen Davis walked up to the Ship and mentioned she had seen three people engrossed in their own books on her short walk across camp during Rest Period. They didn’t even notice her passing by. We both recognized that we were deep enough in camp now that the capacity to pay attention had returned for them.
We are deep into camp at this point.
Tomorrow is our last full day, and there is a sense of excitement in the air. The last free swim was a big celebration. Supper was festive and funny, and now Bear, Deer, and Mountain Camp are each playing separate games, and it seems like everyone is trying to get the most they can out of their last few hours here.
On top of that, everyone has now gone without screens for two weeks, and the relationships show it.
Tonight we watched the CITs attempting flips off the low dive after dinner, most of them for their very first time. A bit of a crowd gathered on the Eden Hall Porch to cheer them on. There were some fantastic first attempts, plenty of laughs, and great applause whenever anyone nailed their first landing. We’re deep enough into camp to know each other by name and to know something of their stories. Those celebrations are about more than the flip; they’re about the person flipping.
It takes some time for these kinds of nights to develop, but when they do, it’s a great gift.
Stan Wilson
Coordinating Director & Director of Risk Management