Special Needs Camp: 5 Reasons They Focus on the Importance of Community Services
This is a guest post written by Joe Smith of Camp Lee Mar.
Every child, regardless of their mental or physical disabilities, deserves a prosperous and successful life. If you think academic books at school and some fun activities at summer camps can make it happen, it’s time to upgrade. Today, both schools and special needs camps are opting for programs that teach kids how to be helping hands.
Whether you’re already working as a camp counselor or looking for a job, make sure your summer camp focuses more on teaching community services to children, especially to the ones with special needs. It’s because these children already have difficulty in making conversation and lack essential skills, like problem-solving, time management, and more.
Your Importance as a Camp Counselor
When it comes to summer camps, counselors will spend the most time with campers, as well as also see whether their needs and requirements are fulfilled or not. So, you need to know what is best for the children and how to implement it.
Now, the question is how introducing community service programs at special needs summer camps can help children with Autism, Down Syndrome, and Asperger’s Syndrome. If you are curious to know the answer, keep reading.
Importance of Community Services and Why You Should Go for It
First of all, community service helps children learn that a small act of kindness can have a lasting impact on the world. Other than that, it also:
Brings More Happiness
One of the incredible benefits of being involved in community service is proven happiness. For example, when a child does something good for others, in return, it provides him/her with mental and physical rewards. Also, many pieces of research and studies prove that when you keep others’ needs above yours, it results in igniting brain activity. As a result, children experience a reduction of depression and stress, which makes them happier.
Helps Get a Better Perspective of the World
Childhood is the best time to teach kids positive things about the world. With community service programs, you can prepare your campers to become more responsible, principled, and open-minded citizens. Plus, they will get to know that the work done by them can have a positive impact on the real world. Thus, they will learn to have empathy and patience.
Helps Discover Hidden Talents
By volunteering for community services, children will explore a lot of things and eventually may find out their hidden talents. Now, you must be wondering that community service is about working for others, then how come it helps kids to discover their hidden talents? Well, it’s not the volunteering, but the training and work they receive that will help them understand their strengths and weaknesses. Apart from this, working for others also helps children to develop social skills and problem-solving skills.
Teaches the Importance of Togetherness
A single individual can’t do much in social service and community service. Instead, it takes the power of the whole team to make a positive impact on the world. Thus, kids learn the importance of working together, which will help them in later life, especially professionally. Besides this, it will also strengthen their confidence.
Make a Difference
Lastly, children get the opportunity to make a positive impact in the community through their services and little contributions. There is nothing more you can do than an act of kindness and lending your helping hands whenever someone wants.
The Bottom Line
When we talk about special needs summer camp, they are designed to make children’s life better, both today and tomorrow. Based on the above discussion, it is quite clear how community services can help in preparing special needs children for a bright future. If your summer camp programs don’t give much preference to community service, it’s time to start implementing it.
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