Stephen Wallace: The benefits of a summer camp experience for children are always impossible to calculate. But the American Camp Association has studied this with kids from all over the country. And they find that that experience results in things like appreciation for nature, better socialization skills, spirituality, connectedness with other people, skill development, confidence and a host of other positive outcomes of that summer camp experience. In my own research, I have found that summer camp experience help kids in 3 very critical areas of development. The first is with regard to sense of self, which is a combination of identity formation, independence, becoming more independent from their parents, and peer relationships. Establishing more adult like lasting relationships with their peer group. The second is with positive risk taking. Summer camps are filled with opportunities to go outside of one’s boundaries, if you will. Or comfort zone. Which are trying new things; make new discoveries, new achievements. The third is rites of passage. In our society, we no longer have very many formal rites of passage that help kids feel recognized for gaining maturity and achieving things. Summer camps are filled with rites of passage. And the fourth is with regard to mentoring. Mentoring is a tremendously powerful construct. And camps provide opportunities for kids to be both mentored and to mentor others.