There are many things teenagers do to gain confidence, skills and form close bonds. Some people join a sports team or a club. Others get involved with their local youth group or get a job. Since I’m the least athletic person you’ll ever meet and I’m not very religious, I turn to summer camp for my lessons in social bonds and confidence. Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve been attending a small all-girls camp in the isolated mountains of West Virginia. Over the past six amazing summers, it’s become something like a second home to me. While it’s only a summer home, the lessons I’ve learned there have stuck with me over the years.

My experiences at sleepaway camp have helped me to become the person I am today. I remember coming into school on the first day of fifth grade, after my first summer of camp, feeling more confident than I had on any other first day. I somehow gained so much confidence over those four weeks, even though my fifth grade was spent wearing knee socks and Crocs. It was a phase. Sixth grade was even better. The summer prior, when I watched the older girls perform their final dance performances at camp, I decided I wanted to make a change in my appearance.  I don’t think I’ve ever made my mom more happy then when I asked her to take me shopping and actually listened to her suggestions. Without inspiration at camp, I would probably still be wearing knee-length shorts and T-shirts that say “Let’s jam out” to this day.

Being able to strengthen bonds with people is another life skill I learned at camp. Up until the summer after seventh grade, I didn’t really have any year-long friends from camp. I guess this is because the only  way of interaction is through email and the occasional phone call. Of course, things are different now – my sister is able to follow her camp friends on Instagram to keep up with their lives outside of camp. I didn’t have this luxury, but I also didn’t have any very close friends from camp that I stayed in touch with until the summer after seventh grade.  I  was in a cabin with a new girl, we immediately became friends. To this day, we have kept in touch  using technology tools such as group chats and Twitter. Camp friends always have a special bond that friends from home can never match. After living with each other for a month, you become less like friends, and more like sisters.

Creating these special bonds with people is another reason that sleepaway camp affects you all year round. I have never really been the social type, but at camp you don’t exactly have a choice. Like I said, once you live with strangers for a month, you don’t have much of a choice but to be best friends. Over the years, I’ve become better and better at reaching out and talking to people. Without an outlet where I was forced to make new friends and communicate, I probably wouldn’t have very many social skills at all.

And then of course, there is risk taking. Teachers always try to encourage this, but there isn’t really a way to do this except to force you to take a risk, which is basically what happens at camp. My camp specializes in horseback riding. Every year I’ve done new things with my horses, from trotting in fifth grade to cantering over jumps this past summer. I am reminded every summer how much fun risk taking is, which is something I wouldn’t know without being forced to do things I may be scared to at first.

Every day I am grateful I have discovered a place where I can learn all these valuable life skills while also having an amazing time for four weeks. Camp taught me to take risks, be social and have confidence. I’m glad I have found a place to practice doing things that might seem uncomfortable at first. A place like this is so necessary for teenagers. High schoolers need a place where they feel safe and take risks. Whether this be a sports team, a youth group, or a camp, finding a secure place is essential to having a successful and happy school year.