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Jul. 26th, 2012 12:22 amWhen I was a teenager, I went to an amazing summer camp. It's where I met ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
n3m3sis42, and I'm sure she'll corroborate some of the things that I may say in this post (although what happens on Chicken Hill stays on Chicken Hill.)
Buck's Rock is kind of a non-traditional place. Rooted in Montessori philosophies, it focuses on creative and performing arts. There are few rules, and joining as couples is discouraged (the rumor is that there's a "six inch rule"-that you need to keep at least six inches between you and the person or people you're with. Someone always used to start talking about how counselors used to carry around six inch long rulers to make sure, although this has never actually been proven.)
It was the first place I ever understood feeling like I had a community...like I belonged somewhere and where there were really people like me who I could build connections with without fear of rejection even if we weren't friends-that we shared a common goal and common ground, and that there wasn't simply a focus on getting ahead and not creating waves. It was a place where I got to stretch my creative wings, to try without fear of failure, to experiment, to learn, to discover, to grow. I understood myself in a new way after my first summer there-I had confidence that hadn't existed before, and faith that it would, indeed, get better. I knew there was a place in the world for me. I still carry camp in my heart-it was my "safe place" during labor with my daughters...I could go there in my head, and know that all would be okay.
One of the really nice thing about Facebook is that I have had the opportunity to reconnect with some old friends who I'd lost touch with (and to extend my involvement in the alumni community.) I was reading Facebook posts the other night and someone posted about the CIT (counselor in training) basketball games that had gone on that evening (this camp is not known for a strong sports program, but many people play casual sports-basketball, softball and tennis are all popular early evening activities.) He commented that in response to the CIT Boys playing shirtless basketball, the CIT girls had taken their shirts off and played in their bras. He also commented that this was a first as far as he knew (and well, he's been there for many years.) The subsequent conversation was all rather supportive of this, and someone used the word "progressive" to describe the camp. I agreed with the word choice, but I also went on to say that as a parent, particularly a parent of daughters, I was so glad to read that post, and thrilled that there were teenagers with the body confidence to do that and who felt safe in their environment doing so, rare thing for teenagers to experience and -things that they might not understand until the value of until they're much older.
(I am aware that there are reasons that people might be concerned about a bunch of teenage girls running around in bras where there are adult men. I wouldn't necessarily expect a bunch of teenage girls to think this through though.)
Hearing that story makes me hopeful.
n3m3sis42, and I'm sure she'll corroborate some of the things that I may say in this post (although what happens on Chicken Hill stays on Chicken Hill.) Buck's Rock is kind of a non-traditional place. Rooted in Montessori philosophies, it focuses on creative and performing arts. There are few rules, and joining as couples is discouraged (the rumor is that there's a "six inch rule"-that you need to keep at least six inches between you and the person or people you're with. Someone always used to start talking about how counselors used to carry around six inch long rulers to make sure, although this has never actually been proven.)
It was the first place I ever understood feeling like I had a community...like I belonged somewhere and where there were really people like me who I could build connections with without fear of rejection even if we weren't friends-that we shared a common goal and common ground, and that there wasn't simply a focus on getting ahead and not creating waves. It was a place where I got to stretch my creative wings, to try without fear of failure, to experiment, to learn, to discover, to grow. I understood myself in a new way after my first summer there-I had confidence that hadn't existed before, and faith that it would, indeed, get better. I knew there was a place in the world for me. I still carry camp in my heart-it was my "safe place" during labor with my daughters...I could go there in my head, and know that all would be okay.
One of the really nice thing about Facebook is that I have had the opportunity to reconnect with some old friends who I'd lost touch with (and to extend my involvement in the alumni community.) I was reading Facebook posts the other night and someone posted about the CIT (counselor in training) basketball games that had gone on that evening (this camp is not known for a strong sports program, but many people play casual sports-basketball, softball and tennis are all popular early evening activities.) He commented that in response to the CIT Boys playing shirtless basketball, the CIT girls had taken their shirts off and played in their bras. He also commented that this was a first as far as he knew (and well, he's been there for many years.) The subsequent conversation was all rather supportive of this, and someone used the word "progressive" to describe the camp. I agreed with the word choice, but I also went on to say that as a parent, particularly a parent of daughters, I was so glad to read that post, and thrilled that there were teenagers with the body confidence to do that and who felt safe in their environment doing so, rare thing for teenagers to experience and -things that they might not understand until the value of until they're much older.
(I am aware that there are reasons that people might be concerned about a bunch of teenage girls running around in bras where there are adult men. I wouldn't necessarily expect a bunch of teenage girls to think this through though.)
Hearing that story makes me hopeful.
