Planning Ahead For Next Summer Camp Season: Cultivating Character In Boys

Sept. 21, 2009 - PRLog -- Christian camps around the world begin their preparations this month for the upcoming summer 2010.  Recruiting staff, registering campers, planning programs … it all begins when the academic year starts.  In fact, one camp director calls this month's kick-off a “Road Show,” because he is traveling to several major cities to promote his camp and sign-up counselors.

So Lee Cuesta has published an online how-to article aimed at assisting directors who want their camps to be instrumental in developing character.  “How to Cultivate Character at a Boys Camp” has just been published at eHow.com.  The link to access his article directly is:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5351403_cultivate-character-boys-camp.html.

Cuesta currently has 4,129 article views at eHow.com.  “That's because I write how-to's in which I emphasize completeness,” says Cuesta.  He continues:  “It is hard to find the detailed 'how-to' articles that answer most questions.  Most of the time the articles are much too simplified.  It’s also hard to find the good ones – like mine – because there’s a flood of similar ones that precede it.  How can anyone expect to wade through 200 potential articles just to find the good one?  So the direct link to access all my articles at eHow.com is this:
http://www.ehow.com/members/LeeCuesta-articles.html.”

For this current article, Cuesta interviewed the staff – present and past – of the Alpine Camp for Boys, located in northeast Alabama.  Alpine Camp is renowned throughout the southeast USA for its success in cultivating character in boys and young men.  As a result of these interviews, Cuesta's article includes practical steps for cultivating character, such as:

Extended stay residence program:  Although this is rare within modern camping, "we emphasize the 25-day experience with our camp parents and encourage them to allow their sons to participate," says the camp's founder. "We're committed to that because we feel it really allows the boys to build those relationships with their counselors, which is key."
Recorded music stays home:  Rather than being a fasting time away from their music, explains the camp pastor, "we view is as a 'FEASTING' time -- feasting on relationships, feasting on creation, community." This policy has increased the sense of peace in the environment
Incubation chamber:  This means that it's a place where spiritual gifts really have the opportunity to express themselves, which is especially true for the camp counselors.
Changing wet sheets:  For most of the counselors, this is the first time they've been responsible for someone else.  "We tell the staff, 'You are being just as much a Christian, a witness to the boys, by changing wet sheets for 25 days in a row, and keeping his confidence, never letting other boys in the cabin know about it," the director says.

Furthermore, the article contains practical tips concerning recruitment, training and accountability.  Regarding counselors, for example:  "We're looking for someone who exhibits a real hunger to grow in Christ themselves. They're also guys who can generate fun. We want campers to remember this environment, where God's Word is center, and where they say, 'I had the time of my life!'"

In addition:  "Camp is a safe place to learn about not always winning. It's great because so many things are going on at camp, so many places where boys are able to excel, but sometimes their team might not win. Camp is a safe way for a boy to learn how to deal with disappointment or loss, or things not going exactly the way he wants it to. Things like that help to build character in boys."

The webpage containing Cuesta's article also includes links to relevant advertisers, which can help camp directors find additional resources, and help parents to find camps that uphold these values.  “While you're there,” Cuesta says, “please leave me a comment.  And you can rate the article.  Check out my other articles, too, which you can access by clicking on my name in the by-line.  Then e-mail your colleagues and let them know about my articles at eHow.com.”

The suggestions in this article are equally applicable for camps such as Camp Chippewa for Boys in Minnesota, whose tag-line is “Adventure. Tradition. Character.”  All-girls camps could also implement many of the suggestions, although they are not readily transferrable to co-ed camps.  In addition, many camps in the southern hemisphere – such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa – could immediately begin to apply some of these tips.

Lee Cuesta is also available as a fully bilingual, freelance writer – English or Spanish – to write pamphlets, web content, brochures, fund-raising letters, press releases, full-length articles, and speeches for you or your business.  Cuesta has written regularly for InSite, the magazine of a prominent camp and conference association.  He has 15 years experience in the nonprofit sector.

From the depth of his personal experience ranging from Chiapas, Mexico, to Athens, Greece, he brings stories that engage the readers.  He is author of the intriguing novel, Once:Once, or 11:11, where he combines the skills of a storyteller and investigative reporter.  This novel has been called ”a thrilling novel of the complexities in Mexico … Like a story lifted off the page of today’s newspaper.”

 As a bilingual writer and journalist who worked in Mexico City, the author has been published extensively in periodicals such as Northwest, Eternity, World Pulse, Indian Life, Interlit, The Fresno Bee, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Christian Life, Prisma, El Faro and Apuntes Pastorales.  The articles receive international response from readers.  So significant are his articles, in fact, that they are often reprinted or adapted for other magazines.  More information is available at his websites:  http://leecuesta.com/
and http://www.leecuestalive.com/.

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Lee Cuesta provides "Excellent X Elegant" service in three areas: fine freelance writing; superior Spanish-English translating; and professional speaking.