By Tori Marshall, Food Service Coordinator
I walked up to the table where Lindsey*, a young middle schooler, had her head down on her arms. “Hey, are you ok?” I asked. She looked up at me with a lost expression on her face and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said. “But I’m addicted to electronics so I’m just not really sure what to do.”
I was shocked. In Christian camping, we see this all too often, but I have never seen a young person who knew it and could admit it so freely. We went on to talk about what Lindsey’s home life was like. Her parents weren’t together and she had to divide time between two homes. She shared how when she was visiting her one parent’s house she hated being there so she would escape through YouTube. Then she told me about what she was learning about at camp so far and how she was hoping it would help her at home. She told me she was also praying for her older sister who was in a bad situation.
As her summer camp week continued, Lindsey made friends, played outside and had meaningful conversations for the first time in a really long time. She didn’t have to escape here. She felt safe. I have continued to be impacted by several parts of my conversation with her. Lindsey has been so ready for a conversation and connection–she wanted to share with me and to have someone she could talk to.
After stepping away from her phone, tablet and TV, she was able to see just how dependent on the technology she was. Being at summer camp allowed her to see this. It allowed her to make friends, to make deeper connections with others, and to learn more about Jesus and how He changes the situations in our lives. In addition, she was able to experience the outdoors and a caring Christ-centered community in a safe environment.
These are some of the most important and exciting things about camp. We are able to provide a new, safe, distraction free environment to learn important life skills and lessons. At Christian camps and retreats, children make important connections with others and learn how to have a relationship with God.
Read more here about technology addition:
7 Scary Things You Never Knew about Cell Phone Addiction
Could You Be Addicted to Technology?
