I have listened to a lot of people say a lot of things about bullying; it's something that everyone has an opinion about.
Some people think that there's really nothing anyone can really do, bullying is just a part of life. If you've watched the news, you have probably seen some parents defending their children who are bullies by saying things like "the other kid made himself a target," or "all of the children do it, why are you singling out my child?" Other parents suggest that bullying is the fundamental crisis of our time and we need to do everything we can to prevent it. These parents can range to those frustrated with "do-nothing" schools, to families that have lost loved-ones to suicide because of bullying.
Whatever the situation, bullying is a polarizing issue and it's something we take very seriously at PSR Camp.
I'll talk a little bit about our no tolerance policy on bullying, but I just wanted to share a thought that I think most of you will agree with; as adults, we can do a better job setting an example for our youth.
I am conflicted about how to talk about this subject as an adult, but the truth is that we have a few parents every season who bully our camp secretary and even some of our seasonal staff in order to get what they want. I have seen a parent scream and yell at a member of our camp support staff because they didn't qualify for a $5 discount, and our office worker gave in and gave it to that person to stop the abuse. I have also spent several minutes talking to a parent who threatened to sue me personally because their camper lost a souvenir water bottle (which we located after a short visit to the lost & found). I know I am talking about a small group of people, but if we're going to build a bully-free zone at camp I know that all of our full-time and seasonal summer camp staff would like to be included.
To be clear, I'm not talking about the valid concerns that parents express. Last summer I talked to three parents who called me to discuss issues they had, which allowed us to make improvements for our 2014 season. I only had a chance to thank one of them, but I owe all three a 'thank you' for their commitment to partner with us to make camp better.
Our no tolerance policy on bullying hasn't changed much, but I think we've made it a little better this summer.
"At PSR Camp we know that no camper comes to camp to be bullied or harassed. When a camper is deemed to be disruptive to our program, PSR Camp will contact the parents to pick-up their camper. PSR Camp may refuse entry into future camp session(s) or season(s) to any camper on a case-by-case basis. Since bullying can take many different forms, we encourage parents to tell their children to report bullying to a counselor."
Beyond the policy, you should know that counselor are trained to spot bullying (exclusion, harassment, threats, unwelcome personal contact, etc...) and they are also trained in how to differentiate between bullying and situations where campers are just not getting along.
I have already had a suggestion that we list the different forms bullying can take in the policy (verses just using the word 'disruptive') but I want to be able to respond to bullies and the methods they select to target other children.
I wish I could promise that camp would be 100% bully-free, but I can promise that with good training and adaptable policies, we will watch over your children and do our best to ensure that they have a positive, and hopefully life-changing summer at PSR Camp!
-Jeremy
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