Tips for Parents-Top 5 Benefits of Camps for Troubled Youth

Parents worry that teens will spend all their time playing video games, retreating into their shells, or spending time with the bad company. For teens who are struggling with substances, idle time can mean that they will have more opportunities to indulge in their vices, especially since there are usually no responsible adults to monitor them unlike in school.

For teens who have emotional or behavioral problems, summer vacations can make it harder for them to reintegrate back to society after summer’s over. More often than not, they’ll just spend their time playing video games and this has a negative effect on their emotional well-being.

Benefits of Camps for Troubled Youth

Fortunately, most parents and teens agree that summer camp may be a better alternative than staying home for the rest of the summer vacation. Here are a few benefits that summer camp can give both parents and young people:

Less Stress – When troubled teens are sent to summer camp, a significant amount of stress is removed from the house. Teens aren’t up in arms towards their parents, and parents aren’t always stressing out over what their teens did during the day. Parents are also less worried about their teens and are more able to share positive experiences with their teens. Many troubled teens are under a lot of stress among their peers and summer camp can offer them the appropriate respite from this.

Counseling and Guidance – Camps for troubled youths often include individual and group therapy. This is extremely beneficial to make sure that teens will continue moving forward with their recovery rather than go through regression during summer. These camps don’t just occupy the time of troubled teens with random activities. The activities are planned out not just to provide entertainment but also will be helpful in developing social and life skills that troubled teens need to learn.

Learn independence – As well-meaning as parents are, there are times when teens need to learn independence and how to manage it. In camps for troubled teens, young people can enjoy independence and learn how to use this productively.

Learn Inter-dependence – While camps have activities that teach independence and individual accountability, there are also many activities that are geared towards teaching troubled teens positive interaction with other people. Needless to say, positive social skills aren't usually the strong point of struggling teens, and summer camps can help them discover and develop this skill.

Develop Self-esteem – Attending summer camp allows young people to put some distance between them and their perceived troubles. They can gain a little perspective while developing self-confidence and renewing their sense of self-worth.

Many young people have fond memories of the time they spent in summer camp. For troubled teens, it’s not just about having fun. It’s also about gaining emotional stability and a renewed hope for the future. It’s about seeing themselves set goals and achieve those goals. Struggling teens come away with valuable lessons from these camps. For parents, it’s worth their while looking into these for their teens.