Kids attending Qwanoes summer camp on Vancouver Island quickly get on board with the “no mobile phone” rule, says the camp’s executive director.
“For us, we think it helps maintain the specialness of camp,” said Scott Bayley, who noted the camp has never allowed cellphones.
The majority of summer camps have a similar policy.
“Not having a phone is a big part of leaving the clutter from everyday life behind. For some that’s really hard, especially the older campers, but we’re very upfront about it from the beginning,” he said.
But, Bayley said, even the most connected kids quickly get over their withdrawal from technology cold turkey because they’re so busy and having such a great time. Qwanoes is a youth-focused, high-adventure Christian residential camp, founded in 1966, located on 55 acres of waterfront property on Vancouver Island between Victoria and Nanaimo.
“We let them know that camp is very special and that they don’t need to update their Facebook accounts or send texts because they’re having personal interactions,” said Bayley. “We also want them to know that camp is a safe place.
That means campers don’t have to worry an impromptu video of them changing in their cabin or getting goofy during a camp skit will be uploaded and shared online. Bayley said that a sense of security is important because the camp wants young campers to feel comfortable enough to let loose without any fear their actions will be recorded.
“If someone’s caught up in the spirit of camp and acting really silly, they shouldn’t have to worry about a video of them ending up online,” said Bayley. “Campers also don’t need the distraction of looking at videos on their phone when instead they could be looking up more, seeing nature more and seeing other people more.”
Bayley said for the sake of fairness and consistency, the same “no-technology” rule applies to staff as well.
“We want to pull them all away from their everyday life for just a short time period and it helps with that,” said Bayley. “But we also recognize how hard that can be so we say to our campers, thanks for doing this, thank you guys for helping us create this special place — and they get it. It gives them some breathing space.”
Bayley added the rule also helps even out the playing field when it comes to kids of all economic backgrounds.
“They might think, ‘I just have this flip phone and you’ve got a $1,000 iPad,’” said Bayley. “It makes everyone more equal, which is part of the beauty of camp. When campers from all backgrounds share the same cabin they become a team and have a sense of being together.”
But, Bayley noted, campers should never feel like they’re trapped at camp so there are a number of payphones located across the camp.
The same goes for parents worried about their children. He added a camper might be really excited to share news about something they’ve done or have something they don’t feel comfortable talking about with anyone except their parents.
“So if they feel like they need to call home, they can,” said Bayley.
Meanwhile there’s an even more important reason for kids to unplug while at camp.
“If they spend all their time talking to old friends on the phone they might be too busy to meet the new friend right beside them,” said Bayley. “We don’t want them to be so busy telling their friends about camp they miss out on meeting the amazing new friend who’s right there.”
