18 Feb 6 Traits of Confidence Children Develop at Camp Susquehannock

6 Traits of Confidence Children Develop at Camp Susquehannock

As the summer ended and the dust at camp settled, it gave me time to reflect on the campers and what they took from their experience.

For many it was their first time away from home for an extended period. For others it was learning new sports and activities or being exposed to a completely new environment. Children were challenged, they persevered, they grew, and they learned to live within a small community.

In doing so, they went home with newfound confidence – something we as a staff take pride in producing. That said, I want to share with you something I’ve written about in the past. Please enjoy!

Confidence! Why do some have it and others don’t? What makes a confident person? Are people simply born with confidence? There is no simple answer to these questions but we do know that confidence can be developed and needs to be developed, especially in children.

Confidence is the springboard to success in so many different aspects of life and those who have truly developed this trait seem to possess a certain aura.

True self-earned confidence – confidence that is originated from deep within – is very different from false, egotistical confidence.

People with true confidence carry themselves in a very different manner than those who simply pretend to be confident.

At The Susquehannock Camps we pride ourselves in developing young confident girls and boys. Here are few confidence traits we strive to develop in children at Susquehannock…

Self-Responsibility

Confident people believe they can make things happen and they take responsibility. They don’t blame setbacks and failures on others. They don’t make excuses. They don’t blame a poor grade on the teacher. They don’t blame a loss on a referee or their poor performance in a game on the conditions of the field. They accept responsibility for the situation and move on.

Persistence

Confident people persist. They don’t give up at the first sign of a problem or failure. They see their current inability to do something as nothing more than a challenge rather than an excuse to give up. They concentrate on the objective at hand, learn from their mistakes, create new strategies and adapt to the situation.

Action-Oriented

Confident people have a plan and act on it. They don’t need the acceptance of others and they don’t assume others will handle it. They take the initiative to get things done and they do it now!

The Right Attitude

Confident people have the right attitude. They don’t whine or complain. They don’t look at a challenge and say, “this can’t be done.” They look for ways to get it done. They are appreciative and value the effort of others (their teammates). They believe the most avaricious thing you can do is to be selfless in the short-term.

Acceptance

Confident people look for the strengths and positives in others. They want to be around people with assets, skills and personalities that vary from their own. They realize the acceptance of others will broaden their skill set and knowledge.

Resourcefulness

Confident people are resourceful. Confident people don’t get upset because they don’t have the best equipment, teammates, field conditions or support. Confident people figure out a way to adapt and succeed or they dig deep and get by without it – which leads to grit and the development of a hardy soul. We will talk about these two attributes later…

These are just a few of the many things children will learn when attending Camp Susquehannock. That being said, if they only leave camp having further developed these six traits their lives will be much improved as a result!