Downey Y Summer Camp

“Bookings collapse as heat wave grabs England”  “Heat wave in Europe causes travel plans to drop 20%.”  What do those banner headlines in the travel trades have to do with us in Downey?  Just this: a certain kids’ pre-occupation is changing the face of vacation travel around the world.

English journalists say the impact of the heat wave in Europe on holiday bookings had been compounded by the recession and the electronic evolution. While kids are happy hooked to their computers, PlayStations and TVs, parents are saving money by staying at home and sunbathing in the garden.

 "Like many parents I used to dread the long summer holidays and the difficulty of keeping kids entertained at home. However, these days with the advent of high speed internet, X-Box, play station, video on demand and satellite TV, kids have never been happier sitting at home enjoying the electronic world," one English parent said.

But we in Downey refuse to give in, the way the English hotel industry apparently has.  Read the rest to see how the hoteliers plan to solve this problem in the future: 

"As an industry I think we should recognize this threat and push our hotel and tourist board partners on the importance of investing in free high speed Internet in all holiday hotels.

Looks as though the Brits have given in to the siren call of demon cell phone:
"If we cannot provide the connectivity our kids demand in life, don't be surprised if they start refusing to go on holiday with their parents to destinations that only offer a beach and a pool. It may have been good enough for us as kids, but it's clearly no longer good enough for this generation."

    But here in Downey, the Family YMCA is determined to “stand its ground” (pun intended). Our Downey Y offers an old-fashioned out-of-doors camping experience at Camp Round Meadows, near Big Bear in the San Bernadino National Forest. 

And the camp experience is open to any kid who wants to go with the Downey Y group.  Though the price has been slashed to an incredible $295 for a week, some families still can’t afford it.  YMCA camperships are available. 

The only catch is: no cell phones.

Open in the spring, summer and fall, and surrounded by large oak trees near the Santa Ana river and nearby Jenks Lake, this camp boasts serene beauty in a traditional camp setting.   YMCA Camp Round Meadow offers recently remodeled intimate rustic cabins.

As we listened to Cesar Vasquez and Antonio Martinez from our Y, pictures flashed on the big screen in front of us.  There were kids splashing in a clear blue pool and sliding down the inflatable slide.  You could see campers climbing up the pegs on a big wood wall, held safely by counselors using pulleys and guy ropes.  Rapt faces watched a nature talk, riders with helmets set out to explore a bicycle trail. Tables set for dinner filled the camp dining room.

The idea, said Vasquez and Martinez, is for the kids to have a wonderful experience away from Downey and away from any personal cares, just interacting with other kids and the natural surroundings.  The way to begin to achieve this is NO CELL PHONES.

For one week, 160 kids and 65-86 counselors and volunteers from the Downey YMCA, connect with each other.  There they learn campfire songs, play volleyball and archery, and practice skits for the evening entertainment, all under the big pine trees and within sight of the mountains.

During the week campers are taught how to live with one another practicing       good citizenship and Judeo-Christian spiritual virtues.  For their behavior they are awarded “rags,” neckerchiefs of different color.  Blue is for the younger ones, who learn service to others.  Red shows learning to give back to others, such as by coaching.  Purple means to give one’s best, and sometimes a week at camp changes a child’s life story, always for the better.

There are other valuable lessons to learn, and the rag colors progress from brown to yellow to white, which is the highest award, an outward symbol of inner achievement.  Campers treasure their “rags” long after they come home.

When the YMCA camping programs started 100 years ago, there were other kinds of distractions to personal connections,  but none so defeating as the cell phone with all its apps has become.  The solution is simple: TAKE THE DISTRACTIONS AWAY, AT THE START OF CAMP.  Parents could take a lesson and do the same at home, for mealtimes, at example.   Once the habit is started . . .

  The youngest age at which campers are accepted is 8 . .  .  and no one is turned away.  The afore-mentioned camperships are like a scholarship or grant, and it pays a needy child’s tuition.  The money to sponsor the camperships comes from contributions to the Y’s annual Campaign, which is conducted in February and March.  If a Y-connected friend of yours knocks on your door and asks you to give, remember Cesar and Antonio and the happy faces in their pictures.  We as a Rotary Club dedicate our annual October Pancake Breakfast to the Y for just such causes.  In addition, if you can give as an individual, your gift is so very welcome.