Wild Child: Week 2 – A Lesson in Collective Impact

One thing that we constantly notice at camp is how the kids work together to solve a problem. They brainstorm different ideas and then put them into action. They try out multiple solutions until they manage to find one that works best for everyone. The children are willing and patient in their attempts, consistently able to communicate their thoughts with each other.

One main example of this collective effort that we saw this week was the attempt to walk out onto a big thick log in order to get a better look at the water. The campers had a goal in mind: they wanted to observe the lily pads, the flowers in that area, and maybe even see some frogs.

The kids worked together in order to establish an order and technique for everyone to get out onto the log and get a closer look. We had some of the older campers who were confident enough in their abilities to walk out onto the log while balancing. Other campers who weren’t as comfortable managed to scoot across the logs. We even had some campers who grabbed onto the log with all four limbs. If one camper was struggling, the others gave that camper ideas and helped them along. The forest provides excellent opportunities for the campers to naturally build their leadership and teamwork abilities.

It’s absolutely amazing to see the campers come together in such a way. At the beginning of the day, the kids are shy and more hesitant to talk to each other, but when a situation like this arises, they are all willing to lend a helping hand.

Written by the Wild Child Camp Counsellors