Summer camps for teens have to prepare for highs and lows in both social and emotional levels that can greatly impact the success level of prepared activities. The classic depiction of summer camp pranks and rivalries is best known in the older version of ‘The Parent Trap.’ Though it may seem odd that a rivalry could form so quickly between two strangers, the probability is fairly high during the teenage years. Unlike young children who fall in and out of favor with each other multiple times a day, which can be resolved in a matter of minutes, teens can produce such a rivalry in moments and it may take days or weeks to dissipate. Forming cliques seems to be almost second nature for teenagers, so summer camps for teens often try to adjust to these tendencies and provide overall philosophies that will prevent or discourage such strong dividing lines from forming.

Oddly, the techniques used by the rehabilitation center in the film ’28 Days’ is similar to those needed at summer camps for teens. Though the comparison may seem far fetched, the motivations of teens and adults do not suffer from a large disparity. Summer camps for teens actually spend a lot of time preparing the philosophies and culture on which the camp will be based. Recreation is a significant element of any camp, but if it is the only focus, it often results in creating a more unruly setting. The people who ended up at the rehabilitation center in the movie were there largely because they could not control their recreational behavior well enough to know when to stop and set limits on what they were doing. A summer camp for teens that only emphasizes the recreational aspect starts to cultivate a similar attitude where the residents focus on continual sources of entertainment. No matter what the camp setting, there are natural lulls in activity and if teens are looking for more entertainment, pranks and other potentially unpleasant interactions are more likely to occur.

Though a summer camp for teens chooses different activities, there is a structured element that is needed even when fun tasks are undertaken. For example, a scavenger hunt that is focused on team work and incorporates tasks that require a higher level of cooperation allows for fun while still keeping a set structure of rules that need to be followed. In the film, the rehabilitation center accomplishes this with chores and cleaning responsibilities that have set consequences and are based on team cooperation. Similarly, the rehabilitation center holds meetings that discuss matters that are important to the success of their recovery efforts in order to build the sense of team even further.

At summer camps for teams, this extended team building occurs under the tutelage of a camp counselor who is responsible for helping them gain an understanding of each other that will build trust as well as increase the cooperative efforts as a team when new games are played. Organization is a key element to making any activity successful at summer camps for teens. If there are few clear expectations, then the communications from counselors to students may not match the vision of the overall organization. Teens have no problem identifying disparities in expectations. There is a natural sense of justice that seems to heighten at this age level and having too many inconsistencies can instigate a sense of mockery for the system that is best avoided on all levels. The natural highs and lows that teenagers experience make summer camps for teens exciting and unpredictable in nature. Having a developed philosophy with organized camp activities can help increase the success of the camp.