Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Life Skills Prepare Students For Overall Success

By Lauren Tyson

The road to self-discovery is treacherous; we can never know what we will encounter along the way. Is it safe to leave the beaten path to explore other avenues? Do you have everything you need to guide you past obstacles, pitfalls, and anything else that may delay your progress towards personal success? One can never predict these things at the beginning of the journey, but we can try to prepare as best we can.

Whether you are a determined parent trying to communicate with your discouraged teen, or a hard-working student attempting to juggle your academic, social, and personal time all at once, it is safe to say that we could all use as much help as we can get to maintain harmony. Time constraints, prior commitments, social appointments, and work-related stress can often overwhelm us and strip our attention away from things we deem personal priorities, particularly during times where focus and concentration are needed the most.

Kids and teens may feel this strain more acutely than adults, due to lack of life experience. At a time where social interactions are foremost in their minds, kids and teens need help balancing their priorities to stay content. SuperCamp, a leading academic summer camp, provides guidance and resources for students that assist them with maintaining harmony. Even if they seem able to accomplish that now, there is no telling what may happen in their futures. Equipping them with life skills can only help them as they encounter challenging situations further down the line.

SuperCamp provides the 8 Keys of Excellence as a solid foundation for any child or teen - a foundation which can be uniquely adapted to all aspects of life. Principles like Integrity, Speak with Good Purpose, Ownership, and Failure Leads To Success remind a student that they are personally responsible for creating a positive environment for themselves and others, while other principles like Flexibility, This Is It!, Commitment, and Balance keep them grounded and aware of the importance of setting priorities.

Teen programs and youth development programs typically focus on giving students the tools they need to tackle a future full of responsibility, but Supercamp gives students the support and guidance they need to make responsible choices best suited for their lives. Through "real-life" activities and a comfortable social environment, students will flourish in ways that will transcend their personal life and extend to their academic career.

Accumulating responsibilities won't bring fun and enjoyment to a screeching halt when students are able to effectively manage their time with the life skills they acquire at SuperCamp. Interactions with teachers, family, and friends can be stress-free when they have ceased to worry about social engagements conflicting with their academic career. The environment around them will remain positive, and that positivity may encourage others to follow their lead.

Forming lasting bonds with others at this point in their lives is crucial to kids and teens, but they also need a place to safely express themselves. Academic summer camps like SuperCamp provide that place as well as keep students focused on bigger goals like personal and academic success. No matter how they go about life, the life skills they acquire at SuperCamp will allow then to venture outside of their comfort zones and the break personal barriers preventing them from achieving their dreams.

Students will not only be able to guide themselves, but others down the road toward success. As leaders of their own lives, the lessons they learn along the way will only strengthen their resolve to overcome obstacles and forge ahead onto a new path of their own creation.

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