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Make Your Child Aware of Abuse Risks at Sleepaway Camp

When children go to an overnight camp for the first, second or even the fourth time, they are excited and prepped for an array of new experiences. Camping, for many observant children, provides an exhila­rating opportunity to learn, study and recre­ate in an entirely unique environment, with different inspirations, different friends and different social structures from the rest of the year.

Camping, also, is often the first time a child is away from his/her parents for any length of time, and the first time having to share space with people outside the imme­diate family. Therefore, it’s important for par­ents to have plans in place to discuss appro­priate and inappropriate behavior with their children, including peer pressure, bullying and abuse risks, before they get on the bus and depart for their summer adventure.

“I think the most important thing is that parents have a conversation with their kids about what they can and should expect in terms of privacy, person­al space and appropriate touch,” said Bergenfield’s Sara Diament, who published a book in 2014 called, “Talking to Your Children About In­timacy: A Guide for Orthodox Jewish Par­ents.” As part of this conversation, Diament stressed, it is important to brainstorm to identify a specif­ic adult staff member, such as a nurse or camp parent, that the child can and should al­ways go to if a problem develops. The child should go to camp knowing that staff person’s name.

“Conversations don’t always prevent an initial incident, but the most impor­tant part of the conversation is to have the child identify a person with whom they can speak about their concerns or discomfort. The child needs to know that if, at any point, any person at camp, be it a fellow camper or staff member, makes them feel uncomfortable in any way, they should go to the identified adult and discuss the problem,” she said.

Diament added that while different camps have different rules about calling par­ents, “kids should feel empowered to tell staff they have to contact their parents immedi­ately if they feel the need,” she said. “While the content of the pre-camp conversation is impor­tant, most important is the fact that the parents have initi­ated it, so the child knows what to do if s/he [is] faced with an uncomfortable situation, and feel confident about speaking out,” she said “If a child does not have clarity regarding appropriate boundaries, the confidence to speak out or the knowledge that there’s someone they can always go to, then they’re at risk.”

“Pranks at camp are common, but that doesn’t mean that they are always okay. If you’re showering or getting dressed and people are being invasive, it’s not funny,” Diament said. “It’s important to encourage children to trust their instincts.”

Diament added that, for younger chil­dren, a valuable picture book to read togeth­er on these topics is “Let’s Stay Safe.” Devel­oped by Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz and Project Y.E.S. as part of its Karasick Child Safety Initiative, the book presents es­sential lessons in safe and unsafe behav­ior, including staying away from strangers, personal safety and safety in the home and neighborhood.

“Let’s Stay Safe” is available at http://www. artscroll.com/Books/safeh.html. Diament’s book is available at Amazon here: http://tinyurl.com/ycp37ksx. Diament, who works in the field of ed­ucation and professional development, said her book’s core focus is as a starting point for peo­ple to understand how to talk to children about healthy intimacy, though she does touch on abuse prevention at the end.

A version of this article was published in The Jewish Link of New Jersey on June 19, 2014.

By Elizabeth Kratz

 

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