The Magic of Camp Friends: Dara Levan

Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Episode #100: They say camp friends are the best friends. Why? At camp there are no screens, you take risks, parents aren't breathing down your back, and the magic ingredients of endless hours + constant proximity make it possible to create intense, close bonds with kids your age.

In this special episode of Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship, I have voicemails from campers and former campers ages 15-50, and I have a fantastic in-depth discussion about the highs (and lows) of camp friendships with author, Dara Levan, whose new novel, It Could Be Worse, features an important camp bond in a character's otherwise traumatic childhood.

Meet Dara Levan: Dara, a South Florida-based writer, is the creator and host of Every Soul Has a Story, a podcast in which she interviews inspiring people from around the globe. Sign up for Dara's newsletter here, and find Dara on Instagram @dara.levan.

Some of the topics we covered:

• Not every aspect of camp is good-- cliques are an issue at camp just like everywhere else, maybe more so.
• Single sex vs co-ed camps
• Jonathan Haidt's new book, The Anxious Generation, discusses the dangers of a screen-based childhood and a childhood with no autonomy. Camp helps solve both of these issues, at least while kids are there.
• Conflicts at camp have to be dealt with by the kids, with some help from staff. Parents aren't there to fix every social disappointment, though they definitely try now more than ever.
• Are pictures ruining camp?
• Are counselors sending news home (with their phones) ruining the "camp bubble"?
• The word "intense" came up in every voicemail--in a good way.
• At camp you have rare access to older role models
• The humility that's developed through learning so many new skills and not always being the best
• "Lifelong friends" came up in several voicemails as well as "camp friends are the best friends."

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