Camp SEK is likely very different from your child's day-to-day life, but the therapeutic experience is designed to develop skills and habits your child can take with them and use at home, at school, and with friends.
Over the summer, it’s easy for families to fall out of their typical school year routines and into habits like staying up late and eating food that’s convenient but not necessarily what our bodies need.
One of the most practical healthy habits your child will learn at SEK is eating healthy meals together as a group. We pride ourselves on farm–to-table dining, and your camper will get to know both the operations of the farm and the connection that happens at the table! Campers eat Mississippi-grown vegetables like squash and peas, plus fruits like berries and pears and honey from Mississippi bees. They’ll gain a new appreciation for how the natural world nourishes us.
If your child tends to shrink away from family conversations or activities at school, SEK can help bring them out of their shell. In a supportive and structured environment, teens learn to communicate with their peers in a way that's constructive and fun. Every teen should know how to find joy in conversations with others. It is a skill that sets them up for a lifetime of healthy relationships.
Camp SEK also teaches teamwork through a low ropes course and farmlife activities. Even if your child never does another ropes course or another farm activity after his or her time at SEK, he or she will have learned the teamwork and communication abilities that these activities develop. Your child will work the "muscle" of cooperation so the muscle is stronger when they return to post-SEK life.
Through therapy and practice, your child will learn to use mindfulness to manage stress. Mindfulness is a series of techniques for staying mentally present in the moment. It has shown remarkable benefits for helping people cope with stress, and once someone learns mindfulness, he or she can grow that skill over time and use it forever.
Prayer is another healthy habit your child will learn at SEK. We pray all throughout camp, and we have worship in the morning and at night. If your child has lost sight of his or her relationship with God, Camp SEK can help revive their spiritual practices and embrace the joy and peace in life that can only come from God. When everything in someone’s life feels unstable, whether because of rapid change or significant emotional trauma, it can help to remember that God’s love is constant. SEK is a Christian therapeutic intensive, and participants will learn to see God in His creation.
Finally, Camp SEK fosters self-esteem in participants. Campers learn they are capable of more than they realized, and they have a safe and supportive environment in which to talk about their fears. Campers discover that they have a lot to offer to their groups and teams, and that their pain does not make them broken or weaker: By processing difficult emotions in a supportive environment, your child will come out stronger on the other side.