I learned not to do that. That helped me in fifth grade. While that's a valid question, a more discerning one would be asking about the maturity and experience level of the staff. Dr. Bill and Cindy Isaacson, who sent their son, Bobby, to Brant Lake, observe that parents should look for a staff that inspires deep trust. All of us in the business say our staff is the most crucial ingredient.
Experienced counselors can figure out what a kid is about.
They've seen just about every type come through the camp. They don't label kids too rigidly, and they recognize what is needed fairly quickly. Chris Yager founded and runs Where There Be Dragons, which takes teens on adventure tours to Asia. That kind of experience is not for everyone, so Yager wants interested teens to ask previous participants about their experiences. Some kids might be turned off when they find out that they will asked to go beyond their comfort zones, so Yager encourages them to get the facts about trekking back roads and eating indigenous foods before joining his program.