The Tale of Two Wolves

There is an old Native American tale of two wolves that fight inside us.  One wolf represents everything good about us: honesty, integrity, hard work, happiness, caring for others, and fulfilling our life purpose.   The other wolf represents our pitfalls as humans: laziness, dishonesty, anger, and aggression.  The wolf who wins the fight is the wolf we feed.   Self-regulation keeps us feeding the good wolf.

Feeding the Good Wolf

When we let video games or digital media overpower our lives, we miss out on so much.  When those video games or websites we visit are negative, such as violent video games, we feed the bad wolf within ourselves.

At Summerland we teach campers how to become “self-regulated,” that is, how to plan and execute targeted behaviors to achieve goals within our value system.  At Summerland, we help campers discover who they truly are and decide what they want to work for in life.

The second step is then learning how to set our daily plan accordingly.  If a camper decides they really liked our engineering activities and would like to become an engineer, what books should they be reading now?  What kind of grades would that require, and how can we be sure to meet those academic goals?

Self-Monitoring Tools

The basics of meeting these goals are kept through a behavior planning journal (BPJ).  Campers learn how to keep a BPJ at camp and get practice at planning and executing behaviors.

Back at home, the camper will continue to use their BPJ and check in with staff on a regular basis in order to transfer their self-monitoring skills back home.

If you have any questions about the camp please give us a call today at 800-365-0556.