Happiness and Success

At the final campfire this summer there was a profound question expressed by campers and staff; once we leave Winnebago can we take the experience of camp and carry it with us to our own corner of the world?

This last week was a sad one for the Camp Winnebago family as we lost a beloved member of our community, former counselor Andrew “LSU” Raborn. LSU was an individual who was admired for his ability to embrace the joy in life and spread that positivity to whomever he happened to encounter. LSU carried the Winnebago values and lessons back to his life away from camp and whether it was a Winnebegan, an old high school friend or a current colleague, they all spoke of LSU’s happiness, his acceptance of each for their own and the vigor in which he embraced life.

In a recent article in Camping Magazine Teaching Happiness — Positive Emotions Are Skills to Be Learned Christine Carter, PhD wrote of the concept that happiness is a teachable skill and described research that supports the correlation of happiness as a strong predictor for success in life.  What a powerful message! With this idea in mind, all of the fun and deep relationships formed at Winnebago are actually preparing boys to become happy and successful men.  Winnebago is not just a place to have incredible amounts of summer fun, but a place where happiness is taught as a core value.

Carter goes on to say, “…a person’s happiness is best predicted by the breadth and the depth of their social connections – their ties to other people.”  Beginning this Blog two weeks ago I have watched our community come together via Camp Winnebago’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/campwinnebagomaine.  I have become aware of how connected many campers are despite the miles between each other. I have seen fun interactions and heartfelt support. I am excited to witness the expression of the “breadth and depth” of camper and staff relationships and in turn the happiness that camp facilitates, which according to Carter “helps us fulfill our potential”.

Please feel free to leave any comments or thoughts.