Each summer, Night Eagle deliberately creates a world that is significantly different from the one in which boys normally live. By doing so, we invite boys to explore and be daring, to look beyond themselves and toward their relationship with the earth and others.
In his book, The Hurried Child, David Elkind suggests that society is pressuring our children to mature both emotionally and intellectually faster than they can handle. By de-emphasizing play and overemphasizing achievement, society is asking children to cope with responsibilities they may not be ready for. When children are not given enough freedom to play or dream, the core of their personalities, from which creativity can emerge, is neglected.
During Night Eagle's first twenty-five years, we have seen boys who cannot be happy unless they are praised every minute, and boys who are so burned out by the competitive atmosphere at home and school that they avoid adults. We have seen feigned helplessness in many - the boy who flatly states that he “can’t do it” to nearly every request. We have seen boys who are skeptical of all adult requests, and with the introduction of the now ubiquitous cell phone, we have seen many boys with virtually no concept of community or of commitments and obligations.
In addition to our focus of getting back to the Earth and learning primitive skills, one of the major strengths of Night Eagle is our focus on community, which is based on the premise that one of the most important and rewarding experiences for boys is to be part of a supportive group effort. The daily chores done by tipi groups is one such example. Each morning before breakfast, campers join their tipi mates and counselors and head off to do twenty to thirty minutes of chores: cook crew, far out wood gathering, near-in wood cutting, camp cleanup, garbage and recycling, Maxwell House cleaning, and gardening.
Other examples of such a group effort are our work projects that we organize two or three times during the summer and our community service. One work project led by Summer Bear, reopened our famous “Get Lost Trail” from camp to the upper lake, while another group rebuilt the camp oven. Still another group, led by Eagle Dance fell two trees and made a footbridge across a stream feeding our lower lake.
As for community service, an ongoing service project began in 2004 when Night Eagle adopted the Little Rock Pond shelter in the Green Mountain National Forest. Adopting a shelter involves working with the Green Mountain Club, visiting the shelter at least three times a year, performing light maintenance, and making sure everything is in good order for hikers.
When boys realize that they are collectively stronger than what they can be individually, then each boy, no matter how insecure, has a chance to shine because the pressure of individual success is diminished. By achieving a balance between group success and individual self-expression, we assure that personal growth and happiness take place.
