Youthful Automatons 

In my job we have a lot of "huddles." A huddle is when my entire group gathers in a circular formation in order to talk about something. We "huddle up" to set commitments before an activity(i.e. a meal, education period, walking down trail, etc.). We huddle up afterwards in order to evaluate how we did during the activity. At any time, every person has the right to call a huddle. Often a camper will call a huddle to "express himself appropriately." More often, he will call a huddle to address the behaviors of another camper that just kicked him or was singing "P.I.M.P." or something.

In an ideal huddle, everyone will have "huddle standards." Basically this is everyone in the group focused, listening, not talking, supporting the person that has initiated the huddle, etc. This rarely happens, especially in my group of 11-14 year old kids who are much more interested in throwing rocks, digging in the dirt, dangling snot from their noses, pretending that pine-cones are grenades, etc. "Well isn't that what kids do?!" you might ask. Emphatically yes. However throwing rocks at other kids would probably not fly in junior high English class. So we do what we do.

Eckerd Youth Alternatives, the company I work for, is not all about creating youthful automatons like many residential programs. In fact, a child at my camp is given endless amounts of opportunities to explore his curiosity, to get excited about learning, to be able to express his feelings or thoughts and actually be listened to. AND my program is non-punitive, which means we don't punish kids for wrong doing, or reward them for right doing. The consequences are natural or logical, and the rewards are as well.

Not only do I really agree with this philosophy, but I also get paid to play with fire, go on canoe trips, go on backpack trips, live in the wilderness, eat (yeah, I get paid to eat), etc. etc. etc. I think I really like my job. Damn.