When my son was six years old it took him almost two hours to jump off the dock for the first time. It was a warm summer day and the lake water was warm. I was standing about waist deep just a yard or so out. The dock itself was maybe a foot and a half above the water and you could see clearly to the bottom. I didn’t see much risk, but his appraisal was much different. “What if I touch the bottom? What if Dad doesn’t grab me fast enough? What if I take a breath while underwater? What if water goes up my nose?” And many more worries I’m sure.
He finally jumped in and everyone celebrated! Of course he wanted to jump off many more times, even though it was after dinner by this point. It took patience on my part to let him make the decision to finally jump. There was no shortage of encouragement, of course, but in the end this was his decision to make. And by running through the list of risks in his mind, and then successfully entering the water on his own accord, he built risk assessment tools for the future.
Understanding and taking risks is an important and necessary part of childhood development. Taking chances and pushing boundaries help children to build courage and understanding. Our role as adults is to mitigate that risk, not remove it completely, so that the actual danger is far less than what may be perceived. And those fears can come as threats to both physical and emotional harm. It can be just as risky to stand on stage as it is to fly down a zip line.
This is especially true for girls. Growing up in a world where women are subjected to greater scrutiny over their bodies, behaviors, and emotions it can be challenging for girls to be vulnerable and express themselves openly. For this reason, performance of any kind is a potentially high risk activity. The perceived dangers of judgement, loss of social standing, and outright failure can be difficult to face. However, successfully taking these risks can lead to increased self-confidence, empowerment, and independence.
The Brown Ledge program includes multiple places for risk and performance. From Theater and Ledger, to Aquacade and the Horse Shows, to Archery and Riflery teams our campers build and showcase their skills in a safe and nurturing environment. They receive expert guidance and encouragement from the staff alongside meaningful and genuine support from their fellow campers. Failure is an accepted part of the process and overcoming multiple challenges is the celebrated aspect of achievement. Yet, while we have created an environment where the actual risk of performance is minimal, the perceived danger is still there. The campers learn to assess the threats, determine for themselves what risks they are willing to encounter, and then literally and figuratively take the leap.
Brooks Johnson
