The two-week camp also teaches online safety and proper social media use.
SAN ANTONIO — When you think of summer camp you might picture outdoor adventures or team activities, but one San Antonio camp is focusing less on physical activity and more exercising on the mind.
“It’s a free two week summer camp put on by the Center for Health Care Services. A lot of the program teaches kids about their mental health, how to be safe online and how to make connections,” said Nick Raczek, the Clinic Administrator for Center for Healthcare Services and the coordinator for the Community Health Awareness in Adolescents “CHAAT” summer camp.
“A lot of our kids are starting to fall prey to bullying online. Depression, anxiety went up 33% since 2020 in Bexar County. And it’s a direct relation to social media,” Raczek said.
The camp focuses on some heavy topics like online grooming, privacy when using social media, and even human trafficking.
“Ransom Life came in and talked with us, and they showed us the Bexar County map and how many kids that actually have been trafficked. So, it was just important for them to see this isn’t just happening in other countries. It’s not just happening in bigger cities. It is happening here in San Antonio,” Raczek said.
But the campers say these tough topics are lifelong lessons.
“Yes, we have a lot of big matters that we discussed, but they all, they make it seem so light,” Eugenia Montano who is 12-years-old said. “Even though it’s really important to know about different cybersecurity things, we have fun in it all,” she added.
Camp officials say social media safety is a big focus with so many kids getting on apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Discord at increasingly younger ages.
“Online threats, bullying, David’s law, we work with them as well,” Raczek said.
And Eugenia says ditching the phone for most of the summer is a no-brainer.
“Some kids really need to touch grass,” Eugenia said.