It’s Not Your Journey: Giving Adolescents Space to Navigate Their Lives

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How can we allow teenagers to make their own decisions, when we know what we know?

In this last video in my eight part series with therapist Amy Frisch, we get into some of the reasons why teenagers “twist the truth,” and how we can help them self navigate difficult situations.

What does giving space look like?

Amy talks about how parents need to allow space for teenagers to “do their own work.” She does not mean their schoolwork, she means the work of figuring things out for themselves.

The work of learning who they are and how they can navigate their world to get to their own finish line, (which may be very different from the one their parents might envision for them).

“The best thing we can do with our communication with teenagers when they are in a hard situation… is to help them think it through from lots of different angles and perspectives. Hopefully through that process, they can figure out what the best solution is for them.” - Amy FrischClick To Tweet

Why do adults ask kids this?

The comedian Paula Poundstone used to have a line that went something like this, “Why is it that adults love to ask children what they want to be when they grow up? “It’s because they are looking for ideas.” I guess we all have our own journey, but we can all use some ideas along the way.

“Consciously Parenting Teens” Video Series

The video segment above is only 4 minutes and I think it’s worth watching more than once. If you want to see the whole 8 part series then opt-in using the form below.

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One short segment will be delivered to your inbox each day for 8 days. Occasional notifications for new videos will follow. Your info is sacred and will never be shared.

An invitation

I invite you to engage in conversation with me in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts, struggles and stories on this topic.

Adam Simon

I’m Adam Simon. I started teen camp eighteen years ago with the vision of creating a space where teenagers would know they are safe from bullying or negative judgments and would feel free to show who they really are and to become their best selves. Let’s connect, discuss, engage…

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Artist-in-Residence Application

The Odyssey Teen Camp Artist in Residency Program is open to established and emerging artists who are interested in passing the passion of their craft on to teenagers and inspiring the next generation of artists.

Our residents teach four classes per day. Two of these classes will have a brand new group of campers each day. Artists are welcome to teach the same class each day or submit ideas for multiple classes.

Two of the classes are what we call “intensives;" week-long classes with a consistent group of campers each day. Intensives are great for longer-term pieces like mural painting or performance-based projects.

These classes are an hour and half each and happen Monday-Friday. One of our counselors will aid as a teaching assistant for each of your classes.

OTC is all about helping teens build confidence and self-love through community building and collaborative projects. We are looking for artists who are interested in fostering creativity, connection, and community building. In your proposal, please tell us how you would run a classroom at Odyssey Teen Camp. How would you build community within your classes? What do you hope our campers will learn from your classes? What is the main objective of the project(s)?

Provided: $1000/week stipend Lodging in one of our yurt tents + 3 meals per day in our dining hall Free time spent on our 400 acres in the Berkshire Mountains and our beautiful waterfront An amazing opportunity for connection and exchange between the resident artist and campers

To apply: Please submit a resume or CV. Submit a brief Project Proposal for each class.

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It’s Not Your Journey: Giving Adolescents The Space to Navigate Their Lives

What does giving space look like?

Why do adults ask kids this?

“Consciously Parenting Teens” Video Series

An invitation

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We are no longer accepting scholarship applications for the summer of 2022.

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We are not ready to accept scholarship applications for summer 2022 just yet.

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