Masks Off: Who Am I?

Once we had a seventeen-year-old at camp who was all about being the tough guy. He told us he was a cage fighter. He showed everybody that he could bend his ankle backward as a result of an injury he sustained while fighting. But then he spent some time in an environment that treated him as somebody beyond his tough-guy image. As camp progressed he took off his mask.

One night he revealed that he was passionate about music. When he played his guitar he was in a world where he could express his emotions. Toward the end of camp he replaced his name tag with one that read "Emo," short for "Emotional." He explained, "That's who I am. I'm all about music and feeling and expression." That's the person who had been hidden away under the tough-guy mask.

As teens emerge from their FIMAGE and step out from behind their masks, they discover that the real surge of confidence comes from getting to know the person who lives behind that mask. As they begin to explore who they really are, they make an incredible discovery: They're pretty wonderful. They like themselves. They can count on themselves. And they can find other people to like them and count on them. That's where the courage to live life without masks comes from.

As they dig deep into their own identities, they journal and discuss the answers to thought-provoking questions like, "Who are my three best friends - and why?" "What recent accomplishments am I most proud of?" and "Some things about me that, if you knew them, would help you understand me better... " The answers to these questions help them get to know themselves. It's a journey of discovery that will take the rest of their lives to complete. It's about taking little victories and building on them, about finding out the quirks and dreams and passions that make them unique and celebrating them, about falling in love with who they are. Within this process a downward spiral into negativity can be turned into an upward spiral into the stratosphere.

Ashley, the girl who was told in fifth grade that she had a stupid laugh, once laughed out loud when she was in our program. She immediately checked herself, as had become her habit, afraid she would be ridiculed. Only this time nobody made fun of her. In fact, during a share later that day, one of the other campers said Ashley's laugh was one of the things they liked most about her. It made her unique. It's pretty hard for anyone to stay feeling bad about themselves when they're surrounded with so much evidence to the contrary.

All young people have the potential for greatness. Incredible things happen when they get a chance to see that greatness for themselves - and to have other people acknowledge them for it.

Much of the content of this website is excerpted from the book The Seven Biggest Teen Problems And How To Turn Them Into Strengths - Copyright © 2006 by Bobbi DePorter. All rights reserved. No part of the content of the website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. SuperCamp®, Quantum Learning® and Learning Forum® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.