The first time I went to in 2015, I was extremely nervous. At the time, I was pretty much the textbook introvert, having been homeschooled for almost two years. Additionally, I had gone the year before to a sea camp, where I was bullied by the three boys who I shared a room with. Because of this, I was very anxious as we pulled into the line of cars forming at the camp entrance. As I sat in my backseat with the windows up, I began to notice a few of the other kids getting out of their parent’s cars and playing tag. Initially, I didn’t want to leave the safety of my aunt’s car. However, after some coaxing from my mother and aunt, I decided to venture outside and meet the others. About two seconds later, I was shocked to see every one of those campers come over to introduce themselves to me and welcome me to camp. Not only that, but the kids then asked if I wanted to join them in their game. It took around 40 minutes for all of our parent’s cars to reach check-in and by the time the campers had all congregated in the Dance Hall, any fears I had about the camp had melted away.

During my first year at camp, Yunasa was a place where I learned I could be myself without the fear of being rejected or criticized by my peers. For the first few days, whenever I would try to isolate myself (as I had a tendency to do in those days), there was always a swarm of campers who would come up and convince me to join their games. One camper in particular, Noah, was extremely welcoming when I first arrived, immediately taking me under his wing and introducing me to many of the older campers. As I started to feel more comfortable around the other kids, it didn鈥檛 take long for me to become good friends with most everyone there (including the counselors and elders), many of whom I am still in contact with to this day.

At last, I had found a group of people where I felt comfortable being myself, where I could be interested in something like genetics and not draw scrutiny from my peers. While, at the time, I was far too nervous to participate in the camp’s annual talent show, I still vividly remember all the creativity and excitement present throughout the performances. Though many of the campers performing have since left, I have enjoyed maintaining fairly frequent contact with many of them, further strengthening the bonds I formed at camp. By the time camp had come to a close at the end of the week, I truly felt like I had found a second family, one to which I still feel deeply connected to this day.

My second year at Yunasa was filled with excitement and friendship. Within about five minutes of arriving, I managed to get hugs from probably 90% of the returning campers. It took almost no time for me to acquaint myself with all of the new campers, unbelievably happy to be starting the new year. Throughout camp, I made it my personal goal to learn to be more open to differing points of view, something which has since proven extremely helpful in creating friendships both within and outside of camp. I was lucky enough that year to meet an amazing lady named Qiao, who is currently the Yunasa Coordinator. She and I are very good friends, and I always look forward to seeing her at camp. For the most part, I spent my second year excited to be back amongst my friends, around people who could I could relate to.

That year had been very difficult for me as my brother had become very sick. While he and I do tend to argue quite a bit, I would be unable to cope if anything ever happened to him. For the better part of five months, I had bottled up that anxiety, allowing it to consume me as it slowly turned into depression. At first, I was very reluctant to share about the issue, even among my friends at camp, as I didn’t want to be judged or called a sissy, as I had been back home. When I finally did share, however, those fears were quickly washed away, and I was immediately met with multiple warm hugs and words of encouragement. I came away from camp feeling much more optimistic and even now I think back to that week whenever I’m feeling low. While Yunasa did not eliminate my depression, it set me on the way to working through it. Though I was still teary eyed as my aunt’s car pulled away, I came out of my second year with many new friends and a rekindled determination to keep in even better touch with fellow campers than the year before.

Admittedly, I was squirming in my seat with anticipation as my aunt drove my cousin and I through the main entrance of camp this past summer. Eager to see my friends, excited to meet new campers, exhilarated by the mountain air, one could say I was quite ready to be back. Throughout the week, I spent dozens of hours doing activities which involved as many campers as possible, growing ever more aware that the next year would be my last for some time. Determined to not allow a moment to slip through my fingers, I brought along a camera to document my experience. I have pictures of s鈥檓ores roasting, the camp dance night, the talent show and so much more. Truly, I don’t think I could have ever been prepared for the amount of fun I had that year.

By the second day, I’d met one of my dearest friends, Jay. Along with Hannah, another friend from camp who I had known since my first year, we became the hilarious trio who always sat together during meals and who seemed to have an obsession with stealing a purple ball cap from one another. Somehow, I managed get the ridiculous notion that I should do a Hamilton skit for that year’s talent show. How I ever thought I could make a convincing King George is beyond me but, with a lot of help from the other campers, it turned out to be an awesome time.

Though I had a blast during camp, I was internally waging a war against self-doubt. I had been lucky enough the previous August to win 优蜜视频鈥檚 , which matches Scholars with the most optimal high school learning environment and pays their day-student tuition throughout four years of high school. This was an amazing honor, one which I never expected to receive. On top of that, I was somehow accepted to most of the schools which I applied to, one of which is an awesome boarding school on the East Coast (which I am currently attending). However, upon telling my friends back home of my success, I was met with intense scorn, repeatedly being told that I was incapable of being a Scholar and that I would just be embarrassing both myself and the scholarship by attending said school. At first, I was able to shrug off their commentary, but after a while, the constant barrage of harsh scrutiny started to get to me, to the point that I had started believing it. About halfway through camp this year, I decided that it would be best to come forward and get it off of my shoulders, though I didn’t expect the total emotional breakdown which would follow. Thankfully, I was surrounded by super compassionate and supportive friends who were there for me during the moment when I was most vulnerable.

At the end of camp last year, I decided that it was time for the campers to step it up a notch by creating a Skype chat. Conglomerating as many contacts as possible, Jay and I created a group chat, which has since proven to be one the most successful communication platforms I鈥檝e encountered. Over the course of the past seven months, I have kept in almost daily contact with many of my friends from camp, resulting in the formation of what I would probably call the most tight-knit group of friends that I have had the good fortune to be a part of. Though I am sad that this year will be my last as a camper at Yunasa West, I am excited to see what the future will hold.

Would you like to join us at Yunasa or Yunasa West this year? !

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Several years ago, as I was looking for content to share on 优蜜视频鈥檚 social networks one day, I stumbled across a . I found myself captivated by everything she was saying. She discussed introverts in an extraverted world, and I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I knew that a higher percentage of gifted kids are introverted than is the case for the general population, and it made me think about how many of our kids 鈥� and their parents 鈥� would feel the same sense of relief, self-understanding, and self-acceptance that I felt after hearing what Susan Cain had to say in that talk.

From that moment, I knew I needed to learn more about introversion, and most of the articles I casually came across on the subject referenced Cain鈥檚 book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can鈥檛 Stop Talking. Upon reading that book, I realized why: Cain discusses introversion in relatable, understandable ways that bring value to a wide variety of audiences.

I continue to find myself thinking about and referencing Quiet, even though years have passed since I read the book, so I wanted to share its value with those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading it yet.

What Is In the Book

Quiet explores many aspects of introversion and extroversion from scientific, historic, cultural and social standpoints. Cain discusses:

• Both introversion and extroversion, explaining that one is not better than the other, but rather different.
• The difference between introversion and shyness, helping to dispel the myth that all introverts are shy.
• Famous introverts and how they harnessed their 鈥減ower鈥� as introverts to become successful.
• The science and history behind introversion.
• Other traits associated with introversion.
• The cultural context of how introversion and extroversion are viewed.
• How we deal with these traits.
• To what these traits translate.

The book is not trying to prove that introverts are better. Instead, it discusses that introversion is valuable 鈥� that introverts and extroverts each bring important dynamics that are valuable together 鈥� but that right now introverts are being squelched, so she is speaking up for them.

Why I Recommend It, Even for Extroverts

I highly recommend this book to introverts as well as extroverts who love and/or work with introverts. This book is a great one for parents of gifted children who are introverts, which is a great many of you. It is also good for teachers, who are charged with shaping young minds in an environment most often suited for extroverts.

Cain is extremely informative about the science and history behind her arguments while still keeping the tone of the book fairly conversational most of the time. Cain references a great deal of academic research that helps lend credibility to her perspective but often relies on stories to truly illustrate her points. I know she鈥檚 credible because she proves she鈥檚 done her research, and I understand her points easily because she makes them human and relatable. This is a difficult balance to strike, but Cain does it extremely well.

Additionally, you can put as little or as much thought into this book as you want. You can simply聽read what Cain writes and get a fairly good understanding of introversion. If you want to learn more, Cain references many studies throughout the book that you can explore. You might also use the book as a jumping off point for a great deal of inner reflection, which is what I did a great deal; I thought quite a bit about how I do or don鈥檛 fit into the picture Cain paints of introverts, resulting in a lot of underlining and notes in the margins.

The book is primarily written for introverts – to empower them to be themselves, to help them learn about themselves, and to teach them how introversion, a trait not traditionally embraced in our culture, can be used positively in many situations. However, as Cain points out, we do live in a society with an 鈥淓xtrovert Ideal鈥�. Clearly understanding the difference between introverts and extroverts as well as knowing what introverts can bring to the table is useful for everyone, regardless of where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. The book also addresses introvert-extrovert relationships, which makes the book valuable for those extroverts who have close relationships with introverts, including significant others, parents, children, and close friends.

It is so important for us to teach our kids that they should be themselves, but our culture values extroversion so highly that it is difficult for our introverts to understand the value of this trait. Let鈥檚 understand introversion and extroversion better so we can help our children embrace who they are and the strengths they bring to the table.

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I love . Whenever I need a break from my day-to-day routine, I watch a TEDTalk and lose myself in the brilliance of people and their ideas.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with TEDTalks, let me give you a brief overview of TED. TED is a private, nonprofit organization that was founded in 1984, with the objective of hosting an annual conference on Technology, Entertainment, and Design鈥攈ence the acronym, TED.

Since then, TED has grown; it now hosts global conferences and events throughout the year and has expanded its scope to include leaders from various fields and disciplines, such as medicine, education, economics, anthropology, and music. At these conferences, notable speakers like Jane Goodall, Bill Gates, and Nobel Prize winners confront audiences with issues, ideas, and phenomena that seek to inspire passion and curiosity.

TED鈥檚 goal is simple: To spread ideas. According to its mission statement, 鈥淲e believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world. So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.鈥� Thus, TED decided to release and post its 鈥渢alks鈥� online, making them free and accessible to our global community of learners. Since launching its website in 2007, TED has posted 1,356 videos online, which have been viewed almost 1 billion times worldwide.

With so many talks readily available, my efforts of selecting only five videos proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. But for your viewing pleasure, here are my top five most powerful, informative, and stimulating TEDTalks for parents of gifted children. Enjoy!

5.
In her discussion, writer Susan Cain speaks about introversion and questions why it is undervalued in our society. She calls for a celebration of introverted-ness and offers three suggestions for changing the ways we view introversion.

Favorite quote: 鈥淭here’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.鈥�

4.
Professor of education Sugata Mitra describes his global 鈥淗ole in the Wall鈥� experiments, where children are given access to computers and the Internet. Through these experiments, Mitra illustrates how, when given the resources, groups of children learn from each other and become 鈥渟elf-organizing systems.鈥�

Favorite quote: 鈥淐hildren will learn to do what they want to learn to do.鈥�

3.
In this inspirational video, then twelve-year-old child prodigy Adora Svitak asks her adult audience to reexamine the ways they view children as 鈥渋rrational鈥� and 鈥渋rresponsible鈥� beings. Rather, children should be acknowledged and valued for their abilities to imagine the possibilities of tomorrow.

Favorite quote: 鈥淟earning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal. The reality, unfortunately, is a little different, and it has a lot to do with trust, or a lack of it.鈥�

2.
In this 20-minute talk, Temple Grandin demonstrates how autistic minds process information and urges us to nurture these varied ways of thinking as resources in our twice-exceptional youth.

Favorite quote: 鈥淣ow the thing is, the world is going to need all of the different kinds of minds to work together. We鈥檝e got to work on developing all these different kinds of minds.鈥�

1.

In this comical but informative discussion, Ken Robinson examines our education system in relation to creativity. Like Adora Svitak, he stresses that children have amazing capabilities and 鈥渃apacities for innovation.鈥� However, Robinson argues that creativity is being squandered in our classrooms, where academic abilities are placed at a higher premium than other types of intelligences.

Favorite quote: 鈥淢y contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.鈥�

Do you have a favorite TEDTalk? Share your favorite in the comment section below!

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