Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience: Evidence for Multidimensional Growth

Abstract

Three thousand, three hundred and ninety-five families, whose child attended one of 80 different day or resident summer camps for at least one week, completed customized questionnaires that measured growth from precamp to postcamp in four domains: Positive Identity, Social Skills, Physical & Thinking Skills, and Positive Values & Spirituality. Parents, children, and camp staff reported significant positive change in these four domains; more than would be expected by maturation alone. Most gains were maintained or showed additional growth six months later. Few of the camp's structural elements correlated with growth, nor did striking gender, age, or ethnicity differences emerge. The study highlights the particular strengths of camp as an educational institution and social movement and suggests that different variations of summer camp can provide potent developmental experiences.

Impacts of a Southern Indiana Summer Camp: Adult Reflections on Childhood Experiences

“…The outcomes of summer camps are well documented (Bialeschki et al, 2002;Brannan et al, 2000;Dworken, 1999;Dworken, 2001;Thurber et al, 2007) with past studies state that youth and counselors benefit in a variety of ways, such as positive identity, independence, leadership, making friends, social comfort, peer relationships, positive values, spirituality, adventure and exploration, and environmental awareness. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by taking the long-term retrospective angle on the outcomes of past campers' experiences and through the results of the study, which support earlier research on the importance of relationships to the impacts of the camp experience.…”

“…(2004); goals, atmosphere, and activities. The first nationally representative samples looking into positive youth development in camps, measured by the CGI, supported the notion that many ACA-accredited camps provide the necessary components for positive youth development (Henderson, Whitaker, Bialeschki, Scanlin, Thurber, & Marsh, 2007;Thurber et al, 2007).…”

“…(ACA) accredited and offer one or more week experiences (Garst, Browne, & Bialeschki (2011);Henderson, 2012;Thurber, Scanlin, Scheuler, & Henderson, 2007). Throughout our literature searches, we found no studies that focused on the reflections of adults concerning their past experiences as campers.…”

“…Over the last 16 years, researchers have found multiple studies that underpin the assumption that summer camps have a positive impact on youth (Dworken, 2001;Thurber et al, 2007). Most of this research has focused on the camper outcomes occurring either directly after the experience, up to six months after the experience, or both (Bialeschki, Younger, Henderson, Ewing, and Casey, 2002;Brannan, Arick, Fullerton, Harris, 2000;Dworken, 2001;.…”

Children’s Camps as a Tourism Product – A Case Study

“…An exception is Carr (2011), who focuses on child-only holiday experiences, including the sleepover and the summer camp. History and importance of summer camps in the US in particular is described by Van Slyck (2003, and Thurber, Scanlin, Scheuler, and Henderson (2007), incentives to participate in camps are examined by Alexandris and Kouthouris (2005). Henderson, Whitaker, Bialeschki, Scanlin, and Thurber (2007) deal with the effects of children's participation in the camps from the perspective of their parents.…”