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What happens to campers at camp?
Camping Magazine, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Gwynn M. Powell
The longitudinal study began during the 2002 summer season and followed thirty "frosh," fifth grade campers throughout the school year. The qualitative data were gathered through summer journals, year-round journal entries, and camper focus groups. During the summer, the campers answered questions in their journals, such as: "How has camp made you a better person?" "What are your future goals?" "What at camp has helped you with the way you think of yourself?" The campers continued to answer monthly journal questions throughout the school year. Examples of the type of questions asked were: "How has Morry's Camp made you different from other kids at school?" "What did you learn at Morry's Camp about how to treat others?" "Describe a time when you were angry and what you did because you were angry."
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The UNC-CH and Morry's Camp research team conducted three focus groups in January 2002. Two of the groups consisted of sixteen fifth-grade campers. The third group consisted of eight "post-grad" campers (campers who had graduated from the four-year program). The focus group questions addressed the camp's outcomes specific to responsibility, self-esteem, and respect for other people.
Initial Results
Several themes emerged from the data--intrapersonal growth, interpersonal growth, and uniqueness of the camp experience/ environment.
Intrapersonal Growth--Progression and Growth Within the Individual Camper.
* sense of security
* independence
* sense of personal achievement
"(At Camp) I learned how to swim and when I came back home, we went to New Jersey and my uncle has a pool, so me, my sister, and brother went swimming. My sister and brother did not know how to swim so I taught them." (Example of personal achievement)
Interpersonal Growth--Progression and Growth Within the Camper Group, Peer Relations.
* networks of support
* social skills
"You meet a lot of different people that's so fun and you wanna be around all these different people and different kinds of personalities and that's what I like about Morry's Camp."
Camp Experience/Environment--The Components that Led to the Campers' Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Growth.
* staff as facilitators and role models
* camper freedom to choose within the program
* camper freedom from city life
* boundaries and clear expectations set at camp
* peer camper groups and communal living
* new, safe, and natural environment
"I like camp because you can see animals that you've never seen up close before. And you learn how to swim and learn about the bugs."
What Can Camp Directors Learn from This Study?
Directors can use journal entries to gain insights from their campers. A simple journal entry about campers' experiences and perceptions at camp may help directors address issues relevant to campers' positive growth and development.
Directors' can also use focus groups or personal interviews during the summer program, or throughout the year, to understand the campers' perspectives on the camp program and the benefits.
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