Our study explored current environmental sustainability practices of U.S. camps as well as the motivations and barriers influencing integration of sustainable operational approaches. Using a web survey of camp organizations in Spring 2021, we identified participation in sustainable actions across five broad categories: waste management,…

The American Camp Association and Association of Camp Nursing collaborated for the creation of the Healthy Camps initiatives from 2006-2020. During that time, the initiative developed a holistic approach to a healthy camp framework by examining and addressing a range of challenges experienced by camp programs in the United States. Camper and staff…

Emerging adults engage in a range of education, employment, and other experiences that provide opportunities to build skills necessary for future success. The camp industry employs 1.5 million individuals each summer, and its potential as a setting for development is important to understand. The purpose of this study was to identify the outcomes…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether attending camp supported girls' college readiness skills and whether those outcomes persisted after the girls' first semester of college. This study was a multi-year project conducted over three different time periods (first and last day of camp, and after the first semester of college). One hundred…

What do we know about camps and COVID-19? About as much as we know about the virus itself, which is that it is universal, it is catastrophic, and it is forcing us to bend and shift in ways we never expected. We don't yet know the full impact of COVID-19 on camps, although preliminary findings from a series of studies conducted by the American Camp…

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess the impact of working at a camp on summer camp staff while simultaneously seeking to understand what facilitates and inhibits growth in that context. This study examined differences in levels of leadership, teamwork and resilience before and after working at a summer camp as a staff member. It…

Although multiple studies have considered women's experiences in the outdoor adventure education field and the impact on women's notions of gender, little research has been conducted on men's ideas about gender in the outdoors. This research explores male-identifying outdoor leaders' notions about masculinity and how they may shape their practice.…

Attending summer camp can be a developmentally enriching experience for both campers and camp staff. However, many camps offer programming that is situated between the camper and counselor roles, namely counselor-in-training (CIT) programs. While CIT programs are common, there is a lack of research documenting the form, function, and outcomes of…

Finding meaning and purpose is critical to emerging adult development. Work can be a setting primed for meaning-making among emerging adults. Meaningful work is work one believes is significant, positive, and adds meaning and purpose to life. Although a robust meaningful work literature exists, little is known about emerging adults' perceptions of…

"Transition of care" is defined as the movement of an individual from one setting of care to another and involves communicating with appropriate out-of-camp stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and community health care providers to identify youth needs (before camp) and outcomes achieved (after camp) so desired health goals may be…

Every year, nearly one million staff work seasonally at summer camps. Although little research has investigated staff experiences compared to campers' experiences, literature does exist. Understanding the breadth and depth of this literature is an important way to guide future investigations and employment practices regarding seasonal summer camp…

Sea kayaking may be best understood through the insights and knowledge of people whose ancestors kayaked for survival. Greenland Camp, held over several days in late summer, is a kayaking event that draws paddlers from around the world to reconnect with one another and learn age-old and advanced skills of the Arctic's Inuit. Greenland Camp is a…

This study examined the impact of a rock climbing program on youth with type 1 diabetes. The study utilized a mixed-methods quasi-experimental research design to measure subscales of the American Camp Association Youth Outcomes Battery on independence, perceived competence, and friendship skill. Pre- and posttest instruments were utilized over a…

Summer camp can be a setting for positive youth development, yet more understanding is needed about how camps measure youth development outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp--a medical specialty camp-- using the American Camp Association's Youth Outcomes Battery (YOB) over six years.…