This document discusses the question of gender in youth development programs, those structured activities and opportunities sponsored by organizations other than schools and offered outside of school hours. Many of these organizations offer programs for people of all ages but the clear focus of this paper is early adolescence, about ages 10 to 15.…

Research shows that adolescent girls face developmental issues and need camp programming providing involvement with trusted adults, community service opportunities, safe places, and avoidance of loneliness. In other research, race was more important than gender in leisure choices, with blacks having smaller, less influential, peer groups than…