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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, sustainability education and communication, natural resource and wildlife conservation, energy and water consumption, and purchasing and procurement. Many camp organizations already engaged in sustainable practices--especially with respect to waste management and sustainability education--but almost all camps wanted to do more. Camp organizations placed higher priority on environmental and social motivations for sustainability than economic reasons. The largest perceived barrier to sustainability was inadequate financial and/or technological resources, though lack of awareness and capacity-building assistance were also constraints. Results highlight strong interest in sustainability across the camp industry and reveal multiple ways to realize that potential.

Background: Continuing education programs for teachers seek to enhance outcomes for participants and their students. Experiential wilderness-based programs offer outdoor-recreational activities and experiential teaching initiatives. Research needs to be conducted to reveal how they influence individual behaviors. Purpose: This research investigated whether a wilderness-based program influenced individual beliefs and confidence in using experiential teaching methods within a classroom. Methodology/Approach: A pre-, post-, and follow-up closed survey was administered to educators who had participated in the North Carolina Outward Bound Educators Initiative (NCOBEI) 2017-2018. Furthermore, retrospective follow-up surveys were administered to alumni (years 2007-2016). Responses were analyzed to determine how participants integrated learning within the classroom. Findings/Conclusions: Participation positively influenced educators' beliefs, confidence, and intentions to implement experiential techniques within the classroom immediately following the experience, although the benefits diminished over time. Educator beliefs and confidence were poor predictors of using experiential learning in the classroom. Implications: Experiential wilderness-based professional development (PD) has the potential to positively build confidence and skills for use in the classroom. PD and future research should address how to perpetuate the influence of wilderness-based continuing PD programs at the individual and institutional levels.

The camp community understands that participation in camp produces a variety of impacts; what is less understood are the causal mechanisms leading to outcomes. In the past, research on the camp experience treated causal mechanisms as monolithic; this commentary argues that a weakness in existing camp research is the assumption that "camp" is "camp" and that there is a lack of attention to how components of camp interact to produce valued developmental outcomes. Using two indices from complementary fields (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME] and Healthy Sports Index [HSI]) as exemplars, a framework exploring variation in the elements of tri-dimensional offerings between camps is proposed. What the HOME index and HSI have established in other fields is what the camp community could have: a tool that initially helps researchers examine how the structural variations within and between individual camps may eventually help explain the quality and strength of outcomes for campers and counselors.

"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 shared across youth settings (e.g., home, school, community). Informed by management continuity and informational continuity theoretical frameworks, transition of care describes how activities such as recordkeeping and sharing of information from one team of caregivers to another improves the quality of services. When considered within the context of a child's summertime experiences such as summer camp, attention to transition of care from a child's academic year to summer, and from summer to a child's academic year, may improve the quality of children's summertime experiences by ensuring that a child's health and well-being are both fully supported and promoted across the calendar year. Transition of care communication practices are strengthened through the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and systems that support the sharing of information across stakeholders. This article contextualizes transition of care communication for the camp community, addressing implications for practice, research, and policy, to encourage the development of a comprehensive system that supports transition of care practices; a system that will require the buy-in of camp institutions, third-party camp software companies, camp organizations, and families.

While many academic degree programs target nontraditional students who are working professionals, the literature exploring the challenges facing nontraditional students has not considered the experiences of students pursuing youth development degrees. This study explored benefits and challenges nontraditional students associate with participating in a graduate degree program in youth development delivered through a blended online instruction model. Data were collected via an online survey administered to 95 graduates of a blended online youth development leadership degree program at a state university in the Southeastern United States. Respondents answered questions about changes in competency using a retrospective format, challenges associated with degree completion, and time since participation in the degree program. Competency scores were compared using paired samples t-tests, indicating significant (p[less than or equal to]0.05) pre-to-post degree program growth in all competency areas. Top-ranked challenges to degree completion included: (1) balancing the degree requirements with employment responsibilities and personal/family responsibilities; and (2) writing and study skills confidence when returning to academic work after many years. Correlation analyses indicated no significant relations between when respondents participated in the program and the average change reported on any competency (all p's>0.05). Additionally, alumni generally ranked challenges in a similar manner regardless of when they participated in the program. Implications for both research and practice are considered for organizations providing professional development or academic degree programs for youth development professionals.

The prevalence of mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) challenges among youth in out-of-school time (OST) contexts is on the rise, exacerbated by the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this escalation, recent literature has explored MESH concerns impacting youth program participants and young adult staff. This study focuses on participant and staff MESH issues within summer camps and the healthcare practices implemented by program providers to address those issues. Our four research questions are: (1) What are the characteristics of camper and staff MESH issues?; (2) What are characteristics of MESH medications managed in camps?; (3) How are camp providers preparing staff for camper MESH care?; and (4) How are camp providers responding to staff MESH care needs? Findings highlight prevalent MESH issues facing youth and young adult staff and program preparedness. Notably, our study affirmed that the most prevalent MESH issues facing youth and young adult staff are anxiety, ADHD, depression, and emotional regulation. Study findings also indicated that while many camps engage in pre-camp MESH trainings, a limited number revisit MESH topics during the summer work period. Collectively, these results offer key insights into camp providers’ experiences with youth and young adult staff MESH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For teens growing up in military-connected families, challenges relating to relocation, parental deployment, and reintegration add layers of stress to an already complex time of life. Out-of-school time programs provide military-connected teens opportunities to utilize existing strengths, develop new skills, and build support networks, as exemplified in the Military Teen Ambassador (MTA) program – a positive youth development program developed by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in collaboration with the US Armed Forces. This study investigates the developmental benefits experienced by the teens serving on the MTA Steering Committee – a youth-adult collaboration designed to plan and deliver the MTA program. Interviews with teen and adult participants were analyzed through the lenses of relational developmental systems theory and a structured evaluation framework. Findings contribute insights into developmental processes and outcomes for programs targeting military-connected youth and provide applied implications that extend to broader youth and adult populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Summer camps engage millions of youth in enrichment opportunities during the summertime while employing a substantial young adult workforce to provide high-quality programs and services to camp participants. Workplace fatigue has been implicated in camp-related injury and illness events, yet few studies have targeted fatigue among camp employees. Purpose: This study aimed to better understand how fatigue impacted employee performance as well as strategies for reducing the negative impacts of fatigue within camp settings. Methodology/Approach: Focus groups were conducted with camp health care providers and directors, and their responses were analyzed using directed content analysis. The analysis process was guided by sensitizing concepts from the literature. Findings/Conclusions: Emergent themes suggested that camp-related fatigue is conceptualized as a construct of time, types, and causes; is a distinct experience leading to setting-specific outcomes; is managed using administrative and peer supports; and is sometimes perceived in positive ways. Implications: This exploratory study highlighted the unique challenges associated with working in a camp setting and the potential development of fatigue as a starting point informing future research. It suggests that future research should include a broader study population, including frontline staff, as well as possible quantitative measures.

Environmental education (EE) typically occurs in natural settings, which research suggests may enhance learning outcomes. Although field trips are commonly used to teach EE, few studies have isolated the influence of different setting characteristics for enhancing participant outcomes during an EE field trip. According to the literature, certain attributes of the natural setting, including novelty, beauty, and naturalness, as well as how the setting is used such as through place-based education, immersion, and time spent inside vs. outside, are thought to positively impact people's experiences with nature. In this study, we collected data from 334 EE field trip programs for 5-8th grade students to investigate the influence of these natural setting characteristics on positive learning outcomes. Results suggest that the naturalness and novelty of the setting, the use of place-based education, and spending more time outside vs. inside all positively correlated with more positive student outcomes. The implications of the results for environmental educators are discussed.

Interest in both the objective dimension and the subjective dimension of summer camp experiences has grown among camp scholars. As a building block for understanding subjective elements of summer camp experiences, discrete defining moments may provide insights into linkages between what program providers deliver and the experiences that youth receive. This study identified defining moments of summer camp experiences and examined when defining moments occurred, using interviews conducted with 21 youth in early adolescence immediately following camp. Themes derived from the data suggest that moments involving novelty, challenge, friend-making, tradition, achievement, positivity, and emotional safety are most salient. Practitioners can use the study findings to more intentionally design memorable and meaningful summer camp experiences. Researchers can build on these exploratory findings to examine defining moments of camp experiences across other samples of camp participants.

Summer camp programs provide distinct opportunities for positive youth development through caring relationships and opportunities to build skills. To examine the extent to which youths experience the 4-H Essential Elements through 4-H camp programs, we administered the National 4-H Camping Research Consortium's Camp Context Questionnaire to youths (n = 776) across 20 camps. Results indicated some exposure to the Essential Elements. Although mean scores related to establishing relationships with caring adults were high, room for improvement existed in the areas of self-determination, belonging, and personal safety. The results enabled state and local staff to implement strategic decisions for future camp programs and may be of value to others managing 4-H camp programming.

Background: Summer camps are perhaps the most expansive outdoor experiential education (OEE) context in the United States today; yet, camp participants are overwhelmingly White and able-bodied, with most coming from middle- to upper-income earning families. Purpose: In response to Warren, Roberts, Breunig, and Alvarez's question "What will it take before OEE programs become genuinely accessible to all who want to participate?" (p. 98), we explore issues of access, equity, and inclusion within the institution of camp. Methodology/Approach: We present a historical review followed by three case studies that demonstrate how some camps address access, equity, and inclusion in the past and today. Findings/Conclusions: Camps in the United States have shaped young people for over a century through powerful socializing factors, but there is much to be done to ensure camps are truly accessible and inclusive for all. Implications: Our case studies demonstrate specific ways camps can address appropriation of Native American culture and ensure inclusion of transgender youth and youth without the resources necessary to attend camp. We also discuss ways to promote equity across social identities and through environmental justice.

To support practitioners' need for reliable and valid measures of the youth camp experience, this study compares the results of two analytic approaches--(1) composite-based paired samples t tests and (2) a latent structural equation model approach--using the Parental Perceptions of Developmental Outcomes (PPDO) scale in a sample of 930 parents of youth attending residential summer camps. Through a retrospective pretest (RPT) design, parents reported statistically significant growth across the five dimensions of the PPDO (responsibility, exploration, self-regulation, attitude, and communication) in both analytic approaches. The study results indicated similar effect sizes and conclusions were reached using both analytical approaches, suggesting a more practitioner-friendly approach (composite) may tell the same story as a more complex and research-oriented (latent) approach. This finding, as well as the revalidation of the PPDO in this sample, indicates the PPDO's usefulness in applied and research contexts.

Preparing competent staff is a critical issue within the camp community. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of an online course for improving staff competency in camp healthcare practices among college-aged camp staff and a comparison group (N = 55). We hypothesized that working in camp would increase competency test scores due to opportunities for staff to experientially apply knowledge learned online. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyse the cross-level effects of a between-individuals factor (assignment to experimental or comparison group) and within-individual effects of time (pre-test, post-test #1, and post-test #2) on online course test scores. At post-test #2, the difference in average test scores between groups was ~30 points, with the treatment group scoring lower on average than the comparison group. Factors that may have influenced these findings are explored, including fatigue and the limited durability of online learning. Recommendations for research and practice are discussed.

Year-round school is the organization of days within a school calendar year to provide students with regular breaks and instructional blocks. This study surveyed 502 parents to identify factors influencing parental support for, or opposition to, year-round school. Three themes were constructed based on parent responses: children need educational enrichment in the summer, summertime provides essential opportunities for personal restoration, and summertime strengthens family relationships. The study findings illustrated the complexity of factors influencing parental perceptions of year-round school; parents both for and against year-round school identified similar factors, yet for different reasons. Implications and limitations are explored.

Background: Camp experiences contribute to a range of positive developmental youth outcomes, but camp experiences also pose a risk for youth because of potential exposure to injuries and illnesses. The camp community has lacked both a methodology and effective benchmarks for injury and illness monitoring. Furthermore, camp-related policy recommendations have lacked the support of generalizable data addressing the risk of injuries and illnesses at camp. The need for systematic exploration of when, where, and how injuries and illness occur in camps created an opportunity for administrators and healthcare providers to improve camp safety by understanding injury and illness trends and implementing effective practices to better manage risk. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to benchmark illness and injury rates among campers and staff at U.S. summer camps; to understand risk factors associated with such adverse events; and to use the surveillance methodology to identify intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of camp injuries and illnesses. Methods: Data were collected using a Web-based injury and illness surveillance program called CampRIO™ (Reporting Information Online). During the 10-week summer data collection period, healthcare staff from participating camps logged into CampRIO™ weekly to enter exposure and illness/injury data. Data were also collected using a post-study camp director survey. Results: The sample size ranged from 186 (low) to 295 (high) participating camps across the five study years. The overall illness rates indicated that campers and staff in both day and resident camps tended to have twice as many illness events than injury events. In addition, campers and staff involved in day camps tended to have lower rates of illness than campers and staff involved in resident camps. In some study years illnesses associated with the respiratory tract were most prevalent and in other study years illnesses associated with the gastro-intestinal tract were most prevalent. Data indicated that lower extremity injuries were most common and slips, trips, or falls was the most common mechanism of injury. In about 40% of all injuries protective equipment was a required component of a camp activity but not used in about 15% of these cases. Sixty percent of resident camper injuries and almost 30% of day camper injuries occurred during free time. Online modules were created and delivered to participating camps and a number of promising healthcare practices were learned through completion of the online modules. Conclusion: The systematic monitoring of injuries and illnesses in camps illuminated trends that yielded specific, practical strategies that camp healthcare staff and administrators could use to improve camp experiences for participants and staff. Camps now have an evidence base in the form of national injury and illness benchmarks provided by this study, and these benchmarks can guide both promising practices and effective policies. Methodologies like the one used in this study contribute to the viable tools available to camp providers for illness and injury surveillance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes of all-female camp experiences on women's lives. Using a retrospective approach, this study collected qualitative data from 131 women to examine the benefits of all-female camp experiences, to analyze the skills they gained at camp, and to understand how they apply these skills to their adult lives. Benefits of an all-female camp experience identified through qualitative analysis included focused time, supportive environment, and challenging gender norms. Skills that the women gained at camp and apply to their everyday lives were developed into the following themes: social development (communication, teamwork, cultural sensitivity, respect for others, community building, tolerance, working with diverse personalities), career development (leadership, perseverance, time management, influenced career direction), and personal development (resilience, sense of self, self-reliance, self-esteem, confidence, independence). Study findings suggest that these skills have personal and professional applications across women's lives.

Critically examining common statistical approaches and their strengths and weaknesses is an important step in advancing recreation and leisure sciences. To continue this critical examination and to inform methodological decision making, this study compared three approaches to determine how alternative approaches may result in contradictory conclusions in the interpretation of the psychometric properties of a scale and in response to a given research question. To this end, this study explored what factors best predicted parental endorsement of competition climbing in a sample of 184 parents of youth competition climbers. The study findings suggest that the three distinct approaches provided meaningfully different conclusions regarding the adapted psychometric properties of the questionnaire, but offered no meaningful differences in the primary finding of the study: Parent-coach relationship quality is the best predictor of parental endorsement of competition climbing. The results suggest that deeper examination of self-report questionnaire data may advance our understanding of complex recreation and leisure constructs beyond what can be understood with less advanced analytic techniques.

Developmentally inappropriate and excessive parenting can manifest at higher levels in children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). A child's age, level of T1D training, and time since T1D diagnosis have been associated with higher levels of developmentally excessive parenting (i.e., overparenting), lower rates of autonomy granting, and lower rates of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Utilizing a structural equation model, the present study examined these associations with data collected from a medical specialty camp (MSC) serving 262 youth with T1D. Respondents primarily identified as female (59.5%), were an average 13.83 years old, and had attended the MSC for an average of 3.72 years. Respondents had an average of 5.95 years since T1D diagnosis, an average of 2.62 years utilizing a CGM, reported checking their CGM data an average of 12.75 times per day, and an average of 12.02 parent CGM checks per day. As youth age increased, rates of overparenting decreased. Similarly, youth with more MSC experience reported lower rates of overparenting. Contrary to the study hypotheses, overparenting had a positive effect on autonomy granting. Finally, a negative relation was found between years with T1D and average CGM checks, consistent with the broader T1D literature where adherence to diabetes management tends to decline in parallel with youth experience level managing T1D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant changes in camp health care implementation. This study evaluated camp providers' COVID-19 management practices following the summer of 2021 to inform future communicable disease planning. Online questionnaire data were collected from camp leaders and health care providers (n = 321). Reported COVID-19 cases were very low among both campers and staff. Most camps encouraged camper and staff vaccination before camp, with only a quarter requiring staff vaccination. NPIs used most frequently included cohorting, enhanced cleaning procedures, and scheduled hand hygiene. Camps also reduced the number of campers served and relocated dining, camp health care, and other activities outdoors. A positive correlation was found between requiring staff COVID vaccination and no positive COVID-19 cases. These findings offer insight into communicable disease mitigation strategies and organizational planning that can continue to keep camp populations healthy during communicable disease events like COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding program components that contribute to positive youth outcomes following camp experiences can help program providers bring a greater level of intentionality to their efforts. The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to develop reliable and valid measures of life skill development, elements of positive youth development (PYD), and antecedents of change within the context of camp and (b) to examine potential relationships between life skill development, elements of PYD, and antecedents of change to better understand elements that influence youth outcomes in camp. Data were collected from 429 camp alumni using an online survey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to explore the reliability and validity of the three proposed scales, and hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine how selected variables contributed to the participants' outcomes scores. Study results suggest three psychometrically sound instruments were developed to measure these constructs. Implications for research and practice are explored.

Many children experience summer learning loss during the summer as measured by grade-level equivalents on standardized tests. Camp-based reading programs are a promising strategy to reduce summer learning loss. Situated within a positive youth development (PYD) theoretical approach, this study explored the efficacy of a U.S. camp-based reading program called Explore 30 and examined promising practices for reading interventions in camps as a mechanism for enhancing youth reading outcomes. Youth and director surveys were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data about program impacts. Approximately 70% of participants read for at least 30 min each day. A paired-samples t test found a significant difference (in the positive direction) in feelings about reading from pretest (M = 2.09, SD = 1.20) to posttest (M = 1.89, SD = 1.08), t(590) = 5.96, p < 0.001. Findings suggest that the program was an appropriate model for enhancing camp organizational capacity for summer reading. Implications for practice and recommendations for research are addressed.

Examining traditional and contemporary professional development practices of youth-serving organizations can inform practices across Extension, particularly in light of the barriers that have been noted for effectively developing the professional competencies of Extension educators. With professional development systems changing quickly, particularly through online education and blended learning opportunities, benchmarks need to guide new research around best practices in professional development. Although many program providers have not established benchmarks for professional development, a few cases exist. This article examines the current state of professional development practices of youth-serving organizations and offers recommendations for improving Extension professional development practices.

Research suggests that family camp experiences can enhance family relationships. Families often participate in family camp experiences for a vacation, as part of a therapeutic and/or intervention strategy, or to gain general enrichment or engagement. To better understand the impacts of family camp experiences on family functioning, a mixed-methods study was conducted with 60 families across 18 camps. Respondents shared that family camp experiences benefit families because of the positive impacts of the camp staff, parenting reinforcement, and enhancement of family relationships, with 60% of respondents indicating that family camp experiences reinforced good parenting and 86% of respondents indicating that the family camp experience reinforced family relationships. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided.

The organized camp experience has been an important part of the lives of children, youth, and adults for over 150 years and is a social institution that touches more lives than any other except for schools. Camp is more than a location or a program; it encompasses the affective, cognitive, behavioral, physical, social, and spiritual benefits that youth receive during and after the camping experience. Over the past decade, tremendous growth in the volume and rigor of camp-related research has occurred, facilitated by a targeted research agenda conducted by the American Camp Association (ACA). The growth in the volume and rigor of camp research has led to improved understanding of the value of the camp experience as a setting for positive youth development and the developmental outcomes of camp experiences for youth and adults, suggesting innovations and opportunities in the exploration of the camp experience. (Contains 47 notes.)

Camp research conducted by Extension provides ample empirical evidence that the camp experience contributes to healthy child development. National and state outcomes resources have emerged allowing Extension educators to target youth outcomes at camp. Although the emphasis on outcomes has been important and productive, the time has come to focus not only on specific youth outcomes but also on the antecedents of change. Such a focus would allow Extension to identify specific camp program components that make positive youth outcomes more likely. Extension educators are challenged to consider antecedents of change in future camp research and evaluation projects.

Summer campers often require access to medications. However, little is known about the types of medications administered in camps. We used a data set from a camp-specific electronic records system that contained all campers' medications. We developed a coding book and classified medications based on drug type, mechanism, and indication. Data were available on 163,853 medications from 75,072 campers. Health care providers need to be aware of the vast quantity and wide spectrum of medications dispensed in summer camps and should find opportunities to advocate for the adoption of best-practice safety guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of campers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]