No connectivity, better connections: teenagers’ experiences of a phone-free summer camp in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT Phones have become pervasive in many teenagers’ lives, and outdoor educators are increasingly faced with making decisions regarding technology. This case study sheds light on the complex relationship between teenagers, phones and residential outdoor environmental education by exploring the experiences of participants at a phone-free summer camp in the US. It was conducted over six weeks and gathered evidence from individual interviews, focus group interviews and unstructured conversations. The three main findings were: (1) participants expressed overwhelmingly positive attitudes towards the experience, especially regarding social interactions. (2) This positive experience was perceived to only be possible at CIFC, where an engaging programme and a strong community supported participants in their phone-free experience. (3) As a result of (2), teenagers expressed concerns about applying their experience outside of camp. These findings have important implications for practitioners and contribute to pedagogical discussions regarding phones on outdoor environmental education programmes.