Camp Programs Research Articles

From Vision to Reality: How SK A&G's Initiatives are Fuelling Entrepreneurial Spirit among India's Youth

The research paper explores the role of SK Associates & Group’s entrepreneurship initiatives in fuelling the entrepreneurial drive among Indian youth through entrepreneurship boot camps and conference series. A detailed investigation is conducted by employing mixed-method approach of both qualitative and quantitative analysis to assess the crucial impact it played in catalysing the entrepreneurial spirit among aspiring entrepreneurs which have results on economic development of a nation. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth customer feedback surveys and video interviews of 10 successful participants who were able to gain proper knowledge and support to navigate through the complexities during their entrepreneurial journey which was then supported by conducting quantitative analysis of the participants’ feedback for cohort 1, cohort 2 and conference series to validate the results obtained during qualitative analysis. The findings highlight that SK Associate & Group’ entrepreneurship initiatives to boost entrepreneurial drive was extremely positive due to modelling a comprehensive structure of boot camp program and conference series which helped them to gain necessary skills, expand their professional network community, provided them with easy access to resources and helped them raise investments entrepreneurial journey. It also highlighted how tailored mentorship and robust support system allowed them to establish sustainable startups, with success stories providing substantial support to the claim of how entrepreneurship can be boosted by establishing targeted entrepreneurship education with development programs in India. Existing literatures on entrepreneurship development through targeted boot camp programs are mentioned to establish support the implications of the results obtained through the analysis. The research also attempts to mention all the limitations faced due to sample size and generalizability, etc and how it can be combated in future assessments. These insights obtained by this study provides suggestion regarding policy enhancements, entrepreneurial activities and entrepreneurial education to ensure a sustainable growth in entrepreneurial landscape. This means the necessity of policies that ensure sufficient investment to improve the entrepreneurial education programs like that offered by SK Associates & Group. It also emphasizes on fostering a proper environment for future innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs to successfully navigate their entrepreneurial journey with success that not only improves the quality of life but also improve the nations’ economic status and accelerate growth and development in emerging countries like India. Keywords: Entrepreneurial landscape, Entrepreneurship Development, Indian Youth, Mentorship, SK Associates & Group.

“It’s Comfortable at Camp”: Emotional Safety at a Summer Camp for Youth with Visual Impairments

Research has shown that summer camps provide unique opportunities for positive youth development, due in part to the emotionally safe environments they can provide (Garst et al., 2016; Henderson et al., 2005; Sibthorp et al., 2010). Emotionally safe environments consist of “a combination of inclusion, belonging, trust, care, and the absence of bullying and exclusion” (Wong et al., 2022). Summer camp programs can also be emotionally safe places for young people to develop self-determination skills, while school may not provide the same safety, particularly for students with visual impairments (Garst et al., 2011; Opie, 2018; Sibthorp et al., 2010). This research utilizes a theoretical framework of positive youth development to investigate emotional safety for children with visual impairments at summer camp. This research on emotional safety was part of a larger mixed- methods study on self-determination at an educational sports camp for youth with visual impairments. Athletes and coaches at an educational sports camp for youth with visual impairments in the mid-Atlantic United States completed qualitative questionnaires regarding self-determination at camp. Five randomly selected athletes also participated in semi-structured interviews. Both questionnaires and interviews highlighted instances of meaningful adult interaction, emotional support, and inclusion throughout the week of camp. Additionally, the data resulting from questionnaires and interviews revealed that comfort in asking questions and relationships between athletes contributed to an emotionally safe environment. Limitations included low sample size, compounding impact of multiple years of camp attendance, differences between this camp and other similar camps, and familiarity of the researcher. The present study supports the prior research on summer camp, finding that low child-to-staff ratios, emotional support, and inclusion contribute to emotionally safe environments (Garst et. al, 2011; Henderson et al., 2005). Additionally, at a summer camp for youth with visual impairments, relationships between athletes and comfort asking questions supported emotional safety.

From Digital Literacy to Critical Digital Ecology: Curricula as Digital Places in Art Education

Abstract This article makes a case for the critical potential of media ecology frameworks to address the limits of the media literacy frameworks prevalent in visual culture art education pedagogies that focus on art education with digital materials. In this article, I articulate a brief history of the literacy metaphor in visual culture art education, before summarizing recent arguments advocating for a shift from media literacy to media ecology in critical digital pedagogies. I then examine my own digital curricular place-craft in the development of Crafting Digital Places, a Web-based teaching resource that played a part in a series of remotely taught summer camp programs focusing on critical digital place-craft. In this article, I aim to illustrate the critical and practical limits of engaging digital materials via the literacy metaphor. I also aim to show how a media ecology approach—framing digital systems as places with agentic material qualities—affords art educators distinctive potentials for critical practice and curriculum design.

A Half-Day Camp Program for Adolescents Affected by Childhood Cancer.

Background: Adolescents affected by childhood cancer experience various degrees of psychosocial distress, social isolation, and social support throughout the treatment process. Objective: To create and implement an evidence-based practice project consisting of a pilot half-day camp program to improve social support and connectedness for adolescents affected by childhood cancer. Methods: A pilot half-day camp program was implemented. Twenty adolescent patients, survivors, and siblings (ages 13-18 years) participated in the program. Participants provided basic demographic information and completed pretest, immediate posttest, and 4-week posttest surveys to assess their levels of social support and camp connectedness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: All measures of social support in adolescent participants affected by childhood cancer trended upward following the conclusion of the program, then trended downward over time, with overall social support and family social support significantly decreasing over time postintervention. Camp connectedness was not significantly impacted by the program. Conclusions: Social support decreases as participants are further out from attending a half-day camp program. This pilot program demonstrated the feasibility of a short-term, local, cost-effective camp program that is scalable to larger groups. Implications for Nursing: Providers should refer adolescents affected by childhood cancer to camp programs for social support. More research is needed to determine if more frequent camp programs sustain a high level of social support in participants.

소프트웨어 교육 효과성 검증

Objectives This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of software (SW) education programs implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools, focusing on their impact on computational thinking, creativity, and SW attitudes. Additionally, the study aimed to verify whether gender differences occur in these competencies among students.
 Methods A pre-post survey related to computational thinking, creative self-efficacy, and SW attitudes was con-ducted among 814 elementary, middle, and high school students who participated in SW·AI camps during the winter vacation period in 2022. The survey was administered at the first and final classes of the camp programs. Data analysis involved independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and comparisons to measure improvements in com-putational thinking, creative self-efficacy, SW attitudes, and gender-based differences.
 Results The post-test results revealed an average score of 3.739(standard deviation = 0.794) for students' com-putational thinking, 3.694(standard deviation = 0.873) for creative self-efficacy, and 3.741(standard deviation = 0.875) for SW attitudes. The pre-post score comparison revealed statistically significant improvement in these competencies. Furthermore, when comparing gender differences, male students showed significantly higher scores than female students only in SW attitudes.
 Conclusions SW education programs conducted in elementary, middle, and high school settings demonstrated a significant positive impact on computational thinking, creative self-efficacy, and SW attitudes. Additionally, gender differences were observed in SW attitudes. These results emphasize the necessity of enhancing the qual-ity management of SW education and providing operational and administrative support, aligning with the national policy's expansion of software education. Further research is proposed based on the limitations of the study.

초등학생을 위한 교육용 로봇 활용 SWㆍAI 캠프 프로그램의 개발 및 효과 분석

초등학생을 위한 교육용 로봇 활용 SWㆍAI 캠프 프로그램의 개발 및 효과 분석

Secure from the World’s Contagions: Settlement House Summer Camping in the Progressive Era

AbstractThroughout the Progressive Era, settlement houses in the urban Northeast and Midwest operated robust summer camp programs for the children of their neighborhoods. Each summer, campers enjoyed two weeks of hiking, swimming, nature study, and relaxation. This article argues that summer camps exemplified the environmental agenda of settlement-house workers during the Progressive Era. Unlike smoke abatement, sanitation reform, or playground construction, which addressed isolated components of the urban environment, camps allowed them to articulate a deeply ecological critique of the industrial city. Settlement-house workers constructed camp landscapes and daily programming in response to problems endemic to atmosphere, city streets, and immigrants’ homes, providing children with a total environmental change while meanwhile pursuing slower and more piecemeal reforms back in the city. Settlement house leaders and other Progressive Era reformers discerned an intimate connection between landscapes and morality, which summer camps allowed them to address since they could reform individual behavior in addition to combatting structural inequities. Summer camps demonstrate that settlement-house workers’ environmental philosophy permeated their reform agendas, influencing social work and recreation in addition to politics and public health.

The Lasting Benefits of Multiyear Camp Programming for Youth from Low-Income Backgrounds

Summer camps are a common youth development setting in North America; however, youth from lowincome backgrounds often cannot attend because of financial barriers. Subsequently, although a robust camp literature exists, little is known about the lasting benefits for youth from low-income backgrounds. Even less is known about how these outcomes may differ based on the number of years youth attend a multi-year camp. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term outcomes camp alumni reported as attributable to camp and that remain important in their life today. Eighteen outcomes examined via a cross-sectional retrospective survey completed by 449 camp alumni between the ages of 18 and 40 (mage = 22.1, SD = 5.17) were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance to examine the within-subject and between-subject associations between years attended camp and alumni reported outcomes. Alumni of multi-year camps for youth from low-income backgrounds reported that camp was important to the development of many outcomes that are useful to their lives today. The more years that alumni attended a multi-year camp program, the greater the impact they reported that camp had on outcomes important to them today and the more likely they were to have completed post-secondary education. The results of this study provide evidence that practitioners and policy makers may use to advocate for funding to make camp programs more accessible and supportive for youth from low-income backgrounds, and to support youth year-round to stay engaged with camp programs.

생태환경 콘텐츠 제작 활동 및 퍼포먼스를 연계한 IT 캠프 운영 사례

This study aims to help students carry out their creative projects by producing media through design-based coding camp while awakening the importance of the ecological environment. The subject of this study is two IT camp programs that produce ecological environment contents and link performances for elementary, middle and high school students. The first case is a camp where about 50 elementary and middle school students near Suncheon City come up with ideas related to the ecological environment for 6 weeks from August 2021. The second case is a program in which five high school students from a public alternative school compose an ecological environment story and produce props for three weeks from September 2021 and then perform a reading performance. As part of the case study, the results of analyzing the students’ outputs, student activity videos, and instructor interviews are as follows. First, elementary and middle school students developed the ability to carry out creative projects through convergence activities such as producing and performing scratch animations and Arduino LEDs after creating a story about ecological environment conservation. Second, high school students generally showed the importance of collaboration and design-based project execution capabilities through ecological environment content production activities and performance experiences. In addition, the characteristics of IT-based convergence camps and implications for the quality improvement of camp programs were presented.

The relationship between light exposure and bedtime/wake-up time during school days, holidays and long-stay camp period in Japanese children

ABSTRACT This study aimed to clarify the situation of light exposure and examine the relationship between light exposure and bedtime/wake-up time during school days (SD), holidays (HD), and a long-stay camp period (CP) in Japanese children. After data cleaning, the final subjects were 29 children (10.2 ± 1.2 years old, 25 boys and 4 girls) who participated in paid long-term camp programs in the summers of 2019 and 2021. Data on light exposure, bedtime, and wake-up time were collected. The results of the comparison of the total high-intensity light exposure (HLE) hours for each survey period confirmed that HLE was high before the 18:00 zone in CP, and that for SD and HD were high after the 19:00 zone. Furthermore, the longer the total HLE hours before the 18:00 zone and the shorter those after the 19:00 zone were significantly earlier with both bedtime and wake-up time. These findings indicate that daytime and nighttime light exposure in children’s actual living environment is related to their bedtime and wake-up time, and that camping and going to school may be important factors to ensure children’s adequate daytime light exposure.

가족캠프 이용객의 효용적·쾌락적 가치가 선택속성과 충성도 사이에 미치는 영향에 대한 연구: 국립청소년수련원 사례를 중심으로

The purpose of study is to investigate the mediating effects of family campers’ utilitarian and hedonic value between selection attributes and loyalty. Additionally, this study also examines relationship between selection attributes and loyalty. Based on the factor analysis, the selection attributes were subdivided into five factors, such as camp programs, facilities and environment, camp operation, establishment of values, and price effectiveness. The results indicate that among the sub-factors of selection attributes, camp programs, facilities and environment, establishment of values, and price effectiveness statistically influence loyalty. Among these variables, the establishment of values has the greatest influence on loyalty. In terms of the medicating effects of utilitarian and hedonic value, the results show that the utilitarian and hedonic value plays mediating roles between selection attributes and loyalty. Despite the importance of family camps in family leisure activities, studies on family camps are very scarce. Therefore, the results of this study provide meaningful implications for the related academia and industry.

Cambodian American Listening as Memory Work

Cambodian American Listening as Memory Work

Short-Term Changes in Youth Physical Activity Behaviors and Attitudes: The Influence of Summer Camp

Changes in patterns of physical activity are common across adolescence and are often associated with psychological factors such as feelings of athletic competence (Agans et al., 2017; Dawes et al., 2014). However, although physical activity preferences and beliefs about competence and abilities are important contributors to participation (Sallis et al., 2000), these factors are rarely studied over shorter time scales or in the context of specific recreational environments. We therefore assessed the extent to which summer camp experiences may contribute to changes in youth physical activity behavior and attitudes, and examined factors associated with these changes. Data were collected from 309 youth (85% white, 44% female, average age of 11.6) attending three different summer camps in the northeastern United States. Camper survey data were analyzed using multilevel regression models to account for potential camp-level differences in physical activity experiences. Our findings suggest that youth experiences with physical activity at camp are not isolated from prior physical activity behaviors and attitudes, but that even one-week camp sessions can lead to changes for some youth. Specifically, overall physical activity levels increased from pre-camp to the end of camp, but camper demographics and pre-camp physical activity behaviors and beliefs were associated with participants’ self-reported activity levels, self-perceived athletic competence, and eagerness for physical activity at the end of a week of camp. We also found that many campers reported decreases in their enjoyment of physical activities with which they had prior experience, and this was especially true for teens with the lowest levels of physical activity at camp. Finally, we found that youth who tried more new types of physical activity at camp reported decreased self-perceived competence but were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity while at camp. These results suggest that summer camps can enable youth to increase their physical activity levels and change their physical activity-related beliefs, but that recreational camp programs do not affect all youth similarly. Camp staff should therefore be attentive to campers’ prior experiences, and seek to tailor their programs to better support the physical activity behaviors and attitudes of all campers.

Impacts of a Resident Camp Experience on the Lives of Military-Connected Youth

Children and adolescents in U.S. military families experience several challenges such as multiple relocations, being separated from a service member parent, the deployment of a service member parent to a war zone, changing peer groups, and fear of death/injury of a service member parent. These unique attributes of being a military-connected child can be somewhat attenuated with programs specifically designed for this population. Using Positive Youth Development (PYD) as the theoretical underpinning, the purpose of this study was to explore the impacts of a week-long resident camp specifically designed for youth of injured, ill, or fallen service members—a much understudied group. An end-of-camp survey intended to determine if attending camp had an impact on three pre-conceived constructs (self-confidence, connections to others, positive coping skills) provided secondary data which were analyzed in this study. More than 3,000 youth ages 8 to 15 years old completed the questionnaire. Demographic information collected was limited to gender and age. Initially, an EFA was conducted to determine if the intended constructs were indeed measured. Following this, t-tests and ANOVAs were applied as appropriate to the data. The EFA determined that four constructs were measured by the survey (selfconfidence, peer connections, coping skills, and perceived counselor support [adult/child relationships])—all dimensions of PYD. Some age and gender differences were also found. The study findings suggest that military-related camp programs be implemented that target boys with active programming and intentional down-time activities (e.g., informal conversations and interactions) to help them create and develop friendships. In addition, by continuing to provide opportunities that are both novel and challenging to campers, staff can help young people to develop a sense of competence and confidence in their ability to take on new activities. As younger campers struggle with positive coping skills, staff have an opportunity to engage the youngsters in conversations and corrective actions to help them develop and practice positive coping strategies. Lastly, the data show that returning to camp for multiple years makes a difference in some aspects of PYD for campers. This suggests that camps may wish to encourage campers to return for several consecutive years; this may conflict with camps that have waiting lists of potential campers and wish to limit the number of times a child may return in an effort to serve more children.

The Lived Experience of Siblings of Children With Cancer Who Attended a Peer Support Camp in the United States.

Childhood cancer has a profound and negative impact on siblings, yet there are limited studies exploring lived experiences from their perspective. This qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of siblings of children with cancer who attended a peer support camp. Semi-structured interviews were conducted three to six weeks after the weeklong peer support camp with a stratified random sample of 10 siblings (six non-bereaved and four bereaved) ages 8 to 16 years. The qualitative data were analyzed using conventional content analysis and an inductive data-driven approach. Four themes emerged: social connection (subthemes: support/feeling of belonging, mentorship, and expressing feelings), personal growth, identity, and freedom to have fun and relax. These findings add to the scant body of research by providing enhanced understanding of the siblings' experiences and new insights into their perceptions of meaning and outcomes associated with participation in a peer support camp. These findings have implications for peer support camp programs and the well-being of siblings of children with cancer.

Exploring Camp Community in Online Summer Camp Programs during COVID-19

Exploring Camp Community in Online Summer Camp Programs during COVID-19

The Impact of Outdoor Education Camp Program in Building Resilience among University Students

Abstract: Resilience is gained through life experiences that local university students lack from a classroom environment. This study investigated the effect of outdoor education camp programs on the levels of resilience among Physical Education students from two selected universities in Malaysia. A questionnaire was utilized as the primary research tool in this study to assess the participants' perceptions and knowledge acquisition as well as their level of resilience toward the outdoor education camp programs. A total of 162 undergraduate students were studied using a pre-test and post-test approach and a modified version of the Connor-Davidson in a 25 items self-report scale. Analysis of paired t-test showed differences in factors involved in resilience variables, personal competence, instincts and tolerance of negative behavior, positive acceptance of change, control, and spiritual influence. The findings indicated a positive effect towards resilience upon completion of the 14-day outdoor education camp program. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was carried out to evaluate if participation in the outdoor education program influenced participants' perceived level of resilience. Overall, there were statistically significant increases in resilience levels from the pre-test to the post-test stage. These results lead to the need for in-depth research into the assessment of internal factors in an outdoor camp program to provide valuable information on the effect of the intervention and implications towards enhancing resilience of the participants in low to high-risk activities.
 
 Keywords: Outdoor education, Personal Development, Program Evaluation, Physical Education, Resilience

Why be afraid of the night? - Pedagogical methods for developing positive attitudes towards natural darkness in order to reduce light pollution

Human existence has always been accompanied by our fear of the dark. Based on the theory of runaway selection (Fisher, 1930), it can be concluded that the innate feeling of fear associated with darkness can also be related to increased levels of light pollution of modern era. Although it is not possible and would also be undesirable to eliminate this fear, there is a pedagogical opportunity to develop positive attitudes towards the night, which may also lead to a reduction in light pollution in the future. The aim of the study is to present the psychological peculiarities of fear of natural darkness (e.g., Li et al., 2015; Morris and Kratochwill, 1998; Mooney et al., 1985) and to provide pedagogical opportunities to reduce it. Alternative types of education presented by the study based on scientific literature include astronomy education, games and tasks in the dark, night camp programs, education with virtual reality. Within each type, different educational options were presented (e.g., star counting, play therapy methods in the dark, night trips, test of courage). In addition, the results of interviews carried out with instructors related to the above mentioned pedagogical methods are also presented, as well as a detailed collection of links to help access several educational materials. The study provides a novel approach to tackling the problem of light pollution, for which it provides abundant and effective educational materials.

Expanding the Boundaries of Informal Education Programs: An Investigation of the Role of Pre and Post-education Program Experiences and Dispositions on Youth STEM Learning

For generations educators have been supporting children and youth’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through informal education programming. Such programming includes a wide variety of outdoor education programs, camp programs, and increasingly targeted STEM programs run afterschool, on weekends, and over the summer months. However, despite the positive impacts these programs have, few would argue that these programs could not be improved or be designed to better meet the needs of a broader and more diverse population of learners. Arguably, one major flaw in how most educators have approached the design and improvement of these programs—a flaw that permeates almost all informal STEM education efforts–is that either explicitly or implicitly, the focus of educators has been exclusively on what happens during the program itself. Superficially this seems reasonable. After all, the time children/youth are within the temporal and physical boundaries of the program, class, or museum is the time when educators have maximal control over events. However, given what is known about how people learn (National Academies of Sciences, 2018), we argue that this long-standing approach needs to be reconsidered.

Camp Abilities: Accessibility and Virtual Summer Camps

Youth with disabilities are less likely to participate in community activities than their nondisabled peers (Bedell et al., 2013). For participants with physical disabilities, summer camp can increase knowledge of one’s own abilities (Aggerholm & Moltke Martiny, 2017). Camp Abilities is an international sports camp model that recognizes the ongoing challenges that people with disabilities have with respect to accessing physical activity and living active lifestyles. There are over 25 independent camp programs throughout the world with a mission of providing high quality sport, health, and physical activity programming to youth with visual impairments. In the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many camps to close their in-person sessions. In order to continue summer camp programming for the youth they serve, the staff at several Camp Abilities programs for youth with visual impairments developed a virtual service delivery model based on collaboration between physical activity and visual impairment processionals. Staff used digital platforms such as YouTube and Zoom, as well as emails, text messages, and video chats to safely create a camp experience despite the pandemic. Both camps had positive responses to the virtual model from children, parents, and staff. Leadership teams at both programs discovered methods that were successful for their participants, as well as some approaches that they would not use again.