Camping Programs Research Articles

Utility of camp for children with epilepsy: a retrospective

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of educational and recreational camping programs for children with epilepsy. Method: A retrospective review of data collected from all children attending annual epilepsy camps organized by the Croatian Epilepsy Association and the Zagreb City Office for Health during 8 years was performed. Children included were between 6 and 18 years of age. The staff of the camp includes child neurologists, a psychologist, neurology nurses and trained volunteers. Educational activities are designed to improve children’s knowledge of epilepsy, importance of taking medication, academic choices, suggested employment, and regulations regarding driving laws. These issues were discussed in groups or in single sessions, depending on the case. Other activities included supervised swimming, team sports, fun activities and games, arts and crafts and entertainment such as disco or movie night. Each of the participants filled out three questionnaires 1. General data questionnaire and pre-camp knowledge test; 2. Camp satisfaction questionnaire and post-camp knowledge test; 3. Questionnaire on adaptation to epilepsy in young people. Results: The analyses of surveys and tests showed that only 75% of children in camp knew that they had epilepsy. In 10% of children, friends and distant family members did not know about epilepsy. Comparing the knowledge test before and after the camp, the average percentage of correctly solved tasks on the first test is 65%, and on the second 87%. The answers in the questionnaire on adaptation to life with epilepsy are indicators of strong stigma in children with epilepsy. Conclusions: The main accomplishment of the camp was for children to gain confidence that they can reach their full potential in life and to feel equal to their peers in every aspect of life.

Improving Leadership and Teamwork through Outdoor Education Camping Program

Teenagers who are involved in achievement oriented sports tend to focus more on technique and tactics training. Whereas social skills are important aspects in the development of teenagers is often forgotten. Therefore, a program is needed that can develop aspects of social skills, especially leadership and teamwork. This study aims to determine the effect of the application of outdoor education camping programs on improving leadership and teamwork on youth athletes in basketball and futsal clubs. This study uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental method of pretest-posttest design. The number of research subjects were 30 teenage athletes, in Sukabumi basketball and futsal clubs who were selected using cluster random sampling. The instruments used were in the form of a leadership and teamwork questionnaire. The result of research data of the ability and leadership variable gained average score of pretest as amount 52,2 and 56,4 for its posttest. On team work variable is gained average score of pretest 24,4 and 31,16 for its posttest. The results showed that there were positive and significant improvements in leadership skills and teamwork.

Introduction: "Pure Michigan": Environmental Histories of the Great Lakes State

Introduction “Pure Michigan”: Environmental Histories of the Great Lakes State No state identifies with the Great Lakes quite like Michigan. Bordering four of the five Great Lakes, the state is located almost entirely within the basin of these sweetwater seas, the world’s largest system of fresh water. Michigan exemplifies the historical complexities and themes of North American landscapes and waterscapes, from indigenous lands and practices to the difficult questions of deindustrialization. Its unique maritime position places the state within still more expansive transnational, borderlands, and technological histories. And within its borders have emerged some of the most challenging social and environmental problems of the industrial era. This special issue of The Michigan Historical Review showcases five articles that consider the relationship between nature and history in Michigan, and the wider region of the Great Lakes basin. “Nature”—and humanity’s place in it—means somewhat different things in each case, from canoed waterways to shipping channels, from forest camps to urban floodplains. Three themes run across space and time: the presence of water in all its forms in Michigan’s history, the ways in which the politics and powers of statehood have relied on expanding control of nature, and the innumerable ways in which environmental conditions have shaped human capacity and choice. We are delighted to publish the winner of this journal’s 2018 Graduate Student Essay Prize, John William Nelson’s “The Ecology of Travel on the Great Lakes Frontier: Native Knowledge, European Dependence, and the Environmental Specifics of Contact.” Nelson describes what he calls “the ecologies of movement” along and across the waterways of the Great Lakes watershed. His story conveys the physicality of maritime movement, as a project of human effort and technological adaptation, affected by seasonal changes and climate. And he locates the more familiar Euro-American narrative of exploration in an existing indigenous landscape of routes, portages, and other kinds of environmental knowledge or “ecological expertise.” Equally important is the biological abundance from land and lake that undergirded both regional movement and cross-cultural exchanges through foodstuffs and provisioning. This is an evocative account of human ecology in the eighteenth century, and a wonderful introduction to some of the major themes and questions in environmental history and indigenous history. Questions of mobility and navigation take on a different cast and urgency in the nineteenth century in ways that illuminate the politics and viii The Michigan Historical Review priorities of the Industrial Age. In “Dredge a River, Make a Nation Great: Shipping, Commerce, and Territoriality in the Detroit River, 1870-1905,” Ramya Swayamprakash explores the remarkable environmental transformations normalized in the service of commercial shipping. But she also stresses the political motivations for and investment in these early megaprojects. While the Detroit River was a crucial route for the everlarger commercial shipping fleets, dredging and channelization actively created new territories to fall under state authority, which was particularly important in a transnational border waterway. Constructing shipping routes improved the navigability and thus the profitability of the river, but it also demonstrated the presence of American expertise and capital. Swayamprakash asks us to envision an ecology of infrastructure, a hybrid of natural and anthropogenic making, and to read the aspirations and technologies of modern engineering as a component of state-building as well as an ideological project of “improvement.” But many of us have encountered “nature” in the Great Lakes State more often through recreation than through infrastructure or industry. So Kristen Hengtgen’s account of school camping programs, “Learning Conservation through Work: Michigan as a Pioneer of the School Camping Movement, 1940-1955,” does what good history often does: have us look at the familiar somewhat differently. These school programs were rooted in anxieties about youth and social order in an urban age, but also propelled by an idealistic vision of the capacity for education to propagate engaged, healthy citizens with a sense of collective responsibility for the state’s natural resources. In other words, democracy entailed concern for both human and “natural welfare”—an admittedly appealing notion. But this was grounded, literally, in a strongly utilitarian tradition, which saw the forest in terms of material value, conservation in terms of “wise use,” and educational...

Effects of a competency-based professional development training on children's physical activity and staff physical activity promotion in summer day camps.

The YMCA of the USA serves more than nine million youth in its summer day camping programs nationwide. In spring 2011, the YMCA of Columbia, SC, with support from the University of South Carolina, adopted a competency-based staff-level training approach in an attempt to align staff behaviors with the YMCA of the USA new physical activity standards for summer camp programs. This chapter presents findings from a multiyear evaluation of a competency-based training approach using a single group design with preassessments and multiple postassessments. Training consisted of participatory exercises and video demonstrations. Data on staff physical activity promotion behaviors were collected using SOSPAN, an instrument that utilizes momentary time sampling to record instances of staff physical activity promotion behaviors consistent with physical activity standards. This chapter describes how a competency-based professional development training may be effective at increasing physical activity promoting and decreasing physical activity discouraging staff behaviors and related child activity levels.

Camping and quality of life

Attaining health and quality of life is universal among global citizens. Since its introduction by Dr. Halbert Dunn in 1962 the term wellness was used to reflect qualify of life and has been widely accepted and defined in the Western culture. In adapting this concept to the Chinese community, the components of adaptation and homeostasis should be considered in addition to physical, mental, social and health fitness. Camping is a common activity among the Western Culture which provides purposive leisure, social, education and therapeutic activities. It allows campers to escape from city life and enjoy Nature. In the Chinese community, the challenges remain to promote and develop camping to an attractive activity in the pursuit of quality of life and wellness. The present study would report the effects of selective camping programs on campers, the lifestyle management practices of Hong Kong residents and a profile of Hong Kong campers. The study was limited with data obtained from surveying 975 Hong Kong secondary school children from 11 - 18 years old using a questionnaire developed earlier [1]. Also, the case study on the effects of camping on anxiety was based on data collected from 130 campers who went to a 3-day camp.

Fit for purpose: Australia's National Fitness Campaign

During a time of war, the federal government passed the National Fitness Act 1941 to improve the fitness of the youth of Australia and better prepare them for roles in the armed services and industry. Implementation of the National Fitness Act made federal funds available at a local level through state-based national fitness councils, which coordinated promotional campaigns, programs, education and infrastructure for physical fitness, with volunteers undertaking most of the work. Specifically focused on children and youth, national fitness councils supported the provision of children's playgrounds, youth clubs and school camping programs, as well as the development of physical education in schools and its teaching and research in universities. By the time the Act was repealed in 1994, fitness had become associated with leisure and recreation rather than being seen as equipping people for everyday life and work. The emergence of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency Act 2010 offers the opportunity to reflect on synergies with its historic precedent.

A Comparative Assessment of Attendance and Nonattendance at Camp Trillium by Children With Cancer and Their Families; Including Their Utilization of Health and Social Services

Camping programs for children with chronic diseases are designed for specific needs, but rigorous evaluation of their impact is largely lacking. The biggest camp for children with cancer and their families provided an opportunity to conduct such an investigation. The study sample consisted of 76 attendee and 86 non-attendee families. Parents and children completed a series of validated questionnaires addressing family functioning (the primary effect measure); health-related quality of life (HRQL) of the patients; the children's behavior and relationships; parental behavior, mood and social support; parental nurturance, rejection and monitoring (from the perspective of the children); and a health and social service utilization inventory. The most common diagnoses in the attendee and nonattendee groups were acute lymphoblastic leukemia and central nervous system tumors, respectively. A higher proportion of attendees were receiving active treatment (26.7% vs. 5.8%), almost all for relapsed disease. Parent attendees reported significantly better family function and social support, and parenting skills and coping, than nonattendee parents. The parental proxy assessments of the children's overall HRQL revealed significantly better scores for the attendees, although there was a greater burden of pain among attendees and of cognitive morbidity among nonattendees. Costs related to health care and social services were substantially greater in the attendee families. Children with cancer cannot be randomized not to attend camp. So the results of this study cannot resolve the conundrum--do better-adapted families attend a camp designed to meet the special needs of their children, or does attendance materially improve the health and welfare of families of children with cancer? However, the very proliferation of such camps is indicative of a need being met and greater efforts should be made to promote the camping experience, and to encourage such children and their families to participate.

The Effectiveness of Project Adventure's Behavior Management Programs for Male Offenders in Residential Treatment

SUMMARY Recent studies analyzing juvenile delinquents participating in wilderness therapy programs have reported little statistical effectiveness. Interpretation of these findings may be unjustified due to definitional confusion more than a clear examination of program effectiveness. Using a research methodology similar to Jones, Lowe, and Risler (2004), this study demonstrates the statistically significant three-year effectiveness of an adventure-based behavior management program (BMtA) with juvenile re-arrest rates when compared to outdoor therapeutic camping programs and standard Youth Development Center (YDC) programs in the State of Georgia. The article also offers clarity concerning the range and types of adventure therapy programs and treatment differences. It further highlights the importance of understanding intervention/treatment fidelity in adventure therapy programs, particularly regarding program settings and key clinical factors.

Proven Effectiveness of Missouri 4-H Camps in Developing Life Skills in Youth

Camping is generally believed to be a context for positive youth development. The 4-H Camp environments presumably focus on the development of life skills including managing and thinking; relating and caring; giving and working and; living and being. However, the effectiveness of the Missouri 4-H Camp environments in developing life skills among campers had never been evaluated in a consistent manner across the multiple camping programs. In order to evaluate the efficacy of these camp programs, resident campers within the 10-13 year age range were surveyed about their camping experience during the summer of 2005 and a similar group was surveyed in 2006. Parents of campers were also surveyed both years to gather their perceptions of 4-H Camp’s impact on their children in developing the life skill areas identified above. Parents and youth agreed strongly that the 4-H Camp experience was substantially valuable in developing the life skills identified in the Targeting Life Skills Model (Hendricks, 1998).

Camping programs for children with cancer and their families.

This paper presents an introduction to the role of camping programs for children with cancer and their families and a hypothesized theory of action. Nine previously published studies investigating recreation-based summer camps for children with cancer and their families are summarized. Overall, these programs appear to be effective; however, an overall conclusion is difficult to state due to variations in design, heterogeneity of subjects, and differences in the definition of camp programs. The lack of knowledge regarding the efficacy of these programs is identified as the largest deficiency in the current literature on this topic. Future research needs in this area are discussed.

Camps as Social Work Interventions: Returning to Our Roots

ABSTRACT This article argues for restoration of the value of camping programs as effective social work interventions. Therapeutic camp programs provide a unique intervention through which vulnerable children and youth may make gains in their emotional and social functioning while having fun with peers. An evaluation of a camp program for children and adolescents with learning disabilities and psychosocial problems offers a compelling illustration of how camp can provide an effective context for social group work interventions. Evaluative findings are presented, along with campers' and parents' impressions of the program. Therapeutic camp programs link new approaches with enduring social work principles that reflect social work's roots.

Associated Factors In Recruitment And Retention Of 4-H Members In West Virginia

This study was designed to determine effective recruitment and retention techniques for increasing enrollment in the West Virginia 4-Hprogram. Data were collectedfor this survey research from county 4-H club leaders and Extension agents via two mail questionnaires. The sample consisted of I65 county 4-H club leaders and 55 Extension agents. A total of 115 (52%) usable questionnaires were returned Participants rated the perceived importance of various recruitment and retention techniques used by 4-H club leaders. The highest rated recruitment techniques were "have exciting and active clubs to entice others to join, "word of mouth--friends telling friends about 4-H," "make meetings/programs interesting and fun," "make members feel welcome," and "'allow 4-H members to participate and take active roles in the club." The highest rated retention techniques were "an effective county agent, staff, and 4-H leader," "must be pro 4-H," "fun camping programs," "provide praise, motivation, and encouragement," "let older members know how important they are to the success of the club," and "provide efficient and fun meetings, programs, and activities." Inservice workshops for West Virginia Extension agents and 4-H club leaders should be conducted on organizing an effective and exciting 4-H club meeting and maintaining a dynamic 4-H club.

What Is the Therapeutic Value of Camping for Emotionally Disturbed Girls?

Therapeutic camping in a wilderness or similar natural environment has led to personal, social, emotion, and cognitive benefits for emotionally disturbed girls. While emotionally disturbed boys derive similar benefits, there appears to be some evidence for differential effects of therapeutic camping based on gender. Criticisms of past research include the lack of control groups, random assignment of subjects, valid and reliable measures, statistical analyses, and long-term follow-up studies. Suggestions for the future include: (1) the development and analysis of more therapeutic camping programs for girls in same-gender and mixed-gender groups, (2) increased use of true experimental or quasi-experimental designs, (3) more research into the generalizability of therapeutic camping benefits to other populations and non-wilderness settings, (4) systematic research into what aspects of camping are therapeutic, and (5) the development of community-based programs and services incorporating those aspects of the c...

Evaluation of a camp program for siblings of children with cancer.

In recent years, specialized camping programs for chronically ill children, members of their family, or both have proliferated. Although these programs are popular, little systematic evaluation of risk-benefit has been undertaken. In a naturalistic study we evaluated the effect of a 5-day residential camping program to determine the effect of the program on the level of medical knowledge, on the perceptions of how the cancer experience affected the individual, and on the participant's mood state. Analysis of questionnaire data from 90 campers before and after their participation in the program revealed that desirable changes occurred in each of these areas and were sustained for at least 3 months after the program. Siblings reported by parents to have behavioral problems with onset since the diagnosis of the cancer seemed to benefit particularly from this type of program. No substantial negative effects were found regardless of the camper age, adaptational status, or previous camp experience.

Therapeutic camping

As a clinical intervention for troubled children, Therapeutic Camping has had a long and rich history in the United States. By the 1930's, a strong impetus to develop new models for summer camping programs combined with the growth of the new helping professionals to create the mental hygiene approach to Therapeutic Camping. This article traces the development of Therapeutic Camping efforts, provides comprehensive listings of benefits reported from various Therapeutic Camping programs over the years, and offers a more current analyses of major clinical advantages to Therapeutic Camping programs.

Modification of Verbal Productivity in Shy Adolescents during a Short-Term Camping Program

The purpose of this study was to modify the low-frequency verbal behavior of two shy adolescent boys within two situations, a recreational activity and a discussion group. The program of behavioral change consisted primarily of token reinforcement within the context of a 5-day camping trip. The results indicated functional control of verbal behavior of both subjects within the discussion group but only one subject in the recreation group. The applicability of behavioral techniques to therapeutic camping programs is discussed.

Summer Camping Programs for Visually Handicapped Persons

Summer Camping Programs for Visually Handicapped Persons

Arithmetic in the School Camp

School camping in the united States is an exploding idea. Over five hundred school systems representing twenty-four states have school camping programs. These programs vary, but there is a general trend toward a one week program for sixth graders. In the type of program this article considers, pupils and teacher together assume direct responsibility for designing, carrying out, and evaluating their plans. These activities are selected by the groups on the basis of being the best way to reach certain educational goals which can be attained better by group living in the outdoors than in a classroom.

Hearing impaired children in community recreation and camping programs.

Hearing impaired children in community recreation and camping programs.