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Summer camp, principally (though not exclusively) a New world phenomenon, is a common destination for children and teenagers during the summer months. Children and adolescents who attend camp ("campers") participate in a variety of activities, many which wouldn't be possible or practical during the school year. Although the traditional image of summer camp is of a woodsy place with hiking, canoeing, and campfires, today's summer camps offer a wide variety of specialized activities. For example, there are camps for the performing arts, rock music, computers, children with special needs, and weight loss. Religious summer camps, especially those run by Jewish organizations like URJ, are also very popular.
Summer camp is the continuation of a tradition since the mid-1800s. Frederick W. Gunn founded the first camp in 1861. Gunn and his wife Abigail operated a home school for boys in Washington, Connecticut, and took the school on a two-week hiking trip. The Gunns operated the Gunnery Camp for twelve more years. Camp Dudley was founded in 1885 and is currently the oldest continually running boys camp in America.
In most camps, the adult supervisors are called counselors. Counselors are responsible for guiding the campers during activities and ensuring the safety of the campers. In many camps, counselors are assigned to smaller groups of campers, called "bunks", "huts", or "cabins", which participate in activities as a group. Counselors often share living accommodations with their bunk. Most counselors are in their late teens or early twenties, as it's an ideal job for high school or college students on summer break. Although counselor jobs don't usually pay well (often times minimum wage or less), counselors receive free room and board.
Summer camp is also known as "sleepaway camp" (American usage) when campers spend their nights at camp. At some camps, all campers stay overnight, and at some camps ("day camps") the campers go home each night. Some other camps allow both day and overnight campers. Summer camp is often the first time that children spend an extended period of time away from home. Missing home is a frequent problem, but with a caring counselor most campers adjust fairly quickly.
In the US, youth organizations, like the Boy Scouts, 4-H, and YMCA, are known for having lots of Summer Camps and integrating summer camps with their own organization. According to recent statistics from American Camp Association (ACA), those three organizations operated more than 440 ACA-accredited camps in the US (which is about 20% of all ACA-accredited camps in the US).
In Canada, especially in Ontario, summer camps are very popular. Similar to American camps about 70% of Canadian camps tend to be affiliated with organizations, the rest of Canadian camps would be private.
Summer camp fairs are held throughout the United States and Canada (although mainly Ontario), usually during the winter months. Parents and kids can meet camp directors and collect information about summer camps. Admission to these fairs is typically free.
In the USSR, the first summer camps were created shortly after its establishment and were called Young Pioneer camps during the country's existence. Their number grew throughout the history of the Soviet Union and they numbered more than forty thousand in 1973, with 9,300,000 children attending them during their vacation every year. After the breakup of the USSR, the number of Young Pioneer camps greatly declined. However, many of the major camps still exist.
They are also very commons in France, where they are called colonie de vacances or more more recently centre de vacances. According to the French administration *, more than 25% of French children attend each years to this kind of collective holidays. This country is often said to have a hightly structurated practice. For sample, the BAFA (Brevet d'Aptitude aux Fonctions d'Animateur de Centres de Vacances et Loisirs) qualification is required for camp counselors.
Educational Camps
Some summer camps are focused primarily on education or on educational-related activities, such as debate, history, or journalism. These camps are often run by colleges or universities, and are usually for children in Junior or Senior High. Educational summer camps are different than summer schools as the summer camps often are not offered for school credit, and often have a significant focus on non-academic activities.
See also
External links
Associations
- The American Camp Association accredits camps which adhere to a set of national standards.
- The Canadian Camping Association is an association of camps across Canada. Accreditation of camps in Canada happens at the provincial level.
- The Ontario Camping Association accredits camps in Ontario, Canada
- The Quebec Camping Association accredits camps in Quebec, Canada
- The International Camping Fellowship connects camping professionals and associations around the world.
Directories
- Allen's Guide to Summer Camps provides a directory of summer camps throughout the world with detailed descriptions and photos.
- CampPage A directory of summer camps in the United States and Canada.
- CampRatingz Reviews and ratings of summer camps in the United States and Canada, by actual camp families.
- Summer Camps & Summer Programs - MySummerCamps.com provides a comprehensive directory of summer camps for kids & teens.
- Summer Day Camps online directory of day camps throughout Canada and the US.
Resources
- Talk Camp is a website for camp staff to talk about camp.
- Ideas for Summer Camp Games & Activities (Wilderdom)
- Summer Camp Ice-breakers and Teambuilding Exercises (Go Culver.com)
"Summer camp"