Describes one summer camp's leadership groups, special programs for promising 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls, that teach outdoor and leadership skills, provide challenge and adventure, and screen campers for future jobs on the camp services staff. (SV)

A Jewish camp in Michigan hosted more than 300 Israeli teens during its 2002 camping season. American and Israeli campers lived in the same cabins so they could learn about each other's culture and develop friendships. To make the visitors welcome, informational brochures sent to Israeli families were translated into Hebrew, and area families…

Reports the responses of 1,176 resident and day camps, members of the American Camping Association. Includes 5 bar graphs that depict 1989 versus 1988 enrollment, enrollment as percentage of available space, client type, camp sponsorship, and camp type. (SV)

Provides camp directors with ideas for building and maintaining a sense of community among their staff, including (1) establishing a vision statement; (2) conducting team-building activities during precamp training; (3) establishing a "full value-no discount" policy that encourages caring behaviors; and (4) reinforcing a sense of…

Camp Releaf, a weekend camp in North Carolina, uses therapeutic recreation to help children in grades K-8 develop positive coping skills for dealing with the recent death of a family member. The camp's therapeutic activities are described. Sidebars outline the nature of grief in different age groups and suggestions for working with grieving…

Minimum-impact camping techniques that can be applied to resident camp programs include controlling group size and behavior, designing camp sites, moving groups frequently, proper use of fires, proper disposal of food and human wastes, use of biodegradable soaps, and encouraging staff and camper awareness of impacts on the environment. (LP)

Relates how campers and staff at a camp in Iowa managed during the flood, initiated clean-up efforts, and attempted to secure aid to pay for over $100,000 in damage to camp facilities. Following a visit, singer Billy Ray Cyrus donated concert ticket revenues to help pay for flood damages. (LP)

An intensive three-day program at the Pines Catholic Camp, followed by weekly support meetings, aim to prevent Dallas teens from turning to gang participation. Program components include personal goal setting, commitment to a code of conduct, and physical activities that promote group unity and positive peer pressure. (SV)

Describes the four-day resident Mother-Child Camp of the Portland (Oregon) YWCA for mothers and children from the age of two and one-half and up. Outlines purposes, daily schedule, costs, staffing, and indicates special considerations to accommodate needs of young children. (NEC)

At a summer camp that introduces Japanese high school students to American culture, the authors learned the following basic principles underlying culturally responsive camp activities: sensitivity to cultural nuances in communication, deliberate and sequential processes, appreciation of one's own cultural biases, understanding perceived risks, and…

A day-by-day account describes Camp Greentop's first 5-day adventure camping trip, which was attended by five individuals with disabilities and their counselors. The first day was spent in games and initiatives designed to develop communication, teamwork, and dependability. Other days were devoted to hiking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting.…

Team tennis programs offer campers an equal chance to share the responsibilities and excitement of team competition, fostering feelings of self-esteem that can lead to remarkable changes in behavior. Recommendations cover organization of a team tennis program, conducting matches, and program adaptations for special circumstances. (LP)

Describes six-day residential camp experiences of 10 Soviet and 20 American youths at Alford Lake Camp (Maine) in August 1986. (NEC)

Camping Unlimited for at-risk youth, which originally ran from 1969-76, was recently revived at Blue Star Camps (Hendersonville, North Carolina) with 150 youth from southern Florida. The one-week stay, funded by several partnerships and organized by youth programs in the home county, included all regular camp activities. Increased staff and…

Shooting sports teach discipline and responsibility, permit universal participation, and are popular with campers, yet are declining because of certification, cost, and safety issues. BB guns and air rifles are safer and quieter, need less space, can be used indoors, and are inexpensive compared to small-bore rifles. New target systems reduce…