As 4-H evolves to include a wide breadth of youths' modern interests, innovative educational opportunities and evaluation practices become necessary. Horsemanship and safety-based horse camps were created in response to a statewide challenge to develop competitive 4-H members and retain those members as they approach adolescence. This article…

The Clearwater County Sixth Grade Forestry Tour is a unique 3-day, 2-night program that provides participants an objective view of the importance and impact of natural resource-based industries while promoting an understanding of issues regarding natural resource uses. The targeted audience is 6th grade youth, but others interested in natural…

Examining traditional and contemporary professional development practices of youth-serving organizations can inform practices across Extension, particularly in light of the barriers that have been noted for effectively developing the professional competencies of Extension educators. With professional development systems changing quickly,…

The second edition of "Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Recreation" is expanded to provide the most up-to-date, practical approaches for professionals, as well as families, to support the increasing number of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) of all ages and levels who will be participating in every…

Over the course of three summers, Sierra Health Foundation hosted a weeklong summer youth development camp for REACH coalitions at its Grizzly Creek Ranch retreat facilities in Portola, California. Located 130 miles east of Sacramento, Grizzly Creek Ranch is set in the mountains of Plumas County and encompasses 1,500 acres of forests, streams and…

Geospatial and Robotics Technologies for the 21st Century (GEAR-Tech-21), teaches science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through robotics, global positioning systems (GPS), and geographic information systems (GIS) activities for youth in grades 5-8. Participants use a robotics kit, handheld GPS devices, and GIS technology to…

Camps have long addressed multiple components of young people's development, including spiritual development. In particular, transcendental communion with nature and the outdoors may provide one pathway for young people's spiritual development. The physical, mental, social, and spiritual growth of young people has been at the core of camps for…

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…

An Oregon 4-H camp ran a week-long program in which 87 elementary age campers and 16 secondary age counselors operated businesses, dealt with customers, and promoted products. Pretests/posttests showed an average 8.7% increase in camper knowledge of money management skills, with 72% of campers showing improvement. Lists ideas for teaching money…

The Ohio-West Virginia YMCA operates a one-week residential camp program for high school students that focuses on leadership, civic development, and community service. Students commit to performing community service after they return home. The program culminates in a youth-in-government role-playing exercise at the state capitol, where students…

In the late 19th century, camps in the Adirondacks responded to concerns that the American character was softening. Much camping philosophy came from the progressive movement in education. Aspects of Indian culture were adopted because they seemed to fit naturally in the Adirondacks, and children loved them. Adirondack camps have always been…

Camp Adventure is an international youth organization that trains college students to work as camp counselors at camps on U.S. military bases. Diary excerpts from four camp counselors (three who worked in Panama and one in the United States) reveal how they adapted to diversity in people, locales, and cultures. (LP)

An educational program that provides small group living experiences for 450 to 500 young Hungarian students annually and that emphasizes the importance of reading and of an appreciation for the arts and sciences is described in this booklet. An explanation of the "camp for young readers" concept is presented in the first section,…

The National Indian Youth Leadership (NIYL) model was created to develop leadership skills for Indian youth to perform their future roles in the family, school, tribe, and nation. The model not only instills leadership skills and values through hands-on learning opportunities, but also challenges youth to apply those skills through projects they…