Discusses the importance of systematically evaluating camp programs to provide the best possible experience to campers. Provides suggestions for evaluating staff, program, facilities, and administration in terms of objectives, outcomes, and standards. Discusses methods of evaluation and data collection. Stresses the significance of evaluation in…

Participants in a weekend camp program developed for families of children with AIDS indicated that the experience gave them a respite from daily challenges and provided them with a sense of community. Families participated in arts and crafts, a challenge course, fishing, horseback riding, cooking, and parent support groups. (LP)

An inclusion audit looks at the messages that a camp conveys to campers, parents, and the public and evaluates whether those messages are congruent with policies of acceptance and inclusion of diversity. Elements include reviewing camp promotional materials, the camp mission statement, and the location of advertising; evaluating forms; examining…

Summarizes research on the effects of friendship and group acceptance on adolescents' evaluations of camp, and on the incidence of homesickness among boys ages 8-16 participating in a residential sports camp. Implications for camp involve helping campers develop appropriate social skills and educating staff concerning the symptoms of homesickness.…

A three-year study examining the effects of 15 resident camp programs on over 2,000 disabled campers ages 7-21 indicates that campers made notable achievements in both affective and recreational skills, that positive gains in personal development carried over to the home and community settings, and that increased independence was the predominant…

Addresses the importance of camp evaluation, including the role of formative and summative evaluations; overviews areas of evaluation such as administration, facilities and grounds, programming, and staff; describes functions of evaluation, including human relations, technical function, and conceptual function; describes evaluation tools; and…

A camp serving the New York City area provides year-round support and educationally based experiences for economically disadvantaged children. Evaluations indicate that campers and parents were aware of the psychological, social, and physical benefits of camping; parents and the community benefitted from children's camping experience; and setting…

Describes Fox Valley Center, near Chicago, which combined traditional camp with social work interventions. Describes camp activities as encouraging interaction between young and old people of different races. Describes program focusing on mothers and their children. Details program evaluation procedure. Suggests areas of program outgrowth. (TES)