In this exploratory case study, I investigated the ways that youth engaged in negotiating their identity during learning conversations at an informal science education camp. In particular, I was interested in exploring the ways that youth positioned themselves within their learning group and how this influenced their identities as learners of…

Corporatisation of universities has drawn parallels between contemporary universities and business corporations, and extended analysis of corporate social responsibility to universities. This article reports on a case study of university-community engagement with schools and school communities through youth engagement programmes to enhance…

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…

This paper reports on a New Zealand study that obtained firsthand narrative accounts from a group of Year 10 (14 to 15 years old) secondary school students who were provided with 27-exposure disposable cameras on which they were asked to take a series of photographs to record what a residential school camp was like for them. Follow-up individual…

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…

This exploratory study used qualitative methods to better understand how youths in a residential setting perceive their relationships with the counselors. Using focus group methodology, the study focused on how youth describe the relationship, what staff qualities the youth are able to identify as important in engaging and maintaining the…

Summer camp is a type of laboratory for community living. Society's needs have changed from providing a positive summer challenge for idle youth to experimenting with the demands and rewards of working in community groups. Decentralized camping emphasizes the team decision-making approach to teach self-reliance and awareness of democratic…

A progress report and final evaluation of the Twin Owls Mountain Camp - Summer Workshop for Colorado Young People are contained in this two-volume publication. Involved in the project was the operation of a summer camp for governmental/ecological education using a participative approach to the learning/teaching process. Also, it was to be…

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…

Although camps have made opportunities increasingly available to youth of poverty areas, little was reported about how successful their programs were. In addition, there persisted an uneasiness that the numbers of children and youth of poverty areas included in camping programs were not proportionate to the need. Local and national studies were…

A YCC project to improve and finish a complete outdoor education center is described. The program and objectives are outlined. Methods of evaluating the students experiences are listed. Testing showed that the students attitudes toward themselves, peers, and the environment became more positive. (AJ)

To prepare students for attending school out-of-doors, this manual addresses the student directly. Topics covered in the first part of the manual include the Outdoor School site, the school staff, living at the Outdoor School, studying in the Outdoor School, fun at the school, and a brief paragraph of initial preparation for the Outdoor School.…