highly respected research teams (Philliber Research on behalf of the American Camp Association and the Yale Child Study Center on behalf of the SeriousFun Children’s Network; see sidebar on the previous page). Exceptionally validating are the similarities in findings in all measured areas, not only those around friendship. In a poignant remark, one SeriousFun camper said, “I feel like I got inside a wonderful fairytale.” That’s the impression when experientially based life skills and values are realized to heighten positive self-identity: self-esteem, confidence, independence. One notable disparity, ensuing from the different population samples, actually highlights the signif icance of a camp experience by reporting that typical children said, “Camp helped me get to know others who were different,” while children dealing with serious illness remarked, “Camp helped me get to know others who were like me!” The common denominator, though, is that both groups of children honed their coping strategies, whether basic problem-solving techniques or complex illness-related stress. All of them, regardless of circumstance, got “to know others.” Indisputable Outcomes of the Camp Experience (and Reason to Celebrate!) • Fun — Adventure and exploration • Friendships • Strong values and character-building • Connectedness with nature • Positive risk-taking • Increased physical activity • Opportunities for play and imagination • Skill-building • Problem solving, decision making, and resilience • Feeling of belonging Play, after all, is the work of childhood! Add to that foundation the sense of community, which is loosely defined as people who share the same stories, and you get the resounding essence of the camp experience: it “fosters resilience-promoting skills,” points out Dr. Linda Mayes, professor and coprincipal investigator of the Yale Child Study Center. “Young people need environments that offer positive peer and adult relationships, guidance, structure, high expectations, and opportunities to try new things,” explains Nicole Yohalem, the director of Learning and Research at the Forum for Youth Investment, which was instrumental in the ACA study (ACA, 2004). The results about the value of a camp experience are definitive: • Children become more confident and build increased self-esteem • Children develop more social skills that help them make new friends • Children grow more independent and show more leadership and decisionmaking qualities • Children become more adventurous and willing to try new things • Children gain mastery in core emotional areas such as resilience and self-regulation In fact, the influence on camper resilience was quantifiable and significant, according to the Yale study. After camp: • There was a decrease in the frequency of psycho-social problems, such as at tent iveness, feel ing sad, and relationship-building • There was an increase in friendship satisfaction continued on page 24 Organizations Mentioned in This Article • SeriousFun Children’s Network is a growing global community of thirty camps and programs serving children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and their families, always free of charge. Founded by Paul Newman in 1988, SeriousFun has served over 400,000 children and families from more than fifty countries. Its mission is to create opportunities for children and their families to reach beyond serious illness and discover joy, confidence, and a new world of possibilities. • www.seriousfunnetwork.org • The American Camp Association (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACAaccredited camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are more than 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 290 health and safety standards. • www.ACAcamps.org • The Foundation for Jewish Camps (FJC) was engaged in the project to map current, potential, and desired services available to children with emotional, intellectual, and physical disabilities at nonprofit Jewish overnight camps across North America. • www.jewishcamp.org • The Yale Child Study Center is a department within the Yale University School of Medicine that brings together multiple disciplines to further the understanding of the problems of children and families. The mission is to understand child development; social, behavioral, and emotional adjustment; psychiatric disorders; and to help children and families in need of care. • http://childstudycenter.yale.edu/index.aspx • Philliber Research is an independent research and evaluation firm, specializing in outcome-based evaluation and program planning services for social, cultural, educational, health, media, and other programs. • www.philliberresearch.com • Laszlo Strategies is a strategic communications group that focuses on helping nonprofits champion the cause of medical science and people with physical and developmental disabilities. • www.laszlostrategies.com CAMPING magazine • March/April 2014 23
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