Stephen Fine, Ph.D.Director, The Hollows Camp, Ontario, Canada

Chair, Education & Research, Ontario Camping Association

INTRODUCTIONNarrative is the heart of this study. When we tell a story we are expressing how an experience has touched us or been personally meaningful. Studies into the phenomenon of camp often utilize pre-camp post-camp designs which account for immediate and short-term outcomes. Throughout more rigorous longitudinal designs the outcomes still do not have a generational reach. Over all quantitative designs prevail utilizing a variety of measurement instruments often not compatible with one another making convergence of data and meta-analysis problematic. To determine the long-term effects of camp experiences necessitated a combination of both QUANT and QUAL data with an emphasis on listening to the recollections of former campers and staff.

METHODSThe research employed both qualitative and quantitative strategies. The approach was sequential and exploratory with three phases of data collection 1) camp director’s participant observation, 2) personal interviews with camp alumni, and 3) a survey for current campers. The process is representative of the pragmatic paradigm and the case study approach and is effectively triangulated through mixed-methods. 17 camp alumni, 113 campers and their parents signed consents. Alumni were interviewed twice. The convergence of these data served to mutually verify the research results.

ABSTRACTThe value of summer camp is not evident to everyone. Newcomers to Canada and the U.S.A., members of traditional ethnic communities, and parents who never attended camp themselves are all potential market groups. As these market populations grow this lack of appreciation is becoming particularly evident to the summer camp industry. One way to assess the value of an experience is to explore the long-term outcome. This research focuses on the question: Do summer camp experiences have any significant impact on the lives of adults in later life? The narratives of 17 camp alumni express how their camp experiences have been meaningful and advantageous. The data covers a generational span of 30 years. QUAL data from alumni narratives were triangulated with additional QUAL and QUANT data from the camp director and 113 campers respectively. Findings showed that camp developed: intrinsic motivation which transferred to later life situations, successful social networking skills, ethical behaviour, parenting skills, and an acceptance of others regardless of ethnicity or social standing. Camp conditioning and/or sustained social networks often assisted in the resolving of personal difficulties.

RESULTS

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The positive long-term outcomes of the camp experience as expressed in this study: • Provides relevant and authenticated testimonials that allows potential access to new markets, including the children of first generation Canadians and Americans, newcomers, and parents who have never attended camp.• Are of value for camps and camp organizations that rely on funding from external sources.•Increases the visibility and public profile of accredited camps and camp associations.• Further attests to the capacity for camps to provide successful youth development programs.• Speaks to all levels of government.

The Generational Reach of the Camp ExperienceAlumni Perspectives

2007 ACA Camp Research Symposium, Austin, Texas

• Experience as a counsellor lead to successful skills as a parent.• Camp teaches acceptance of others regardless of ethnicity or social standing.• Understandings from camp often assisted in resolving personal challenges: “a foundation for understanding [my] world” and “something to fall back on when the hard times come.”

Recurring themes which emerged from the interviews with camp alumni were that:• Learning in the camp setting was remembered with great clarity.• Camp experiences were considered important and life shaping.• Camp developed intrinsic motivation which transferred to later life situations.• Camp developed successful social networking skills and ethical behaviour. The Hollows Camp