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Camp has the potential to be deeply impactful. Many of us have seen it with our own eyes and felt it in our own souls, having had personally transformative or life-changing experiences. Yet, camp doesn’t always have the same impact on everyone. Sometimes participants have a mediocre or even negative experience, causing some people to question the value of camp. Are those with mostly positive camp experiences simply the lucky ones? What is it that makes camp work?

That’s the question – both the one we all continue to ask today, and the basis of the question we started with in 2015 when the first Effective Camp Research Project started. Until then, there were endless stories from campers, families, staff members, and leaders like you about the profound impact of camp on their lives, but there wasn’t rich data to back them up. No matter the context, when you combine captivating stories with well-researched data, you create narratives that inform choices and create experiences that meet your mission.

The 5 Fundamentals of Effective Camp were uncovered through that initial study, and have been confirmed again and again over the last decade of research with more than 24,000 campers and 9000 parents and more than 100 outdoor ministry centers. When the five fundamentals are in place, missional outcomes are consistent and lasting.

The Series Ahead

In case you haven’t gotten the chance to dive into what’s underneath these foundational characteristics, we’re about to launch a deep dive into each of the five fundamentals right here in our article feed. Over the course of the next two months, we’ll write our way through each one, how it rose to the top, what we’ve learned about it since the beginning, and most importantly, what every camp and outdoor ministry leader can do to implement and ensure that characteristic is well-strategized and executed in our programs and our people. This article series will leave you with deeper clarity on why each characteristic matters and the opportunity to implement interventions to keep you on track or get you back on track in that area.

In case this is your first time or two approaching these fundamentals, here’s a glance at each one. 

Camp is unplugged.

Camp is a set apart space providing physical and emotional distance from campers’ typical environments. The experience is temporary, meaning there is a time of intentional separation from and sending to permanent spaces, such as home and church. The differences highlight the unique nature of the camp setting and provide perspective on their experiences in the permanent spaces. Also, camp is literally unplugged from electronic devices, facilitating face-to-face interaction, unmediated by technology. Potential impacts include increased independence, differentiation from parents, and less reliance on technology.

Camp is relational.

Camp is a place that intentionally facilitates community building, especially between and among participants and camp staff members. The entire experience is framed in an intensely relational environment that includes living together, meeting new people, effectively navigating conflict, practicing reconciliation, and encountering the other in face-to-face interaction. The potential impacts of this characteristic include improved social competency and increased self-confidence.

Camp is a safe space.

Camp is a set apart space providing physical and emotional distance from campers’ typical environments. The experience is temporary, meaning there is a time of intentional separation from and sending to permanent spaces, such as home and church. The differences highlight the unique nature of the camp setting and provide perspective on their experiences in the permanent spaces. Also, camp is literally unplugged from electronic devices, facilitating face-to-face interaction, unmediated by technology. Potential impacts include increased independence, differentiation from parents, and less reliance on technology.

Camp is participatory.

The effective camp environment emphasizes experience, and participants are given a great deal of agency over that experience. They learn and grow through active, kinesthetic activities. The most effective are multi-sensory and often include new or novel experiences that participants find to be enjoyable and challenging. The potential impacts of this characteristic include willingness to try new things, increased creativity, and more positive attitudes toward life.

Camp is faith-centered.

Faith is not an afterthought at effective Christian camps. It is incorporated into everything we do. It is not a separate activity or event. It is in the very air we breathe. At camp, we can see everything we do as caught up with and dependent on the activity of God in the world. We also connect faith practices and experiences at camp with those in the home and church. The potential impacts of this characteristic include increased frequency of faith practices in the home, stronger identification with faith traditions, and ability to interpret life through the lens of faith.

So, how do we know we’re on track?

That… is a good question. Like so many things in life, we know when we wonder, when we seek to discover, and when we ask. That’s really what is at the heart of all our work at Sacred Playgrounds and with any good research methodology – asking good questions. So the way to know if you’re on track with these foundational characteristics as a camping ministry organization is to ask, and some of the best people to ask are…yourselves.

Self- and team-reflection in many organizations is usually left to a surface level, “Well, how did it go? Good. Ok, next thing…” Summer ministry evaluations are shelved and paid attention to if someone is upset about something. Slowly but surely through the intentionality and commitment to quality evaluation and insight-generation from good leaders, the needle is moving. Our hope and call is to equip that with foundational insights like the five fundamentals, as well as processes and tools to help get you there.