Te data are clear that the Christian summer camp
experience has a variety of lasting impacts on partici- pants and their families, including increased family faith practices, more positive self-understanding, increased church engagement and greater under- standing that faith is relevant to daily life. Tose of us who have spent our careers in camping ministry already know this because we have witnessed the power of camp impact the lives of countless campers. However, as Ed Covert points out in the previous article, camper parents, pastors and potential donors want more than anecdotes. We finally have reliable data to come alongside our powerful stories and also challenge some of our assumptions.
Setting the stage for lasting change We have discovered that the impacts we measure among campers are not automatic. It takes a ton of work and constant attentiveness to details to maintain our camps as places for growth. Camper outcomes, from minor impacts to life-changing experiences, involve complicated processes. Ed faces different chal- lenges at Redwood Glen than a camp in the Midwest that serves mostly white suburban kids. In the same way, a camp serving a large portion of unchurched campers has different challenges than a camp that serves church groups coming to camp with their pastor or youth minister. An effective camp environ- ment opens the space for lasting change by coming alongside the unique story and circumstances of each fearfully and wonderfully made child of God. Te project has uncovered five fundamental charac-
teristics of an effective Christian camp experience: 1. Unplugged from home 2. Participatory 3. Faith-centered 4. Relational 5. Safe space
When all five characteristics are present, they open
the space for the power of camp to impact the lives of individual campers. However, if even one of the characteristics breaks down, the entire experience breaks down.
February/March 2020
www.ccca.org
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Photo courtesy of Refreshing Mountain
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