American Camp Association Receives $45.5 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Strengthen Character Development Programs for Young People at Camp
Summary
While camps vary greatly in their mission, size, activities, programming, and location, many are run with an intrinsic focus on youth development and character-building skills and traits. Camps provide young people with experiences in less-distracting settings, often surrounded by nature, that can help support character development through social interactions with peers and counselors, time for reflection and other activities. For example, campers learn responsibility as they help set tables in the dining hall, engage in leadership when guiding groups during hikes, and practice empathy when they support fellow campers who are missing home.In todays world, the benefits of building character skills and traits such as gratitude, kindness, creativity, curiosity, perseverance, resiliency, empathy, courage, and teamwork could not be more important.The Character at Camp initiative will be conducted during the next six years. Funds may be used for staffing, training, curricula, assessment, communications, and/or outreach and partnership efforts to support camps specific goals related to character development. ACA accreditation provides public evidence of a camps voluntary commitment to the health, safety, risk management, and overall well-being of campers and staff.