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 Camp 2 Grow is a
leadership and environmental stewardship program developed by the American
Camp Association® through funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. Camp 2
Grow teaches middle and high-school aged youth fundamental leadership knowledge
and skills and provides youth with a framework for implementing environmental
stewardship projects in their camps, homes, or communities. The nucleus
of the program is LifeKnowledge® - a cutting-edge leadership curriculum
created by the National FFA organization.
Camp 2 Grow
is designed to be integrated into a typical camp schedule and completed within
a one week (or more) camp session. Based on a solid educational model and tied
to national education standards, each lesson includes learning objectives and
applications, step-by-step instructions for easy delivery, and an intentional
scope and sequence that help youth develop essential leadership competences.
Camps can customize Camp2Grow by selecting additional lessons most appropriate
to achieve camp-specific goals.
Through Camp 2 Grow . . . .
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thanks to all of the camps who helped ACA pilot the Camp
2 Grow program during the summer of 2009: The
Nature Institute Discovery Day Camp, Kiddie Keep Well Camp,
Camp Endeavor, Vacamas Programs for Youth, Mass Audubon/Drumlin
Farm Day Camp, Flat Rock River YMCA Camps, Greater Elgin
YMCA Day/Taylor Family Branch YMCA, Watershed Day Camp,
The Fresh Air Fund (Camp ABC and Camp Mariah), Camp Fiver,
AYF-Miniwanca, Camp Homeward Bound, Jameson Camp, UCLA
UniCamp, Trail Blazer, Kid City Original, Union League
Boys & Girls Club, Camp Hollywoodland, CYC - Camp Rosenthal,
Holiday Home Camp, Camp Wilbur Herrlich, House In The Wood,
and Camp Kaleidoscope. |
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- camps will gain access to resources to improve program quality-
including a cutting edge leadership curriculum and an observation based quality
assessment tool designed for camps.
- children will experience leadership
outcomes in the areas of teamwork, responsibility, friendship skills, community
citizenship, independence, and social problem solving,
- communities
will be improved through environmental stewardship projects completed by
engaged youth as leaders,
- a national infrastructure for camper
scholarships will be developed to support youth development and leadership.
- more
children will attend camp and experience the wide range of positive developmental
outcomes that result from camp experiences.
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Getting Involved in Camp 2 Grow
Grant Funding Criteria and Application
DEADLINE: January 25, 2010 at 5:00 PM ET.
A limited number of 2010 Camp 2 Grow
Program Grants (valued at $1,400) are available for camps meeting specific
criteria. Camps that receive a grant must implement Camp 2 Grow as outlined
or be required to repay based on the amount of funding received. Selection
and implementation criteria include the following:
- Camps must be able
to access an online orientation program before camp and online information
while youth are at camp.
- Camp directors (or their designees) must
attend a regional face-to-face training to learn the delivery of the curriculum.
- Camps
must agree to integrate Camp 2 Grow into a counselor-in-training (CIT), leader-in-training
(LIT), or similar intentional youth leadership program for campers 12 years
old or older.
- Camps must agree to fully implement Camp 2 Grow within
a one-week or more camp session.
- Camps must agree to have both youth
AND staff evaluated at the end of the session in which Camp 2 Grow was implemented.
The evaluation process includes camper pre/post and follow-up surveys, camper
journals, and a staff survey. Camps will be asked to share parent contact
information with ACA for a follow-up survey.
The following criteria are not required; however
preference may be given to camps who meet the additional criteria.
- Currently
accredited by the American Camp Association.
- Serve campers from Indianapolis,
Los Angeles, New York, Boston, or Chicago.
- Affiliated with 4-H or the
National Recreation and Park Association.
- Able to provide Camp
2 Grow campers with on-site environmental stewardship experiences.
Please complete
an online grant application.
You may also download an application and send to astearley@ACAcamps.org. Completed
applications must be received by January 25, 2010 at 5:00 PM ET.
What if my camp does not meet the selection criteria?
Camps that do not meet the criteria can gain access to Camp 2 Grow materials
AT A REDUCED RATE by visiting http://aca.lifeknowledge.com. You will need first
to register, then click on the Camp 2 Grow tab at top left of page. Once there
click on Camp 2 Grow lessons to view and purchase.
Please contact Andrea Stearley at astearley@ACAcamps.org if
you have any questions about Camp 2 Grow or the 2010 Camp 2 Grow Program Grant
Application process. A completed application must be received by 5:00 PM (Eastern
Time) on January 25, 2010 for camps to be eligible for grant funding. Please
send completed applications to astearley@ACAcamps.org.
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Campers Making a Difference! (A community of practice for kids!)
 Camp 2 Grow Success Stories
ACA has developed a “success stories” web page where campers
can share the highlights and successes they're experiencing in the Camp 2
Grow program. Blogs, photos, and even videos are perfect for this web page!!!
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Partners
- National FFA
The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive
difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier
leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. ACA
collaborated with FFA to integrate leadership lessons
and customize environmental stewardship applications into Camp 2 Grow.
- National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
NRPA is the leading advocacy
organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks and recreation
opportunities. ACA and NRPA collaborated
to develop an online course called Connecting Children
and Nature, available
to participating camps in the Camp 2 Grow program.
- Hooked on Nature (HON)
Hooked on nature provides resources, workshops, and
training that inspire and empower people to develop joyful, loving, lifelong
relationships, with each other and the natural world. ACA is distributing
Hooked on Nature's Nature Circle Cards to camps participating in Camp 2
Grow.
- Children and Nature Network (C&NN)
Co-founded by Cheryl Charles PhD,
Richard Louv (author of “Last
Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit-Disorder”)
and others, the Children and Nature Network links nearly 10,000 local leaders
and individuals and 270+ programs working to reconnect children with nature.
ACA is partnering with C&NN on the national NatureRocks campaign as
part of Camp 2 Grow.
- ecoAmerica
Nonprofit environmental agency that establishes strategic partnerships
with corporations, NGOs and government and develops large-scale, innovative
engagement marketing programs focused on moving mainstream Americans closer
to the environment, focusing on people rather than issues. ACA is
partnering with C&NN on the national NatureRocks
campaign as part of
Camp 2 Grow.
- National Park Foundation (NPF)
The National Park Foundation is the national
charitable partner of the National Park Service. ACA and the NPF are collaborating to provide
youth with a range of environmental stewardship opportunities, from ACA's
home and community-based Camp 2 Grow program to the NPF's Parks Challenge
Program.
- The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (formerly HighScope
Educational Research Foundation)
The Center leverages its research, training
and technical assistance capacities to help out-of-school time agencies build
quality accountability and improvement systems that enhance professional
skill sets and change outcome trajectories for youth. The Center is working
with ACA to develop a Camp Quality Assessment (CQA)tool that will allow program
staff (or external specialists) to conduct evidence-based research on programs
using observation and interviews. The
CQA allows for the development of an overall camp program quality profile.
- University of Utah, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
ACA has
collaborated with Dr. Jim Sibthorp to create a nature-based component to
the newly developed Camp Quality Assessment (CQA). This supplemental component
to the CQA measures (through observation and interview) the level of nature-based
opportunities in the camp setting and activities, especially those opportunities
that contribute to the development of a child’s emotional connections
to nature.
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Resources
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