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Inside ACA — March 2007 Printable Version (PDF)

Current Research News

ACA Recruiting Additional Camps for Year Two of the Healthy Camp Study of Injuries and Illnesses
ACA Explores the Role of Spirituality in Youth Development
Question—What Makes Teens Tick?


ACA Recruiting Additional Camps for Year Two of the Healthy Camp Study of Injuries and Illnesses

ACA is currently preparing for year two of the Healthy Camp Study. The purpose of this five-year study is to monitor illness and injury among campers and staff at U.S. summer camps so that preventive interventions can be identified and integrated into camp risk management programs.

There is still time to join the Healthy Camp Study!

Learn more about the Healthy Camp Study and sign up at www.ACAcamps.org/research. Appreciation is expressed to Markel Insurance Company for their generous support of this project. 

Markel Insurance Company
888-597-1100
www.campinsurance.com
E-mail: eservice@markelcorp.com

Questions about the study can be directed to Barry Garst at bgarst@ACAcamps.org or Sheila Dannemiller at sdannemiller@ACAcamps.org

* Complete results of year-one data are posted on the ACA Web site at www.ACAcamps.org/research.

This study is made possible thanks to the generosity of Markel Insurance Company. Partners in this study include The Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSU) and Columbus Children’s Research Institute (CCRI), the American Camp Association (ACA), Association of Camp Nurses, Christian Camp and Conference Association, and the National Recreation and Park Association.

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ACA Explores the Role of Spirituality in Youth Development

ACA is currently involved in a collaboration with Search Institute and the National Collaboration for Youth to explore the role of spirituality in youth development. 

An initial survey is being conducted to examine whether (and how) youth workers in different settings might learn from, and with, each other about how to prepare staff to work effectively with young people.  The survey will be distributed to ACA members on March 7, 2007, and will remain open until April 2.  Camps, both religiously-affiliated and nonreligiously-affiliated, are encouraged to participate. 

Results from the survey will be combined with other information to highlight the opportunities and challenges in building bridges between youth workers in local youth organizations and faith-based youth workers. This project is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. 

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Question—What Makes Teens Tick?
Answer—Well . . . a lot of things. For instance, did you know that:

  • more than half of teens (54%) report obtaining income from working. Teens are a consumer class onto themselves and are looking for employment opportunities
  • teen girls report at a rate of 91% that flip-flops are definitely “the thing”… from walking on the beach in them to completing party attire. What type of footwear policy do you have at camp?
  • teens are shying away from magazines, newspapers, and landlines as they become more and more wired. They crave information and interaction from other means of electronic input. Teens spend on average 10 hours a week watching TV and 5 hours talking on their cell phone.
  • as teens spend more time "talking" to their friends online, they may not be getting the face to face time to hone their social skills. The majority of teens (71%) say they make friends easily but of this number, 60% of them would rather spend time with a small group of friends.

While we may not be able to keep up with their lighting fast texting thumbs or understand the lyrics to the music they listen to, for many of us teens are a critical component of our camp program. From teen programming to entry-level employment opportunities, we find ourselves marketing to this important segment of the population.

Do you want to know more about teens' spending behaviors, likes and dislikes, and generally what makes them tick? ACA is pleased to announce a new relationship with Teen Research Unlimited (TRU), a leading provider of teen data. TRU surveys teens from across the US and even employs teens from major US cities to help them determine “what’s hot” and “what’s not.” ACA camps will receive a sneak peek at TRU’s teen market research in a biweekly newsletter entitled TRU View.

TRU View will be available to ACA member camps beginning in April 2007 on ACA's Web page.

2007 March Inside ACA Newsletter
 
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