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By Doug Hart
Partnership, collaboration, teamwork, association, alliance. These and
other common buzz words are often used to describe the methods by which
many community-based programs are delivered. Being a 4-H agent in a rural
county in Oregon, I’ve found that in order to reach the intended
audience, I sometimes need to pull community partners together in order
to meet the established program goals.
The Need
One example is the Curry County Youth Leadership Camp. The camp was
developed because of the need to provide educational programming during
the summer for junior high youth. As a result of funding cuts, the Central
Curry School District summer recreation program had been drastically reduced.
Many youth in this rural area (town size is 2,000) would not have been
involved in any outside educational or recreational programs during the
summer.
Previously, the Curry County office of the Oregon State University Extension
Service had collaborated with the school district on a variety of educational
programs. So, a small committee went to work and developed a program that
would offer leadership, team-building, problem-solving, organizational,
and public-speaking skills and fun all rolled up together. The committee
included participants from schools and 4-H — and it was open to
both youth and adults. The result was Curry County Youth Leadership Camp.
The Program
The Youth Leadership Camp is offered to youth in grades seven through
nine — mainly because other programs were available to youth in
the other age levels. The county 4-H program already reaches many youth
from the county, but most traditional programs — such as the 4-H
summer resident camp which I direct — reach either the junior campers
(fourth through sixth grade) or the senior counselors (ninth through twelfth
grade).
The camp was pilot-tested for the first time during July 2004. For the
two-day camp, participants traveled up the Oregon coast nearly 130 miles
to Camp Baker. The camp, owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America,
offers leadership training in a challenge-based camp setting. Qualified
facilitators led youth on a climbing tower and a low and a high ropes
course to develop trust and leadership skills within the group. Following
the one-day session at Camp Baker, the group spent a partial day at the
nearby Oregon Dunes State Park. At the dunes, the campers drove dune buggies
and were led in team-building exercises. The participants stayed overnight
in a school, which helped to keep lodging costs down. Thirteen campers
and two adult chaperones participated in this camp.
Both partners (the school district and 4-H Leaders Association) agreed
to partially fund this camp with a budget of approximately $1,000. The
school district assisted by providing bus transportation at a reduced
price and donated the driver’s time and expenses. The 4-H leaders
contributed support, supplies, and staff to train chaperones, co-direct
the camp, and provide follow-up after the camp. In addition, each participant
contributed $40 and had to apply in order to attend.
The Results
The results from this unique camp program have been very evident and
have shown that program goals have been met. They include:
- Upon completion of the Youth Leadership Camp — continued and/or
increased participation in 4-H programs by the program participants.
- An increase in the visibility of youth development programs in the
county — newspaper, radio, and Web site coverage will help promote
the camp and showcase the partnership efforts.
- An increase of similar educational partnerships — because of
the success of the Youth Leadership Camp, other community partnerships
will be formed to offer education to their prospective audiences.
- County Fair educational exhibit — participants will make and
display an educational exhibit at the County Fair that showcases the
Youth Leadership Camp.
The Educational Component of Camp
Camps across America are establishing that they are no longer simply
a place for children to have fun, but also a partner in the educational
process and in the development of youth. Camp directors recognize that
the same activities and programs that their camps have traditionally offered
can be packaged as highly effective alternative learning models. As education
officials search for solutions to bridging educational gaps because of
budget cuts, camps are uniquely positioned to fill these gaps with proven,
effective programming.
Camp and Community Partnerships
Educational partnerships that involve the community are becoming a reality
for camps. Camps, because of their unique role in the education and growth
of children, are developing innovative programs that help reduce summer
learning loss, bolster academic enrichment and student socialization,
provide opportunities for leadership development, and ensure that our
young people achieve their full potential. Our leadership camp is an example
of that.
As discovered with the Curry County Youth Leadership Camp, community
partners are willing to invest in time, energy, and resources in order
to bring about a positive, educational offering for the youth from their
community.
Camps: An Expanded Role
By marketing their programs and facilities, camps can provide opportunities
for the youth in their communities to develop
leadership and social competencies and build self-esteem — assets
that will serve these youth throughout their lives — providing them
with the skills that will help them perform better in their communities,
in their classrooms, and as adults.
In order to create an effective community-based partnership, it’s
important to have the proper balance among the participants. Balance is
a characteristic of healthy communities, and a healthy community always
balances the needs and interests of the group with the needs and interests
of persons (DePree 1997).
Fostering New Partnerships
The Curry County Youth Leadership Camp program may have long-lasting
effects in the community because it has fostered further partnerships
between community agencies and organizations to address new educational
opportunities. During a recent community needs assessment, sponsored by
the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service, three strategic directions
were identified:
- Strengthening Communities and Economics
- Sustaining Natural Resources and Agriculture
- Enhancing Families, Youth, and Health
All three strategic directions support the primary goal of the OSU Extension
Service of Building Sustainable Communities. Programs such as the Youth
Leadership Camp enable community partners to come together to reach their
clientele and promote a more healthy and capable community. OSU Extension
Service is able to be more effective in reaching into the community because
of these partnerships.
Camp programs that choose to view their programs as viable options in
a child’s educational and social development will be the ones that
are successful in the future. Those that work with schools and community
organizations to offer programs and activities will not only complement
the school-year curriculum but also extend the learning process year-round.
| References |
| DePree (1997). Leading without Power: Finding
Hope in Serving Community. (First Edition. pp. 63-67). San Francisco,
CA. Jossey-Bass Publishers. |
Originally published in the 2005 November/December
issue of Camping Magazine. |
