Research 360

Read the latest blog posts on ACA's strategic focus in research.

Interested in contributing to the research blog? Contact research@ACAcamps.org.

 

Community as the Foundation for Camp Program Quality
June 22, 2020

This Research 360 blog post provides an update on some of ACA's current research, including how the research projects have been adapted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
woman hugging a tree
Feed Your Trees: How to Evaluate Virtual Camp Programs
April 27, 2020

Hello camp friends, and thank you for taking a moment to think about evaluation during a time when evaluation seems less critical than the other big challenges you are likely facing right now. We know from previous blog posts that the evaluation... Read More

Young girl using a tablet
What to Evaluate in Virtual or Alternative Programs
April 13, 2020

Hello camp friends, and welcome to the second in our short Research 360 series focusing on evaluation during the time of COVID-19. In our first blog we suggested that, like trees, your evaluation systems might contract as you focus on the health... Read More

old tree in the middle of the woods
Trees and What They Can Teach Us about Evaluation in Uncertain Times
March 30, 2020

Picture this: You notice that a small sapling you planted a while ago is at last large enough that it no longer requires stakes to stay upright. It takes two hands to wrap around its now-sturdy trunk, and the branches, in midsummer, provide shade... Read More

group of campers surround tires
Helping Kids Change Their Stories: What's Next on Our Research Horizon
February 4, 2020

Helping Kids Change Their Stories — A Taste of Camp Measurement North of the Border is a short blog series that explores Tim Hortons Foundation Camps’ summer and school programs and their approach to impact measurement and camp research. The... Read More

Refining Survey Instruments: Amplifying the Youth Voice
January 6, 2020

Through our ongoing efforts to inform and continually improve, we’re building a multi-faceted approach to collecting camper impact data and feedback. 
Staff in a group hug
"It's the Best Part of Camp": Camper Views on Smartphone Policies
January 6, 2020

As camp directors, we instinctually know that the experience is much better without smartphones and technology, but what do the campers themselves think?
Photo courtesy of MedCamps of Louisiana - staff talking with camper in wheelchair
Helping Kids Change Their Stories: What We Are Learning
December 9, 2019

This is the third post in the blog series Helping Kids Change Their Stories — A Taste of Camp Measurement North of the Border.

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