Benefits of Camp

A medical student reflects on how four summers as a camp counselor prepared him for hospital work, where caring for patients as “ours” echoes the responsibility of caring for campers whose families have placed their trust in you.

Marketing professor Marcus Collins has gone to camp his whole life but never saw himself as a “camp person.” He argues that camp needs a rebrand: not a new logo, but a wider lens that lets more families see themselves in camp’s story, by telling stories of transformation instead of listing activities.

Camp’s “magic” has a scientific basis. Learn how five neurochemicals (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins, and cortisol) drive growth and connection at camp, plus practical ways to design programming that activates each one.

A boy who felt invisible in a new city found belonging at summer camp and grew up to help lead Uzbekistan’s national camp system. Follow his journey to the ACA National Conference, where his delegation signed a historic partnership with ACA.

ACA President and CEO Henry DeHart previews the 2026 ACA National Conference in San Diego, themed “Unleashing the Life-Changing Power of Camp,” with keynotes from actress Lauren Ridloff and story science researcher Angus Fletcher.

My first thought upon pulling into the woodsy cluster of cabins with a glint of lake in the background that was to be my camp home for the next week was: Where have you been all my...

Exploring the outcomes of the camp experience related to social-emotional learning and career/college readiness for campers and staff.

For this post, Chaco invited guest blogger, Nick Maciel, to share how camp has shaped him as an adult. Oh, the dog days of summer. There is nothing quite like the feeling of...

Camp is an experience that strengthens one’s life journey; it enables, reinforces, and facilitates one’s ability to learn for life. It is a process of risks and mistakes that are...

Campers often describe camp as their “happy place” or “the best two weeks” of their year. And, from my own observation, I’ve seen that kids and the counselors who work with them...