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Camp
is Essential for All Children
Research continues to provide evidence
that, of all the different youth development
options, camp has become even more essential.
Camp helps children develop critical skills,
such as leadership, independence, and the
ability to make authentic human connections. And
while camp might be thought of as a privilege,
research shows that all children benefit
from the experiences camp offers.
- C5 Youth Foundation was started as
a way to give underprivileged children
in the Los Angeles area an opportunity
to benefit from camp. Students begin
the five-year program in the seventh
grade. The program has seen amazing results.
Seventy-eight percent of the students
who begin the program complete the program,
of those who complete the program, one
hundred percent graduate from high school,
and ninety-eight percent go on to college.
- Camp Sunshine, located in Maine, provides
a year-round, free program to children
facing life-threatening illnesses and
their families. This unique approach
provides respite, support, joy and hope
through various stages of the child’s
illness.
- The essence of the UCLA UniCamp program
is relationship based — camper
and UCLA student. At least 160 campers
ages ten to fourteen participate in each
eight-day resident camp session. This
program provides a service-learning opportunity
for campers, enabling them to obtain
leadership experience helping in camp
operations. Each year, UniCamp inspires
nearly 1,000 children from low-income
families to envision better futures as
they grow and learn along-side nearly
350 student volunteers.
- Camp Twin Lakes, located in Rutledge,
Georgia, is a nonprofit, year-round program
for children with serious illnesses and
special needs. Campers gain self-esteem,
self-awareness, independence, and a sense
of belonging by participating in recreational,
therapeutic and educational programs
in a supportive, nurturing, fully-accessible
environment.
- Project Morry is a year-round program
anchored by a summer camp experience.
The program, which serves inner-city
youth, boasts a one hundred percent graduation
rate in areas where the average graduation
rate is below fifty percent.
The American Camp Association® (ACA)
community works tirelessly to provide a
camp opportunity for every child through
partnerships and camp scholarships. Most
independent for-profit camps support ACA’s
efforts and their nonprofit counterparts
with donations, in-kind services, fund-raisers,
and volunteer efforts.
ACA research confirms that camp builds
skills necessary to prepare campers to
assume roles as successful adults. There
is a camp for every child and every child
deserves the opportunities and skills that
camp develops.
To find the perfect camp for your child,
visit the Find A Camp feature on
ACA’s parent Web site at www.CampParents.org.
Contact Public Relations at 765.349.3317
or pr@ACAcamps.org to
interview an ACA
spokesperson for more information about
the essential camp experience. For customizable public
service announcements or article
reprints, visit our Media
Center at http://www.ACAcamps.org/media.
About ACA
The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance
the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs
ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally
challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps
that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.
ACA Annual Conference
ACA will host its National Conference of over 1,200 camp professionals in Orlando,
Florida, February 17-20, 2009. The conference will bring together some of the
nation's top child development experts to discuss The Power of the Experience.
Keynote speakers include Ned Hallowell, MD, psychiatrist and author of CrazyBusy:
Overbooked, Overstretched, and About to Snap and Linda Perlstein, veteran
writer for the Washington Post and author of two books, Not Much
Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers and Tested: One
American School Struggles to Make the Grade.
For the complete program lineup, visit www.ACAcamps.org/conference.
During the conference, members of the news media will have the opportunity
to interview keynote speakers and ACA spokespersons. For your convenience,
you can register
online for the conference. For additional information, interview
requests, and press credentials, please contact Dawn Swindle at dswindle@ACAcamps.org,
765-349-3317.
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