Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice
For 15 years, the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee has studied the experience of campers and teen staff at 4-H camps across the state. The 4-H Youth Development Program has a strong commitment to youth empowerment and embraces a model of youth-adult partnership across all programs. As such,...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Clemson University Press
2018-04-01
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Series: | Journal of Youth Development |
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Online Access: | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/568 |
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author | Marianne Bird Aarti Subramaniam |
author_facet | Marianne Bird Aarti Subramaniam |
author_sort | Marianne Bird |
collection | DOAJ |
description | For 15 years, the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee has studied the experience of campers and teen staff at 4-H camps across the state. The 4-H Youth Development Program has a strong commitment to youth empowerment and embraces a model of youth-adult partnership across all programs. As such, teenagers, with adult support, plan camp programs and serve as staff for younger youth at California 4‑H camps. Although program evaluations point to positive experiences for all youth, the high school students who plan and deliver these programs consistently report stronger relationships, greater engagement, and more robust outcomes than campers. In this paper, we review archived qualitative data from two previous California 4-H camp studies to examine, from the perspective of teen camp staff members, the components of the program that may lead to such positive experiences for young teenagers serving in leadership roles. Our findings align with prior research about the benefits of teen leadership at camp, and reinforce that research-based concepts, such as youth-adult partnership and opportunities for meaningful contribution, create an environment that fosters positive development in adolescents. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:27:05Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-0a12c815b0b04f008a3de25fde2cd08f |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2325-4017 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:27:05Z |
publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
publisher | Clemson University Press |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Youth Development |
spelling | doaj.art-0a12c815b0b04f008a3de25fde2cd08f2024-02-02T04:27:54ZengClemson University PressJournal of Youth Development2325-40172018-04-01131-2628210.5195/jyd.2018.568495Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and PracticeMarianne Bird0Aarti Subramaniam1University of California Cooperative ExtensionUniversity of California Cooperative ExtensionFor 15 years, the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee has studied the experience of campers and teen staff at 4-H camps across the state. The 4-H Youth Development Program has a strong commitment to youth empowerment and embraces a model of youth-adult partnership across all programs. As such, teenagers, with adult support, plan camp programs and serve as staff for younger youth at California 4‑H camps. Although program evaluations point to positive experiences for all youth, the high school students who plan and deliver these programs consistently report stronger relationships, greater engagement, and more robust outcomes than campers. In this paper, we review archived qualitative data from two previous California 4-H camp studies to examine, from the perspective of teen camp staff members, the components of the program that may lead to such positive experiences for young teenagers serving in leadership roles. Our findings align with prior research about the benefits of teen leadership at camp, and reinforce that research-based concepts, such as youth-adult partnership and opportunities for meaningful contribution, create an environment that fosters positive development in adolescents.http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/568camp program impactteen staff developmentyouth-adult partnershipcamp outcomes |
spellingShingle | Marianne Bird Aarti Subramaniam Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice Journal of Youth Development camp program impact teen staff development youth-adult partnership camp outcomes |
title | Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice |
title_full | Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice |
title_fullStr | Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice |
title_full_unstemmed | Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice |
title_short | Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice |
title_sort | teen staff perceptions of their development in camp insights for theory and practice |
topic | camp program impact teen staff development youth-adult partnership camp outcomes |
url | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/568 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT mariannebird teenstaffperceptionsoftheirdevelopmentincampinsightsfortheoryandpractice AT aartisubramaniam teenstaffperceptionsoftheirdevelopmentincampinsightsfortheoryandpractice |