Contracting services for children and youth: the Camp Adventure ™ way

Children Today, Jan-Feb, 1991 by Christopher R. Edgington, Donald G. DeGraaf

The need for high quality youth services continues to challenge parents, government administrators and legislators. A solution to meeting the needs of children and youth today is contracting for these services. Although this idea is not new, it has not been fully embraced by government organizations concerned with providing youth services. However, many public-private partnerships could be developed to dramatically enhance the delivery of services to children and youth.

An impressive example of contracted youth services is the recreation program provided to children of United States military personnel by the University of Oregon's Department of Leisure Studities and Services. Known as Camp Adventure [TM], this intiative has furnished an extensive line of youth programs for U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps families at both domestic and overseas installations.

Camp Adventure [TM] was launched in 1985 for the Youth Activities of the United States Eight Army's Recreation Service Operation, Korea. Initially, Camp Adventure [TM] involved the creation of day camp programs at K-16 (a U.S. Army airfield 25 miles southeast of Seoul), Camp Carroll (17 miles north of Taegu), and Camp Hialeah (Pusan). During the first year of Camp Adventure [TM] -- which was dubbed "Operation Adventure" -- the program was staffed by 12 University of Oregon students and two faculty members.

Camp Adventure [TM] was a novel approach for the Armed Services to take in providing recreation services. Direct service delivery--which dictates that an agency assume total responsibility for all aspects of program planning, organization and implementation--is an ingrained aspect of the way that government agencies conduct business in the United States. In the past, the Armed Services designed the recreation programs, recruited, selected and trained staff, established registration procedures, located supplies, arranged for transportation, created and distributed flyers and brochures, and conducted monitored and evaluated services.

All these functions required extensive commitment and funding from the Armed Services. Not so with Camp Adventure [TM]! The Camp Adventure [TM] management team consists of three divisions--Marketing, Human Resources and Programming. The Marketing Unit designs brochures and a series of program perspectives to market Camp Adventure [TM]. The Human Resources Division processes all applications and makes arrangements for travel, passports and visas. The Programming Division devises program guidelines and other resources. This specialization enables Camp Adventure [TM] and the Armed Services to consolidate and streamline their efforts.

Contractors can enhance services by bringing to bean unique resources that may not be available within the organization soliciting the contract. For instance, the Camp Adventure [TM] Special Projects Unit--established within the Management Team to spearhead new and innovative programs--negotiated with the government of Hong Kong to provide a one-week resident camp service in that country. This endeavor was conducted in conjunction with the Po Leung Kuh Holiday Camp, a private, nonprofit, youth serving organization. Crafted for youth ages 15 to 18 years, the resident camp service was a successful vehicle for cultural exchanges between Camp Adventure [TM] staff and Chinese youth.

Another unique resource that Camp Adventure [TM] brings to bear is their employees--students from the University of Oregon. Employing college students for a summer program is certainly a more cost effective option that hiring full-time career staff. Benefits generated by the program have been impressive both to the students and the military. Camp Adventure [TM] has enabled University of Oregon students to serve dependent youth of military personnel, to design model programs, and to integrate theory with practice while learning about other cultures. University students gain opportunities to learn outside the classroom--hands on experience that entails developing program materials, engaging in problem-solving, and implementing risk management and training programs. [1] After completing their assignments, students traveled during the year to such countries as Japan, Korea, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macao, and the Philippines.

In fact, much of the credit for the success of Camp Adventure [TM] can be attributed to the diligent, dedicated work of the staff who spearheaded the program. Without knowledge of local conditions and lacking resources or suppliers, they created a model. As former Project Coordinator Dr. Effie Fairchild points out, "Out students were really committed and motivated. Like all young people, they had few preconceived notions. So if they believed it could be done, it happened." [2]

What distinguishes contracting from normal employee/employer relationships? The basic difference is that contracting involves the formulation of a set of specified outputs that are furnished at a pre-arranged price. [3] The key element in the contracting process is the development of standards and evaluative criteria to measure contract performance. In other words, instead of concentrating their efforts on the actual implementation, professionals in the agency focus their attention on what is to be done, how it is to be done, and how well the services are provided.