Happy but sad: Outcomes at Morry's Camp

Camping Magazine, Jan, 2002 by M. Deborah Bialeschki, Teresa Younger, Karla Henderson, Dawn Ewing, Mary Casey, II

Meeting new people was a difference between home and camp for some people. One thirteen-year-old camper noted that camp has "people from all over the world -- Bridgeport, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Yonkers." Another fourteen-year-old boy noted that at camp, "You're away from the troubles of the city." Another male camper noted that camp had "no racism of any kind."

Independence

The problems that camp raised for some young people were brought out in this question about differences between home and camp. Sometimes the differences were not positive in the eyes of the young person, but the differences also pointed to the possible values of camping. Several campers expressed a similar opinion to this thirteen-year-old girl -- "I'm usually not up at breakfast [at home]. Also, at home I can get to sleep late. At camp, I meet new people. Both camp and home have ups and downs, but I like both."

Similarly a ten-year-old girl wrote, "The best thing is you should like camp and home. It's fun being at home sometimes and it's also good to be out for a little while at a good and fun place like camp."

The structure of camp was not always perceived positively. A thirteen-year-old girl noted, "[At camp] you are always on a schedule and if you miss a meal, then you go hungry. You have to do what you are told, right when you are told to do it. At home, I have a little leeway." Similarly, a thirteen-year-old boy said, "At camp we have more boundaries on where to go, and where not to go." However, an opposite view emerged when several campers suggested that home was more restrictive. One thirteen-year-old girl said, "At home there are more regulations."

Activities

Several different campers mentioned the variety of opportunities that existed at camp compared to what they might be doing at home in the summer. One girl said, "Camp is more fun than at home because there is more stuff to do." Another girl said, " ...You never get bored [at camp]. At home I get bored all the time and there is nothing to do." A boy listed the differences by putting "activities" under the heading of camp and "free time" under the heading of home. Another boy said, "At camp you don't need TV. At camp I have all the things that I need."

A twelve-year-old boy said, "Home is just always the same thing. At camp you get to try new things and meet new friends ... it's a new experience and it's challenging .." One girl wrote, "...in camp you learn how to survive in nature and get to do crazy exciting neat stuff. While in the city there is light everywhere and there are always buildings and almost no trees." Similarly, an eleven-year-old girl noted, "[at home] I would rather sleep all day instead of go out. At camp, I like getting up."

The contradictions between how life is organized when comparing home to camp was evident in what an eleven-year-old girl recorded, I get to be myself at camp but at home I get to go to bed when I want to. But, if I had to choose between camp and home, I would pick camp."

Desired Outcomes