YMCA Camps believes each camp experience delivers on the three pillars of our Camping Learning Framework: personal growth, sense of the community and a connection with the natural world.
We've created this framework to help you identify the desired learning outcomes for your family, school or community group and to help us in designing a tailor-made camp experience to meet your needs.
Our Camping Learning Framework
Personal growth
|
Learning experience |
Description |
| Build resilience | Campers develop and demonstrate coping strategies to adapt to individual and group challenges. |
| Reinforce a positive outlook | Campers are happy in the present moment and have a sense of wonder and optimism for a positive future and interact positively with each other. |
| Develop new physical activity skills | Campers experience new adventure activities and develop skills to encourage lifelong physical activity in the outdoors. |
| Set goals | Campers learn to set personal and group goals, persist and strive to achieve them. |
| Make healthy choices | Campers understand how healthy choices contributes to their own physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. |
| Develop independence | Campers take responsibility for their own actions and wellbeing and display initiative to effectively solve problems. |
| Provide opportunities for leadership | Campers experience opportunities to influence and encourage positive group behaviour, lead by example. |
Sense of community
|
Learning experience |
Description |
| Be socially responsible | Campers are inclusive and respectful of others, embrace diversity and contribute to their camp community. |
| Solve problems together | Campers respect each other’s viewpoints and work together to achieve outcomes. |
| Work as a team | Campers work collaboratively with their peers using effective communication skills and developing trust between group members. |
| Connect with others | Campers develop positive relationships with others, form new friendships and strengthen existing ones. |
Connection with the natural world
|
Learning experience |
Description |
| Appreciate the natural world | Campers experience interaction and connection with the natural world. |
| Understand the natural world | Campers are exposed to and learn about the local ecosystems and human impact on the environment and develop respect for natural world. |
| Protect the natural world | Campers take responsibility to protect and further enhance the environment through their actions. |