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Virginia 4-H Camping Volunteer Training Modules

Virginia 4-H Camping Volunteer Training Modules. MODULE 2: PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF 4-H CAMPING. Developed by Barry A. Garst, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist 4-H Youth Development, March 2006. How to Use this Information. If you are a 4-H adult volunteer leader :

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Virginia 4-H Camping Volunteer Training Modules

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  1. Virginia 4-H CampingVolunteer Training Modules MODULE 2: PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF 4-H CAMPING Developed by Barry A. Garst, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist 4-H Youth Development, March 2006

  2. How to Use this Information • If you are a 4-H adult volunteer leader: • 1. Review the 4-H camp-related information contained in this presentation. • 2. Consider the “Discussion Questions” listed on the last page. • 3. Contact your local 4-H Extension Agent (or other person responsible for 4-H camping in your county/city) to review this information. • If you are a VCE faculty or staff member responsible for 4-H camping in your unit: • 1. Review the 4-H camp-related information contained in this presentation. • 2. Use this presentation to support your 4-H camp teen/adult volunteer leader training. • 3. Use the “Discussion Questions” listed on the last page as a resource in reviewing this information with your 4-H camp volunteers.

  3. Overview • What is camping? • Mission of the Virginia 4-H camping program • Goals of the Virginia 4-H camping program • How 4-H camping develops life skills in youth • How 4-H camping provides positive youth development

  4. Camping • As defined by the American Camp Association, organized camping is “a sustained experience that provides a creative, recreational, and educational opportunity in group living in the out-of-doors. It utilizes trained leadership and the resources of the natural surroundings to contribute to each camper’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual growth” (ACA, 1998).

  5. 4-H Camping Mission • In MODULE 1, you learned about the history of 4-H camping in Virginia. The focus of 4-H camp programming began—and has continued to be—teaching boys and girls research-based information. • The mission of 4-H camping is the same as the overall mission of the Virginia 4-H program: • To develop youth and adults working with those youth to realize their full potential—becoming effective, contributing citizens through participation in research-based, informal, hands-on educational experiences.

  6. Goals of the Virginia 4-H Camping Program • To provide educational, recreational, and social experiences in outdoor living away from home. • To provide opportunities to meet, socially interact, and learn to get along with other people by living and participating together. • To provide opportunities for youth to learn to take responsibility for their own decisions and actions.

  7. Goals of the Virginia 4-H Camping Program • To provide new experiences for youth by exploring new interests, or by exposing them to new approaches to old interests, such as nature, aquatics, music, and other life skills that cannot be provided as effectively outside of a camp setting. • To teach youth about citizenship, the importance of being a responsible citizen, and to provide opportunities to practice citizenship. • To provide opportunities for developing leadership skills.

  8. Goals of the Virginia 4-H Camping Program • To allow youth to discover special talents and to provide opportunities for developing these talents. • To provide the opportunity for youth to have fun and to learn to create positive, enjoyable experiences individually and with others. • To learn to meet individual and group responsibilities. • To enrich the on-going 4-H club program and to encourage long-term involvement in unit 4-H clubs.

  9. Life Skills and 4-H Camping • “4-H camping” is not simply a location or a type of program. It is WHAT HAPPENS TO CAMPERS during the event. • This concept of 4-H camping recognizes the life skills that boys and girls learn and practice during the 4-H camping experience.

  10. Life Skills and 4-H Camping • 4-H faculty and staff often design 4-H camp programs and activities that target specific life skills. This is called “intentional programming” or “purposeful programming.” • The “Targeting Life Skills Model” (Hendricks, 1999) identifies various life skills that can be targeted, and impacted, through 4-H camping.

  11. Targeting Life Skills Model* *Hendricks (1999), Iowa State University

  12. Positive Youth Development Through 4-H Camping • Youth development is “a process which prepares young people to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood through a coordinated, progressive series of activities and experiences which help them to become socially, morally, emotionally, physically, and cognitively competent” (National Collaboration for Youth Members, 2000).

  13. Positive Youth Development Through 4-H Camping • Although it is impossible for 4-H camping to provide total youth development due to the short-term nature (i.e., one week or less) of the experience, 4-H camping does provide many of the essential elements of positive youth development. • Review “Benefits of 4-H Youth Camping” (Garst, 2003)

  14. Positive Youth Development Through 4-H Camping • One of the ways that 4-H camping provides “positive youth development” is through camper-adult relationships—the opportunity that campers have to develop positive relationships with caring adults while at 4-H camp. • This is one reason why adult volunteers are so important to 4-H camping; positive youth development would not be possible without the involvement of caring adults.

  15. Positive Youth Development Through 4-H Camping • Positive youth development also requires long-term involvement. • When used in conjunction with other 4-H delivery modes and activities (e.g., 4- H school enrichment, 4-H after-school clubs, 4-H community clubs, and 4-H special events, etc.), 4-H camping can encourage long-term involvement in 4-H and help to provide positive youth development throughout the year.

  16. Discussion Questions • How is the definition of “camping” similar to—or different from—the conception that most people have about camp? • In your opinion, what are the 3 most important goals of 4-H camping? • If you were a 4-H Camp Director, which life skills would you target and why would you target them? • What do you think is the most important thing that should be remembered from this module?

  17. References • Garst, B. (2003). Benefits of 4-H Youth Camping. Virginia Cooperative Extension. Publication 388-102. Available at http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/4h/camping/388-102.pdf • Garst, B.A. (2005). Virginia 4-H Camping Handbook. Virginia Cooperative Extension. Publication 388-562. • Hendricks, P. (1999). Targeting Life Skills Model. Iowa State University Extension. • National Collaboration for Youth (2000). Frequently-Asked Questions about Youth Development. Retrieved on March 14, 2004 from http://www.nydic.org/nydic/FAQ.html.

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