Camp offers a great environment to take positive risk opportunities. Whether it’s the physical risk of riding a horse or climbing a rock wall or the emotional risk of sitting down at a table of strangers and making new friends, CAMP offers those chances. Camp is a human powered, technology-free adventure. Camp offers a top list of skills that youth need including: creativity, problem solving, people management, relationship cultivation – all of these skills are found at camp. Whether it’s through arts and crafts, building a fire, a counselor in training program, or sitting around making a friendship bracelet with your cabin – camp helps build these ‘top skills’ our youth are lacking.

The Kentucky 4-H Camping program works hard to cultivate a culture that builds confidence and self esteem through one small success after another in youth while at camp. Campers are exposed to people that are different than themselves and they learn to work together to solve problems. Today being anxious is a normal way of life for many of our nation’s kids, but being adventurous is also a way of life – at camp!

The Todd County Extension Service - 4-H program provided a summer camping experience at 1/2 capacity due to COVID in 2021 by taking 97 total youth and adult campers to West Kentucky 4-H Camp. Twenty adult & teen volunteers were an integral part of the camping week by demonstrating responsibility and leadership as part of the camp leadership team. Over 20 camp classes such as nature, shooting sports, canoeing, recreation, crafts, horse and challenge course were offered to the campers. A 4-H Camp Facebook page was utilized all week during camp to highlight the activities and show pictures of campers enjoying camp in order to keep parents connected. More than $5500 was given to youth through the 4-H camp scholarship program allowing low income youth the opportunity to attend camp. A pre and post 4-H Common Measures survey revealed the following impact results:
*100% felt 4-H camp is a place where adults care about youth
* 95% stated that 4-H is a place they felt safe
* 76% said 4-H is a place where they figured things out for themselves
* 95% claimed it was ok to make mistakes in 4-H
* 85% taught another what they learned
* 78% were encouraged to plan for their future while at camp                                                                                   * 85% had a chance to be a leader at 4-H camp                                                                                                         * 91% felt they belonged to 4-H                                                                                                                                   * 89% helped make group decisions while at 4-H camp

In addition to these results, 94% of the campers plan to return to camp the following year and will encourage a friend to attend camp in 2022.