A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 196 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting are so important to youth, especially considering the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunities for those youth to feel a sense of belonging, to have meaningful conversations with caring adults, to practice generosity, group decision-making, they experience new activities they typically do not have access to at home, and they gain independence by taking on the responsibility in keeping track of their belongings and keeping to the camp schedule. 

Youth are eligible to attend residential summer camp as a participant for a span of 6 years, beginning at age 9, and aging out at 14. 15-year-olds can return as a counselor-in-training, with opportunities to observe adult cabin leaders/counselors, attend leadership workshops, assist with leading some classes and even more behind the scenes support of their camp session programming.

During the 2022 Program Year, 123 individuals participated in Kentucky 4-H Summer Camp from Hardin County at the West Kentucky 4-H Camp facility. Hardin County was recognized for having the highest attendance record in county history for the Summer 2022 camping program.

The vision of Kentucky 4-H Camping is to serve the citizens of Kentucky and beyond by providing a safe environment for experiential learning opportunities. The mission of Kentucky 4-H Camping is to improve people through intentional life skill development. This will happen through: • collaboration with local, state, and national partners, • research-based methods and programming, • service-oriented practices, long-term strategic planning, • and play.