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, 192 days of the year.  The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth. 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.

Here's what camper parents had to say on their post-camp survey: “This was her first time away from home and she had a blast and can’t wait until next year”, “because of camp she actually wants to go outside and play games, and not be on her electronic devices”, “my son showed more empathy after being at camp. He was made more aware of differences between himself and others and how we must be understanding with others”, “he came home with a better attitude and was excited to show all the things he made during engineering and robotics class”, “this was the first time he was ever on an independent trip like this. He did great and can’t wait for next year. He’s teaching his little brother swim tips he learned, and more”, “my daughter is a very shy and timid person. She bloomed while at camp. She stepped out of her comfort zone and became a social butterfly”, and “He drank the green Kool-Aid LOL! He’s all in for 4-H! Several times after returning home he would come to me asking what other opportunities 4-H offers, what shooting sports categories there were, etc.  I expect my son will continue with 4-H through his high school years as a leader”.

Youth are eligible to attend residential summer camp as a participant for a span of 6 years, beginning at age 9.  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 camp classes, and providing behind the scenes support of their camp session programming.  During the 2024 Program Year, 12,183 individuals participated in Kentucky 4-H Summer Camp at one of our four camp facilities. The breakdown of attendance includes: 10,712 youth, 1,272 adult volunteers, and 199 extension staff.  To breakdown attendance even further, of the 12,183 individuals: 6,770 were female, 5,413 were male, 284 were Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, 11,356 were white, 413 were black, 105 were Asian/Pacific Islander, 19 Native American Indian/Alaska Native, and 290 were Other. This past summer Spencer County took 148 campers, youth and adult volunteers to 4-H Camp, as well as three Extension staff, which is the second highest attendance on record.

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.