A typical 4-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 70 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, 160 days of the year.  The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting are so important to youth, especially considering the increasing use of screen time and digital devices and lingering effects of the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The time spent 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 camp classes, and even more behind the scenes support of their camp session programming. During the 2024 Program Year, Kentucky 4-H Summer Camp facilities across the state hosted 10,780 youth campers, 1,546 teen leaders, 1,459 adult volunteers, and 208 extension staff for a total of 14,017 individuals participating in Summer Camp at one of our four camp facilities, breaking all time 4-H Camp attendance records for the state of Kentucky.  

In 2025, Carlisle County 4-H brought 52 campers, 3 teen leaders, 9 adult volunteers, and 1 extension staff for a fun week of camping. This was the highest 4-H summer camp attendance for Carlisle County since 2012! Out of the 9 adult volunteers, 8 were returning volunteers with years of experience; the 3 teen leaders are veteran campers who have aged out of the camping program. Campers and leaders made memories and friendships that will last a lifetime over the week at West KY 4-H Camp in Dawson Springs, Kentucky.  

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.