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 are so important to youth. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunities for them 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: “I have never personally been to 4-H camp as a parent, but I send my kids every single year and they always talk about how kind the staff are to them and how they are always doing something fun which means a lot as a parent. I was very worried the first year I sent 2 of my kids but they came home and were all ready to go again. I highly recommend getting your kids in 4-H it does wonders!“, “Every single time my child has been asked what his favorite part of 4-H camp was he has said the same answer, the people. He loved all the counselors and staff and that means so much to us. We were hesitant to let him attend but will be happy to allow him to go again next year. Great job to everyone!“, “BOTH of my girls learned how diversity can bring together new people!! Making new friends is EASY if you want it to be!”, “She is a lot more brave and willing to try new things. She also is working harder to understand the emotions and feelings of others”, “He had the best time. I have never seen him so excited about doing something and making plans to do it again next year.”, “My child learned how to paddle a kayak, has better communication skills and came home uplifted and happy.”, “She can’t stop talking about Sally down the Alley. She loved that the most out of everything.”, “The staff and counselors were very helpful and encouraging. My camper stated they helped them quite a bit.” 

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 2025 Program Year, 14,686 individuals participated in Kentucky 4-H Summer Camp at one of our four camp facilities. The breakdown of attendance includes: 12,907 youth, 1,542 adult volunteers, and 237 extension staff.  To breakdown attendance even further, of the 14,686 individuals: 8,650 were female, 6,036 were male, 255 were Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, 13,812 were white, 509 were black, 91 were Asian/Pacific Islander, 30 Native American Indian/Alaska Native, and 244 were Other.  Of those in 2025, Fleming County brought 106 campers, 23 junior counselors and 16 adult counselors.

During the 2025 Program Year 6,256 attended Environmental Education Camp (EE Camp). This program aims to provide elementary students with an opportunity to learn about Kentucky’s natural resources in an out of school setting.  The program is designed for 4th and 5th grade classrooms with tailored lesson plans that supplement Next Generation Science Standards.  Class instructors provide meaningful, hands-on programs to educate youth in environmental sciences along with cross-cutting concepts to bolster their in-class learning. 

76 Kentucky schools representing 18 counties participated in 4-H EE Camp at one of the four 4-H Camps. 4,720 students, 1,452 volunteer adults, and 84 extension staff were present for day and overnight programs.  A survey conducted to more than 1,700 students and 500 chaperones found that 70% of students experienced their first outside of school mentor at EE Camp, 80% of students felt they accomplished a new goal or learned a new skill because of their instructor, and 95% of adult volunteers say being a part of a group working toward a common goal had a positive effect on them.  Luckily for 2025 all Fleming County 4th Grade students participated in an Environmental Education Day camp resulting in 175 youth participants.

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.