"Camp is one of the few institutions where young people can experience and satisfy their need for physical activity, creative expression, and true participation in a community environment. Most schools don't satisfy all these needs.
~Peter Scales, Ph.D., senior fellow, Search Institute and noted educator, author, and psychologist
Camp Fire USA
Outdoor Program Philosophy
As a Camp Fire USA outdoor program, Camp Tanadoona is grounded in helping youth achieve the following outcomes:
- Greater self-awareness and positive values
- Increased social skills and sense of belonging
- Increased knowledge of and appreciation for the natural environment
- Increased sense of competency and empowerment
The Camp Setting is Key
The relaxed, open atmosphere at camp provides young people relief from the pressure and stress of daily experiences. It's a neutral and unique setting for everyone--not one person's home or territory. There is a feeling of wonder and excitement common to all.
Children need hands-on interaction with nature for healthy development. The physical and emotional exercise that youth enjoy when they play in nature is more creative and less time-bound than organized sports. Camp Fire USA outdoor experiences teach young people how to respect and enjoy the natural enviornment while developing a stewardship ethic.
Creating Community
Youth have the opportunity to know and develop a concern for their fellow community members and all creatures that share their natural environment. It becomes their home--a place where they can belong and feel secure.
Building Leadership Skills
There is excitement and satisfaction in accomplishing a difficult task, learning a new skill, climbing a little higher, swimming a little farther, cooking an outdoor meal to perfection or making a special project for a new friend. Camp provides a variety of activities so each camper can find something at which they can succeed. However, both success and failure in a supportive environment provides greater self-awareness and more responsibility for individual actions and decisions. The feeling of personal accomplishment is exceeded only the by the knowledge that someone else important in the person's life has also recognized the accomplishment.
Camp Tanadoona is a place where youth can:
- be truly involved with life
- model inclusiveness in a diverse group
- feel in concert with the natural environment
- know the support of a caring adult
- have the freedom to be both contemplative and spontaneous
- develop self-reliance, resourcefulness and sense of belonging
- balance mundane tasks with adventure
- share riotous laughter and quiet moments
- share the successes and failures of individual and group decisions
