Camp leadership basics
An introductory course for anyone who leads or helps at an organized camp: youth and school camps, scout and faith-based camps, community events and "disaster camping" weekends. Eleven short lessons cover what organized camp is, its history, minimal-impact camping, risk management, understanding campers, communication and child protection, group development, record-keeping and environmental education.
The course draws on U.S. and international sources such as the American Camp Association, NOLS, Outward Bound, OSHA, the National Weather Service, the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC and NAAEE, with comparisons to Japan where they help. Our Japanese edition has its own version written for Japanese readers: キャンプ指導の基礎 (in Japanese).
About this course
- It is general camp-leadership knowledge, not the official material of any certification course. For certification, take a course from a recognized organization (for example, wilderness first aid or your camp association's training).
- Facts, numbers and rules are checked against public sources, listed at the bottom of each lesson with the date we checked them. Standards and laws change; confirm current versions before relying on them.
- Statements without a source are common practice in camp leadership, and are written as such.
Lessons
| Lesson | What you'll learn |
|---|---|
| 1. What organized camp is | ACA's definition, accreditation versus licensing, and what research says campers gain |
| 2. A short history of organized camping | From the Gunnery Camp in 1861 to Outward Bound, NOLS and Project Adventure, plus Japan |
| 3. Leave No Trace and campfires | Minimizing impact, the seven Leave No Trace principles, and fire as culture and hazard |
| 4. Risk management (1): planning | Near misses, Heinrich's triangle and its critics, supervision ratios and emergency plans |
| 5. Risk management (2): on site | Lightning, water, allergies and medications, and what to do when something goes wrong |
| 6. Understanding campers and including everyone | Matching programs to campers, development, and disability inclusion |
| 7. The leader's roles, communication and child protection | Counselor and manager roles, Mehrabian's caveat, and CDC's six components |
| 8. Group development and growth | Tuckman's stages, the Johari window, and the comfort-zone metaphor |
| 9. Observing and recording | Why camps keep records, how to write them, and keeping them confidential |
| 10. Camp and environmental education | Tbilisi's goals, NAAEE and EPA definitions, Stockholm 1972 and Earth Overshoot |
| 11. Claims to check before you repeat them | Popular camp-leadership claims that are shakier than they sound |
How to use it
1. What organized camp is
What makes a camp an 'organized camp': the American Camp Association's definition, how voluntary accreditation differs from state licensing, what ACA standards cover, and what ACA's research found campers gain. With Japan's equivalent definition for comparison.
2. A short history of organized camping
How organized camping began and grew: the Gunnery Camp in 1861, the first YMCA and Scout camps, ACA's founding, Outward Bound in 1941, NOLS in 1965 and Project Adventure in 1971, with Japan's early camps for comparison.
3. Leave No Trace and campfires
Why camps aim for minimal impact, the themes of Leave No Trace's seven principles, and how to think about campfires as both culture and hazard.
4. Risk management (1): planning
Risk management for camp leaders: why the goal is control, not zero risk; near misses and root causes; Heinrich's 1:29:300 triangle and its critics; ACA supervision ratios and staff ages; and emergency action plans.
5. Risk management (2): on site
Safety during camp: lightning (When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors), constant supervision around water, allergies and epinephrine, who may give medications, and a step-by-step response when something goes wrong.
6. Understanding campers and including everyone
Good programs start with the campers: matching activities to age and experience, general developmental tendencies, and including campers with disabilities under the ADA's individualized-assessment principle.
7. The leader's roles, communication and child protection
The camp leader's two roles, counseling and operations; communicating clearly (and what Mehrabian's 7-38-55 numbers really mean); and child protection, using CDC's six components and ACA's screening practices.
Read more 7. The leader's roles, communication and child protection
8. Group development and growth
How camp groups change over time, from Tuckman's forming-storming-norming-performing (and adjourning) to practical leader moves; the Johari window for feedback; and why the comfort-zone model is best used as a metaphor.
9. Observing and recording
Why camp staff keep records, four ways of writing them, principles such as confidentiality, what to observe, and three common record forms.
10. Camp and environmental education
Camp as a foundation for environmental education: the Tbilisi Declaration's goals, NAAEE and EPA definitions, the 1972 Stockholm conference, the SDGs, and Earth Overshoot, with ideas for 'think globally, act locally' at camp.
11. Claims to check before you repeat them
Popular camp-leadership claims to check before repeating: '7% words', Heinrich's exact ratio, the 'first' camp, the comfort-zone 'model', how many studies Tuckman reviewed, and old statistics.