Does camp make a difference? “Yes” always feels like the answer, but how do we know?
This is the question we seek to answer in the Effective Camp Project.
What is it?
This summer, Camp Penn and Wesley Forest are participating in an exciting research project called the Effective Camp Project. This study is designed to assess the impact of the summer camp experience.
With parental permission, campers ages 11-18 will be asked to complete a short questionnaire on the first and last days of camp. A third questionnaire will be sent to campers after they return home from camp. No names or other identifying information of campers will be used in any research documents or publications and any contact information provided will only be used for the purposes of sending the follow-up survey. This survey is totally voluntary, and there is no penalty or reward for participation or non-participation.
Parents, help us Better Understand our Camp Experience!
If your child is 11-18, complete the 'National Camp Survey' found in your registration forms, so that we can learn from your child's experience at camp this summer.
Our Goal
Through participation in this project, we hope to take an honest look at how we are doing in serving our summer camp families and achieving our desired outcomes.
How:
To do this, we are partnering with the experienced research team at Sacred Playgrounds in order to understand the camp story in a new way and improve our camp programs for all participants.
The Impact
To do this, we are partnering with the experienced research team at Sacred Playgrounds in order to understand the camp story in a new way and improve our camp programs for all participants.
Previous Effective Camp research has identified five fundamental aspects of Christian summer camping: faith centered, safe space, relational, unplugged from home, and participatory.
Dr. Jake Sorenson, Effective Camp project director, says, “This project has demonstrated that, when the five fundamental characteristics are in place, the Christian camp experience has significant, lasting impacts on the lives of participants and their families.”
Our participation in this study will show us where our camp shines and where focused attention will generate significant improvement in outcomes for our campers. The resulting data will help provide a robust picture of the immediate and lasting impacts of the Christian summer camp experience.
As of 2025, The Effective Camp Project has collected data from over 30,000 campers and 12,000 camper parents at 100 Christian camps across the United States and Canada. These camps represent multiple Christian denominations. The research to date is available online at effectivecamp.com.