Summer Camp

It’s that time of year — from mid-winter to early spring — when teens, parents, and others are asking for recommendations about fun, educational, and enriching summer camp experiences and outdoor adventures for late-May, June, July, and August. 

With all of the outdoor options available, finding the right summer camp experience can pose a formidable challenge. First off, you need to narrow your choices down to one of three broad categories: day camp, residential camp, or virtual camp. 

From there, you need to choose a focus, such as outdoor adventure, academic enrichment, arts and crafts, sports (football and soccer camps, for example), or performance arts (such as ballet or theater). And, at some point, you’re going to need to choose a location, perhaps in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, or North Carolina.

In this post, we tell you about three upcoming opportunities for you to personally meet with experienced summer camp leaders — including our staff at The National Center for Outdoor and Adventure Education (NCOAE). These summer camp specialists will provide you with information about the benefits of leadership-focused summer camp experiences for teens who have an appetite for camping, rock climbing, mountaineering, white water rafting, and other human-powered outdoor adventures.

2024 Teen Summer Camp Expos

If you’re shopping for an outdoor adventure this summer for your teen, consider attending a summer camp fair near you. This year (2024), NCOAE will be exhibiting at three camp fairs — two in North Carolina and one in Georgia:

• Wilmington Parent Magazine’s 21st Annual Summer Camp Fair: This is the only event of its kind in the area, providing families with a unique opportunity to explore the summer camp and enrichment options available to their children during summer break.
  Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024
  Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  Location: Elks Lodge, 5201 Oleander Drive, Wilmington, NC
  For more info, visit: Wilmington Parent Magazine’s 21st Annual Summer Camp Fair 
• Triangle Summer Camp Expo
  Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024
  Time: Noon to 3 p.m.
  Location: Wake County Shrine Club, 6015 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC
  For more info, visit: Triangle Summer Camp Expo 
• Atlanta Camp Fair
  Date: Sunday, March 17, 2024
  Time: Noon to 3 p.m.
  Location: Agnes Scott College, 141 East College Avenue, Decatur, GA
  For more info, visit: Atlanta Camp Fair

Appreciating the Benefits of Leadership-Based Summer Camp for Teens

Accredited adventure-based experiential and outdoor education companies like NCOAE offer leadership-based summer camps that provide a unique opportunity for teens to develop technical outdoor skills along with personal competencies in the following four areas: (more…)

Outdoor and adventure-based summer camps for teens provide a life-enriching and world-changing experience for those who participate in them. These experiences, offered by accredited adventure-based experiential and outdoor education providers like The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE), offer a unique opportunity for teens to develop personal competencies in the following four areas, as well as technical outdoor skills that will last a lifetime:

• Self
• Community
• Action
• Impact

Or, as we here at NCOAE prefer to present it:

Self + Community + Action = Impact

This formula for personal growth, development, and leadership sets us apart from a traditional summer camp, where backcountry experiences are electives and not the backdrop for everything that’s offered.

Parents of teens who choose to participate in our adventure-based summer camps often tell us their teens return home with much more than campfire-building skills. These parents report an increase in caring and empathy on the part of their teens, and a better understanding of the importance of sharing and giving. They also exhibit a greater willingness to stand up for what they believe in, taking responsibility for their actions instead of shifting the blame elsewhere. These teens have discovered that such qualities are essential for building a progressive society and making a positive impact on the world.

Outdoor and adventure-based summer camps experiences that take place in the backcountry create a sense of community and provide opportunities for intergenerational relationships. They help teens develop (more…)