In our most recent blog post we talked about what and how we measure Camp Fire progress. Now we’re getting to the really good stuff: Proof Camp Fire is helping kids and teens thrive.
In 2017, we served more than 175,000 youth and their families participating in Camp Fire’s 1,300 programs, across 25 states and D.C. The total number we served is up 13.7 percent, continuing this trend from the previous year.
We’re growing—both in number and thrive-ing-ness. (That’s a word, right?)
Remember those thriving indicators we talked about last time: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) like life skills, social skills, conflict resolution, confidence, purpose and nature appreciation? When we look at how kids/teens report those thriving indicators overall, those skills are going up too! In fact, conflict resolution—the thriving indicator that youth self-report they struggle with the most—is showing the biggest improvements. That’s great news, especially as we prepare to a launch our tested conflict resolution curriculum nationwide in early 2018.
So, yes, Thrive{ology} is working. But things get really cool when we look at what that means on more specific, daily-kid-life levels. For example, because of our programs:
- Social Skills: 96% of 3rd-5th grade youth agreed that at Camp Fire, they try to get along with other kids, even if they are different.
- Life Skills: 78% of 6th-12th graders said that they think through their decisions before acting on them.
- Conflict Resolution: 66% of 6th -12th grade youth shared that if they are mad at someone, they will try to talk to that person about how they feel.
- Confidence: 82% of 6th-12th grade youth agreed that they believe that they can be good at anything they set out to do.
- Purpose: 80% of 6th-12th grade youth believe that they want to make a difference in the world.
- Nature Appreciation: 96% of 6th-12th graders said that being in Camp Fire makes them want to take care of nature and the planet.
Want to keep the Camp Fire momentum going? Join our Newman’s Own Foundation Holiday Challenge campaign on Crowdrise. This week, the nonprofit who raises the most will win an extra $10,000. Second place isn’t too shabby either: a $5,000 bonus. Help keep kids thriving: Create your own fundraising page to encourage your friends and family to give, too! Thank you – we cannot do this work without you!
