It has been a very busy year for Camp Europe project team with 28 applications submitted to us for the review and 17 making the final cut in 2024. Eventually, hundreds of kids in different parts of Europe received the opportunity to be engaged in summer camp activities that had a very diversified profile (according to each context and capacity) and methodologies used (experiential learning, outdoor activities, role plays, open theatre, etc.), but all of them were unified by fostering care, integration, fun and growth.
The Camp Europe 2024 Post-Season Survey was launched in November to evaluate the project’s outcomes and its impact on those 17 beneficiary projects (10 from Ukraine). All implementing partners participated in the survey and this summary provides an overview of the key findings.
The survey received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Hereby we offer you the synopsis of selected stats, figures and statements below:
- Safety: 100% of partners reported that children felt safe during the camp.
- Skill Development: All 100 % of beneficiaries confirmed that children acquired new skills during the camp.
- Positive Behavioral Change: 100% of them observed positive changes in children’s behavior following their participation in the camp.
- Resilience: Overwhelming majority (94.1 %) have highlighted increased resilience among the participants.
So it comes as a no surprise that the majority of kids (more than 80 %) would love to engage into other YMCA activities and are looking forward to be a part of the summer camp again in the future (close to 90 %).
And, as one would expect nowadays – success in the field work is directly translated into the new followers of various social media channels that our partners operate: with more than 1 000 new arrivals in total regularly checking out their activities at different platforms for the moment.
As for the lessons learned and specific recommendations for the future, there was quite wide array of opinions too, with mostly used words being “communication”, “safe space”, “flexibility” and “teamwork” – underlining the significance of careful planning, qualified implementation team and sense of adaptability, especially when carrying out the activities in Ukraine.
There were challenges too, of course – provided the mixed nature of the camps (at least 50 % of the kids were supposed to be of Ukrainian origin) and the related emotional state, safety, integration issues or language barriers; transportation or weather conditions are all valid concerns and we are happy to learn about and deal with them, but what makes everyone hopeful and enthusiastic is the feedback received about the long-term impact of the camp on participants:
“The camp not only helps the participants in the short term, but also lays the foundation for their further development, integration into society and self-realization. Its impact is lifelong, improving the quality of life of participants, their families, and the community as a whole.”
“Camp is a life-long experience, as the knowledge and feelings campers receive, are deeply stuck in their personalities. Small details that kids see in camp is most important. for example if someone was afraid to speak up on the first day, they would freely express themselves on the third day. If someone thought they did not know how to swim or were not as athletic as others, this stereotype was also broken, because by the end of week everyone was happy with their small achievements.”
And many more quotes like these inspire us to gear up for 2025 with renewed energy, dedication and passion to make sure that even more kids receive what they fully deserve – lots of fun, love and opportunities to thrive!
