Four H Camp Counselor Handbook

Author : Nicolette Nestor McNeely
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (57 download)

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Download or read book The Ohio 4-H Camp Counseling Experience written by Nicolette Nestor McNeely and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: This was a descriptive correlational study of Ohio 4-H camp counselors that used an Internet-based survey to collect data from teenagers throughout the state. The study was designed as a census of the population (n = 2,575) of youth who served as volunteer camp counselors at 4-H residential and day camp programs in 2004. There was a 30.25% response rate of camp counselors (n = 779), which represented 83 out of the 84 4-H Extension units that reported having 4-H teenage camp counselors. Data were collected with two instruments, one developed by the researcher, which described the duration, intensity and breadth (Chaput, Little, & Weiss, 2004) of the camp counseling experience. This instrument was designed to describe the components of the Ohio 4-H camp counseling experience and the teens who participate. The Youth Experiences Survey (YES; Hansen & Larson, 2002), was used to measure the extent to which 4-H camp counselors experienced personal and interpersonal development through their participation in the camp counseling experience, as well as the extent of negative experiences they may have encountered. A final goal of the research was to examine whether duration of participation in the Ohio 4-H camp counseling experience was related to these developmental domains. Three-fourths of the counselors were female with an average age of 15.7 years. Counselors spent a considerable amount of time in training, planning, and preparation and had substantial planning, teaching and supervision responsibilities at camp. High mean scores were found for Teamwork and Social Skills, Initiative, Identity, and Interpersonal Relationships. Scores for Basic Skills and Adult Networks were somewhat lower. Lowest means were obtained for Negative Experiences. There was a significant relationship between the number of years as a camp counselor and the development of Leadership and Responsibility. The 4-H camp counseling experience provides a rich context for positive youth development. These findings should be communicated to stakeholders. Furthermore, the results of this study have implications for counselor training and for camping professionals.