Camp Helping Hands | Where Kids Make a Difference

Overview

Camp Helping Hands (CHH) is a co-ed summer day camp with service-learning as its core theme. CHH provides a fun and safe place for children ages 6 through 13* where they will enjoy sports activities, games, swimming, arts and crafts, music and more. But the real mission behind CHH is showing kids how they can make a difference and have fun doing it. Through engaging inquiry-based lessons and weekly service field trip expeditions, our campers learn leadership skills, develop compassion, and grow confident as they address real world problems by taking action in their community.

CHH places campers according to age into four age groups: Junior Helpers (6 and 7), Young Advocates (8 and 9), Super Agents (10 and 11), and Chief Aides (12 and 13*). Each group contains 15 to 17 campers and is led by three counselors who guide them through age appropriate activities. Chief Aides, our oldest age group, are counselors-in-training (CIT's). In addition to participating in camp activities like our younger campers, they assist team counselors and camp administration with tasks as needed.

*Campers 14 years of age entering their freshman year in high school can also participate in the CIT program.

What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning is often confused with community service, but they are different. While volunteerism and community service are components of the service-learning education model; service-learning emphasizes both service and learning and requires participants to use their knowledge and skills to address real-life needs in their own communities. At Camp Helping Hands, our campers will do this by following the four phases of the service-learning process: investigation, planning, taking action, and reflection. When campers are led through this collaborative process, they share and invest their ideas and skills and feel truly committed to the project and to making a difference.

Benefits of Service-Learning

Camp Helping Hands is a summer day camp that incorporates the service-learning process, which is not only educational, but also engaging and fun. While CHH campers enjoy numerous recreational activities, the CHH core mission is to get kids involved with their community at an early age. Service-learning enhances psychological, social and emotional intellectual development. There are countless benefits and positive outcomes for all participants involved in the service-learning process.

CHH campers will:

• develop empathy and feel socially responsible.
• gain increased self-esteem and self-knowledge.
• make a positive difference in the lives of others, their community and environment, and themselves.
• become more compassionate and understand that we are all fundamentally the same regardless of race, religion, ability or status.
• gain critical thinking and inquiry skills as issues are examined.
• learn to collaborate and trust in one another.
• strengthen community ties as they work toward common goals.
• improve communication, problem-solving, and social skills.
• learn that one person can make a difference.
• develop leadership skills that will continue to serve them and their communities for a lifetime.

Testimonials