The Greater Kingsport Family YMCA announces its summer day camp ranked in the top 5 percent of “high impact camps” in the country.
In 2012, Seer Analytics, LLC, an independent research firm based in Tampa, Fla., conducted a nationwide study of 126 YMCA day camps. The prime objective of the study was to measure the extent to which each of the camps improved the overall well-being of the campers, according to the YMCA. Each camp was measured on nine dimensions ranging from improving health and wellness to fostering relationships, developing character and more. Seer surveyed more than 75,000 camper households and collected more than 12,000 parent responses in the largest, most comprehensive study of this kind in the history of the YMCA.
Bill Lazarus of Seer said “Kingsport performed particularly well in building the sense of achievement and self-efficacy in its campers. The research showed that challenging young people to build their self-confidence has positive ripple effects on all the dimensions of well-being.” Lazarus said, “It was a real pleasure to call Charlie Glass, the Kingsport Y’s longtime leader, to share the news that his was among a handful of standout camps across the country.”
Said Glass, “It was a real bolt out of the blue to hear from Bill. The Y is about improving the well-being of our participants and communities; that’s what we mean by ‘having an impact.’ And that’s why it was so exciting for us to learn that we are having a measurable impact and that our camp is statistically among the top performers across the whole country!”
Sarah Anne Walker, day camp director for the Kingsport Y, said, “We are committed to finding the best camp counselors we can; inspiring camper and counselor teamwork in everything we do; providing a safe, and fun experience; and making sure it’s available to any child who wants to participate. This is a formula we’ve followed here in Kingsport for nearly 30 years, and it keeps kids and counselors alike coming back year after year.”
Charlie Glass said, “The Y is committed to staying with low staff-to-camper ratios to enable each counselor to really know the children and adapt the camp experience to individual needs. And as a cause-driven nonprofit, the Y is committed to making every program, including camp, accessible to all. Out of the 228 campers in the summer of 2012, 45 percent were on some type of scholarship.”
“As I understand it, this was a rigorous, statistically robust study; one of the largest of its kind. That’s why it’s such an incredible honor to be recognized as a national model for youth impact,” says Roger Mowen, YMCA donor and volunteer.
“It’s reaffirming to know that my annual support dollars help to support such an outstanding, impactful program,” Mowen said.
For more information on camp, visit ymcakpt.org or call (423) 247-9622.