Camp Capers has been awarded a American Camp Association’s Character at Camp Grant
The Diocese of West Texas is excited to announce that Camp Capers, a diocesan camp located in the Texas Hill Country, has been selected as a grantee in the American Camp Association’s Character at Camp Grant Program, a competitive national initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. The program is designed to strengthen character development in camp settings and highlight camps as impactful environments for youth growth.
Through the Character at Camp initiative, the American Camp Association partners with camps across the country to intentionally support the development of key character strengths in children and young people. As a grantee, Camp Capers will further enhance its commitment to creating meaningful experiences that promote belonging, leadership, and personal and spiritual growth for campers and staff.
The Character at Camp initiative recognizes camps as uniquely positioned to foster positive youth development by providing:
• Research-informed character development programs
• Inclusive communities that foster a sense of belonging
• Opportunities to grow character strengths such as empathy, responsibility, and leadership
• Access to character development programs
• Meaningful service to communities and the environment
• Experiences that support leadership development and personal and spiritual growth
Camp Capers’ $200,000 award will help strengthen and make continuous improvements to the Staff in Training (SIT), leadership development program. SIT participants will develop skills such as self-confidence, empathetic listening, compassion, creativity and problem solving that will help them be successful staff members and leaders within their communities.
The grant funded three new exciting low ropes course elements that will help Camp Capers staff practice critical thinking, teamwork, curiosity and communication. A Teeter Totter, Low Multi-line and X’s and O’s cable activities were recently completed and incorporated into the low course teambuilding process. Additionally, the grant supports improvements for the camp’s Campfire Circle area, created as a SIT special gathering spot.
Throughout the multi-year program, trainees will learn about and reflect on their strengths, weaknesses and natural styles of leadership.
The generous grant will also help fund training, curriculum development, continuing education, staff salaries and other site improvements, enabling us to focus on quality planning and delivery of an exceptional SIT program.
By participating in the Character at Camp program, Camp Capers joins a national network of camps working with the American Camp Association to advance best practices in character development and share what makes camp a powerful setting for youth learning and growth.
