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VI.1.4. Goals and tasks of camping

According to the author camps are organized during school holidays to offer children a wide variety of leisure time activities and to teach them new skills, a new and healthy lifestyle and a better quality of life. Camping is to contribute to the development of a child’s personality, to the creation of a real community and to teach children autonomy and independence.

The variety of programs and lectures serve to teach children about culture, recreation, the natural environment, and the protection of the environment. The knowledge acquired during these programs can be put into practice during various camp activities. This is how children’s creativity, versatility, social skills are improved.

In addition, they also learn about the basics of camp life and they acquire behavioral norms.

  • Camps for pleasure activities. Holidaymaking camps. The main aim of these camps is to offer children opportunities for recreation and, at the same time, to learn something new, depending on the campers’ interests. The characteristic features of these camps include sights, games, recreational programs, sport recreational programs, wellness and other programs.
  • Camps for learning activities. The main aim and task of these camps is to teach. Campers follow a curriculum and/or participate in a kind of training program. These camps can be organized by various associations, organizations, clubs or educational institutions. The characteristic features of these camps include a strict and prescribed daily schedule of lectures and seminars. Occasionally there are related evening programs, too.

During the camping period campers are to acquire knowledge about aspects of culture, recreation, the natural environment and its protection. This theoretical knowledge is put into practice during seminars and practical sessions.  Thus campers may improve their creativity and versatility.

  • Camps for research and investigation
  • The main aim of these camps is to collect materials and data for some discipline-related research. (E.g. geology, ecology, folklore, history etc.). These camps need special permission to operate and are costly to organize. Participants share a common academic background and interest.
  • Camps for work and restoration
  • The main aim of these camps is physical work with the aim of making it possible to use some service. Without these camps it would be impossible to go hiking or staying at a certain place. Campers may work for example on the construction or the renovation of some hiking facility, tourist hostel, or chalet. They may also maintain tourist signs or summer camping areas. In other camps participants may grow fruits and vegetales.
  • Sport training camps.
  • The main aim of these camps is to train sportspeople and offer them better training conditions and more training opportunities in order to improve their performance. These camps are age-specific and sport-specific. In higher-level training camps those persons participate who have demonstrated outstanding performance. In certain types of sport (indoor sport) training camps can be organized all the year round (e.g. kickbox), while in other types of sport camps they are seasonal. (e.g. rowing, canoeing etc.)
  • Recreational camps
  • The main aim of these camps is to offer team building programs to groups of friends or colleagues. The programs are organized by specialists of recreation. The camps are organized by the seasons. (Snow camps, rock climbing camps, rafting camps, hiking camps or nature walking camps).