Perceived Outcomes of Military-Extension Adventure Camps for Military Personnel and Their Teenage Children

Abstract

The program described in the present article focused on service member parents and their teenage children participating in camps together. The scope of the project was to provide an opportunity for military personnel who recently returned from deployment to reconnect with an adolescent after an extended absence due to deployment. The camps used the Campfire Curriculum, which included experiential learning, team-building experiences and nightly campfire programs from the Blue to You curriculum for military families. Open-ended responses from parent participants suggested that time together with their children, interacting with fellow service members and their kids, sharing stories, and opportunities for camaraderie were especially important and meaningful.