SEL at Camp For young people Ages 11 – 23
How do you know if you have happy campers?
Camp programs help young people learn to work together, make plans, and accomplish goals. These are all key activities that promote social and emotional learning, or SEL. SEL is the process of developing the “soft skills” young people need to get along as they grow up: to manage themselves as they engage with the world; build and maintain relationships; and treat setbacks and challenges as learning experiences to prompt growth.
What your program does
What Young People Develop
Young People Thriving!
Check-In
- Garner feedback from young people about the quality of program experiences
- A single point in time, midway through a program or at the end
- Check-In surveys take young people 5 to 8 minutes
Pre/Post
- Garner feedback from young people about the quality of program experiences
- Understand young people’s social and emotional learning baseline at pre and growth at post
- Receive targeted recommendations for staff to support each group of young people
- Two points in time, usually at the beginning and end of a program
- Pre surveys take 8 to 12 minutes and post surveys 12 to 15 minutes
Check-In
- Garner feedback from young people about the quality of program experiences
- A single point in time, midway through a program or at the end
- Check-In surveys take young people 5 to 8 minutes
Pre/Post
- Garner feedback from young people about the quality of program experiences
- Understand young people’s social and emotional learning baseline at pre and growth at post
- Receive targeted recommendations for staff to support each group of young people
- Two points in time, usually at the beginning and end of a program
- Pre surveys take 8 to 12 minutes and post surveys 12 to 15 minutes
Experiences
Everything that young people, see, think, hear, do, and feel is fuel for their growth, but a few key types of experiences are especially effective at boosting development.
Outcomes
When young people experience a positive youth development approach and work alongside a caring adult, they develop short-term outcomes that lay the groundwork for their long-term success.
Measures
While growth in SEL is critical, it is also important that young people learn career-specific skills and develop strong social capital.
Thriving
Young people who develop SEL are on a journey to understand and cultivate their unique interests and talents in many aspects of life — they thrive. Thriving goes beyond competence, with success defined as an ongoing trajectory towards full potential in life.