At NaCoMe we believe that the best people to tell us how to make camp the best it can be are the campers. During our summer sessions, we want campers to give input into their own unique camp experience. Whether it’s adding or changing rules to a game or building a new high ropes course, we want to hear the ideas of our campers on how to make camp better for them.
At the end of each week, we hand out a short, anonymous survey to all our campers and ask them to give us feedback about their week. The feedback from these surveys is super important to us as we are constantly looking for ways to improve and make camp better. Here are the results from our surveys this summer:
The Foundation:
97.08% felt accepted by their counselor and their group.
90.51% made new friends at camp.
97.81% felt closer to God at camp.
These are the questions that make up the core of everything we do here at NaCoMe. We believe that camp is so special because of the community it builds among people. Camp is a place where we hope campers can feel accepted for exactly who they are and that they are able to make lasting friendships with new people. We also hope that it’s a place to get away from distractions and worries and re-connect with God and with themselves. We believe that’s the power of camp and we strive to make that possible for each and every camper.
The Program:
99.27% enjoyed the activities at camp.
96.72% tried something new at camp.
Over half of campers said they “strongly agree” that they liked getting away from technology while at camp.
These questions help us know how we are doing from a program perspective. Are campers enjoying the activities? Are we challenging campers and giving them opportunities to try new things? Do campers like being able to unplug from electronics? This information helps us keep camp fun and engaging for our campers and we are always trying to add new activities to give campers the best experience possible every summer. This summer we added axe throwing as a new activity and it was a big success!
Taking it Home:
97.08% said camp is the best or one of the best weeks of their summer.
94.53% felt like they grew in their faith while at camp.
94.16% said they want to grow closer to God at home because of their camp experience.
These are the questions that we think are the most important. While camp is amazing, we don’t want campers to come and have an incredible experience only to leave that experience here at camp when they leave on Friday. We believe that camp is the most powerful when campers take those experiences home with them and continue it on. We hope that campers can create a sense of community and belonging with people in their everyday lives, not just when they are at camp.
We also ask campers the following questions and wanted to share some of our favorite responses:
What would have made camp better for you?
“Electric eel petting zoo.”
“Nothing. I loved it!”
“Fix the heaters in the swimming hole.”
“REAL heaters in the swimming hole.”
What was your favorite part of camp?
“ How close I became with my group and how I got out of my comfort zone.”
“EVERYTHING!”
“Making a new family every time I come.”
“The water activities and the new axe throwing!”
Our campers provide us with so much insight into the camp experience and we truly appreciate them. It is our hope that we can continue to grow and improve our program so that every summer is an amazing experience.
Thanks for an incredible summer!
Geena “Syd” Antley
Program Coordinator