Dec 12, 2025
- The University of Utah will lead a five-year evaluation of the Character at Camp Initiative to strengthen summer camps’ role in character development and inclusion.
- Researchers will collect data on youth experiences and staff practices to help camps improve programming and provide actionable insights through data dashboards.
- This project builds on the lab’s global research on outdoor education and positions summer camps as a leading context for character education.
The University of Utah’s Outdoor Education and Youth Development Lab is partnering with the American Camp Association (ACA) to lead a comprehensive evaluation of the Character at Camp (CaC) Initiative, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. This landmark project aims to strengthen summer camps’ capacity for character development, with a strong emphasis on access and inclusion for communities historically excluded from these experiences.
Over the next five years, the University of Utah research team—led by Drs. Jim Sibthorp, Lisa Meerts-Brandsma, and Bryn Spielvogel—will collect data on youth experiences and staff practices linked to character development. The team will help camps use evidence to improve programming and develop data systems and dashboards that provide actionable, timely insights for camp professionals. This evaluation will demonstrate the impact of high-quality camp experiences on youth character growth, track industry-wide trends, and position summer camps as a leading context for character education.
This work builds on the lab’s long-standing research on summer camps and character education, including the National Camp Impact Study and global character training research with Outward Bound International. These projects have advanced understanding of how outdoor and experiential education fosters social-emotional development, improves character, and enhances wellbeing in youth worldwide.
About the Researchers
The Outdoor Education and Youth Development Lab at the University of Utah is internationally recognized for its research on experiential education, youth development, and outdoor programming. Led by Dr. Jim Sibthorp, the lab collaborates with organizations worldwide to advance evidence-based practices that foster character growth, connections to nature, well-being and inclusion in outdoor and camp settings.
