Camp Susan Curtis Online:
Camper & Counselor Focus Groups
September 2013
Jeanette Andonian
Dennis Gilber t
Jarrid Jones
Lenny Shedletsky
Funded by:
Maine E c onomic I mprovement Fund
USM Research Cluster Grant
CAMPER GROUPS: COMPOSITION
 Three camper focus groups (N=28) were held at Camp Susan
Curtis 0n August 12, 2013.
 Participants were randomly selected from a pool of 59
camper volunteers.
 Age homogeneity and gender balance in each group were the
only criteria for group composition.
Group 1: Age 8-9 (N=9)
Group 2: Age 10-12 (N=11)
Group 3: Age 13-15 (N=8)
CA M P ER G ROUP 1 :
DE M OG RA PH I C I N FORMATION
N=9
 Age: 8=1; 9=5; 9.5=1; 10=2
 Gender: Female=5; Male=4
 School grade in fall: 3=1; 4=5; 5=1 No answer=1
 County: Oxford=6; York=1; Cumberland=2
 Number of times at CSC: 1 time=6; 2 times=1; No answer=2
CA M P ER G ROUP 1 :
C OM P UT ER USE
 Computer Access: At home=6; At school=9; Other=5
(grandmother’s house, librar y)
 Frequency of Computer Use: More than once a day=1; Once a
day=2; Once ever y couple of days= 2; Once a week=4; Ver y
infrequently (<once/week)= 0; Never=0
 Top Three Reasons for Using Internet: Facebook=5; Games=6;
School/research=3; Science=2; You Tube=2; Social Networking=1;
Finding information=1; Math=1; Messaging=1; Camp=1; Car toon
Network=1
 Comfort using the internet: Extremely=3; Mostly=3 Somewhat=3;
A little=0; Not at all=0
 Parent allowance: More than once/day=3; Once/day=2; Once
ever y couple of days=2; Once/week=0; Less than once/week=1;
Never=1
CA M P ER G ROUP 2 :
DE M OG RA PH I C I N FORMATION
N=11
 Age: 10=3; 11=3; 1 2=3; 13=1; No answer=1
 Gender: Female=5; Male=6
 School grade in fall: 5 th =1; 6 th =6; 7 th =2; 8 th =1 No answer=1
 County: Oxford=4; York=2; Androscoggin=1; Penobscot=1;
Franklin=1; New Hampshire=1; No answer=1
 Number of times at CSC : 1 time=2; 2 times=2; 3 times=3; 4
times=1; 6 times=1; No answer=2
CA M P ER G ROUP 2 :
C OM P UT ER USE
 Computer access: Home=9; School=11; Other=10 (Dad’s,
grandmother’s
 Frequency of Computer use: More than once/day=2;
Once/day=2; Ever y couple of days=6; Once/week=0; Ver y
infrequently=1; Never=0
 Tope three reasons for using the internet: Facebook=2;
Gaming=5; School/research=4; E -mail=2; You tube=6; Social
networking=3; Finding information=3; Movies=1; Google=1; No
answer=1
 Comfort using the internet: Extremely=8; Mostly=1;
Somewhat=2; A little=0; Not at all=0
 Parent allowance: More than once/day=4; Once/day=3; Once
ever y couple of days=3; Once/week=1; Ver y infrequently=0;
Never=0
CA M P ER FOC US G ROUP 3 :
DE M OG RA PH I C I N FORMATION
N=8
 Age: 12=1; 13=3; 14=2; 14.5=1; 15=1
 Gender: Male=1; Female=7
 Grade in Fall: 8 th grade=4; 9 th grade=4
 County of Residence: Oxford=1; York=2; Cumberland=2;
Penobscot=1; Franklin=1; Somerset=1
 Number of times at CSC: 1 time=4; 2 times=1; 3 times=1; 4
times=1; 5 times=1
CA M P ER FOC US G ROUP 3 :
C OM P UT ER USE
 Computer Access: Home=7; School=8; Other=6 (Friends’,
library. Dad’s)
 Frequency of computer use: More than once/day=5;
Once/day=2; Once every couple of days=1; Once/week=0;
Very infrequently=0; Never=0
 Top three reasons for using the internet: Facebook=2; Buying
stuf f=1; School/research=9; E -mail teacher=1; You Tube=3;
Social Networking=3; Finding information=2; Instagram=1;
Pictures=1
 Comfort using the internet: Extremely=7; Mostly=0;
somewhat=1; A little=0; Not at all=0
 Parent allowance: More than once/day=5; Once/day=1; Once
every couple of days=1; Once/week=1; Very infrequently=0;
Never=0
CAMPER FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS
 What makes CSC special to you?
 What do you like most about CSC? Least?
 If CSC was a virtual world online, what would you hope to find
there?
 What would keep you returning to CSCO?
 Is there anything you can think of that would get in the way of
using CSCO?
 Once you leave CSC and go home, and you think about your
time at camp,
1 . W H AT M A KES C SC SP E C I AL TO YOU?
Broad themes:
Meaningful Relationships, Activities, Doing, Learning,
Getaway, New Experiences
Specifics:
Family Atmosphere
Supportive relationships
Sense of place
Sense of home
Not like other camps
Emotional closeness
Fun activities
Being active
CA M P ER QUE ST ION 1 SP E C I F IC S ( C ON T INUED)
Learning new things
Confidence building
Non-judgmental
Acceptance
Being oneself
Get away from usual life
New experiences
Making friends
Coming back each year
Nature
2 . W H AT DO YOU LI KE M OST A BOUT C SC ? LE A ST?
Most
Broad Themes: Support, New activities, Food, Connections to
people, Continuity, Structure and choice
Specifics:
Wide range of activities
Learning new skills
Upbeat, kind people
Like family
Food
Choice of activities
Counselors
Judgment free
Supportive, friendly environment
Meeting new people
CA M P ER QUE ST ION 2 ( C ON T I NUED)
Least
Broad themes:
Homesick, Some specific activities, Application of rules, Waking
early, Cold
Specifics:
Swimming lessons
Noisy rest hour
Uncomfortable beds
No contact with parents
Rules—e.g., dress code, drawing on self, no make up, etc.
Getting up early
3 . I F C SC WA S A VI RT UAL WORLD ON LI N E, W H AT WOULD YOU
H OP E TO F I N D T H E RE ?
Broad themes and specifics presented by age grouping
8-9 year olds
Broad Themes:
Camp Activities & Games, Counselors, Photos from camp
Specifics:
Talk with counselors
Learning things (incl. games)
Campfire with singing
Canoeing
Swimming
A ge-specific games
Camping
Pictures of counselors
Find Yeti
QUE ST I ON 3 ( C ON T INUED)
10-12 year olds
Broad Themes:
Virtual CSC, Interaction with CSC people
Specifics:
Avatars
Photos of CSC
Mystery activity after dinner
Social network for CSC
Everything like camp
Map of camp all year round
Songs & Activities
Godzeera and other creatures (snakes, frogs, fish)
Choice
QUE ST I ON 3 ( C ON T INUED)
13-15 year olds
Broad Themes:
Pictures & Sounds of Camp, Games/Activities, Contact with campers,
Vir tual CSC
Specifics:
Summit questions
CSC games & activities (eg., scavenger hunt, etc.)
Camper photos
Contact with friends/search for friends
Campfire & singing
Sounds (animal sounds, water, wind, thunderstorms, etc.) and sights of
camp
Avatars
Chat
Trout Lake
4 . W H AT WOULD KE E P YOU RE T URNI NG TO C SC O?
Broad themes:
Seeing Camper s & Counselor s, News, Information & Updates, Videos from
camp, Interactive games, Communicating with friends
Specifics:
Face time/skype
Staying in touch with counsel or s & friends
Vir tual campfire
News about the camp, camper s & counselor s
Photos
CSC Activities & events (eg, fishing, obser ve special days, Olympics, amazing
race, etc.)
Interactive synchronous games
Recorded campfire stories
New legends
Awards (eg., dustpan)
Password
Color ful
5 . I S T H E RE A N Y T H ING YOU CA N T H I N K OF T H AT WOULD G E T
I N T H E WAY OF USI N G C SC O?
Broad Themes:
Technical hurdles, No fun, Lack of access, Outside demands
Specifics:
School schedule
Being too busy (eg, with spor ts and other extracurriculars)
Family obligations
Not having parent permission
No power
Inaccessibility at home or school (eg, no computer at home or
competition
for use)
Hackers
Problems logging on
Not fun
Incompatibility with other devices (Iphones?)
6 . ON C E YOU LE AVE C SC A N D G O H OM E , A N D YOU T H I N K
A BOUT YOUR T I M E AT CA M P, W H AT W I LL YOU RE M E MBER?
Broad themes:
Activities, Rituals, Friends , Counselor s, P lace
Specifics:
Friends
Counselor s
Learning new things (eg., setting up a tent)
Images of the physical camp (the lake, the buildings, paths, hills, etc.)
Food
Camp activities (swimming, canoeing, kayaking, Yeti hunting, evening games)
The fun
The animals (Incl. the dogs)
Stuf f we made (eg., Ood Lecht, friendship bracelets, etc)
Campfire & rituals (guitar playing, singing)
Playing games
People in our cabins
Raising the flag
Teens will remember the bad things, too (because that’s what teens do)!
C OUN SE LOR FOC US G ROUP S
 Two counselor focus groups (N=19) conducted on August 13,
2013 at CSC.
 Counselors volunteered to participate —all 19 were included.
 Gender balance was the only criteria for group composition.
Group 1: N=8
Group 2: N=11
C OUN SE LOR FOC US G ROUP 1 :
DE M OG RA PH I C I N FORMTAION
N=8
 Age range: 17-19
 Gender: Male=8; Female=4
 County: Oxford=4; Cumberland=4
 Attended CSC as Camper? Yes=3; No=5
 How many times a CSC counselor? 1 time=4; 2 times=2; 3
times=1; 8 times=1
C OUN SE LOR FOC US G ROUP 1 :
C OM P UT ER USE
 Computer access: Home=7; School=6; Other=6
 Frequency of computer use: More than once/day=5;
Once/day=2; Every couple of days=1; Once/week=0; Very
infrequently=0; Never=0
 Tops (three) reasons for using the internet: School work=4;
Research=2; You tube=3; Social networking=4; Finding
information=1; Music=2; Movies=1; Email=1; Work=3;
Pinterest=1; Catching up with friends & family=1
 Comfort with the internet: Extremely=2; Mostly=4;
Somewhat=2; A little=0; Not at all=0
 Parental allowance: More than once/day=3; Once/day=0;
Once every couple of days=1; Once/week=0; Very
infrequently=0; Never=0; Not applicable=4
C OUN SE LOR FOC US G ROUP 2 :
DE M OG RA PH I C I N FORMATION
N=11
 Age range: 17-24
 Gender: Male=6; Female=5
 County: Oxford=3; Lincoln=1; Kennebec=1; Cumberland=4;
York=1; Not from Maine=1
 Attended CSC as camper? Yes=3; No=8
 How many times a CSC Counselor? 1 times=7; 2 times=3; 10
times=1
C OUN SE LOR FOC US G ROUP 2 :
C OM P UT ER USE
 Computer Access: Home=10; School=11; Other=9
 Frequency of computer use: More than once/day=8;
Once/day=3; Once every couple of days=0; Once/week=0;
Very infrequently=0; Never=0
 Top three reasons for using the internet: Facebook=4;
Games=2; Research=2; School work=6; You tube=4; Social
networking=7; Finding information=1; Work=1; Netflix=1; E mail=4; Music=1; News=1; T V=1
 Comfort using the internet: Extremely=7; Mostly=3;
Somewhat=0; A little=1; Not at all=0
 Parent allowance=More than once/day=3; Once/day=2; Once
every couple of days=0; Once/week=0; Very infrequently=0;
Never=0; Not applicable=6
COUNSELOR FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS
 What do you think makes CSC special?
 What makes CSC meaningful to campers?
 Do you believe that campers want to stay connected with each
other and their counselors after camp is over? Please explain
why or why not.
 If CSC was a virtual world online, what would you hope to find
there?
 What do you think would keep campers coming back to CSCO?
 What concerns would you have about an online CSC
environment?
 If you could of fer one piece of advice to people creating CSCO,
what would it be?
1 . W H AT D O YO U T H I N K M A K E S C S C S P E C I A L ?
Broad Themes:
S u p p o r t , N o n - j udg m e n t al , M e a n i n g f ul b o n d s , C h a r a c te r & c o n f i de n c e b u i l di n g , S e n s e
of home
S p e c i fi c s :
U n i q u e ex p e r ie n c e f o r M a i n e k i d s f a c i n g c h a l l e n g e s
U n i q u e m i s s i o n & c o un s e l o r s
D ev e l o p i n g c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p s & l a s t i n g b o n d s ( h i 5 to h a n d s h a ke to h u g s )
N o t m o n ey d r i ve n — k i d d r i v en
Being oneself
Acceptance
Fa m i l y a t m o s p h e r e — s e n s e o f s e c u r i t y, r o u t i n e s , et c .
Learning & activities
B eyo n d c a m p
Strong sense of place
B u i l d in g l e a d e r s
K i d s g r a te f ul
Fa c i n g & m a s te r i n g i m p o r t a n t l i fe s k i l l s
Te a m wo rk
C o n t i n uit y o f c o n n e c t io n t h r o ug h L I T / C I T p r o g r am s
2 . W H AT M A KE S C SC M E A NI NG FUL TO CA M P E RS?
Broad themes:
Per sonal attention, Nur turing environment, Sense of home, People who
care, Invested counselor s
Specifics:
Per sonal attention
Bonds with counselor s
Counselors former campers
Making friends
Family, home-like atmosphere
Able to make mistakes
Getting all needs met (social, emotional, material, etc.)
Suppor t & nur turance
Positive role models
Builds leaders
Caring, invested people
Safety blanket
3 . D O YO U B E LIEVE T H AT C A M P ERS WA NT TO S TAY
C ON NE CTED W I TH E AC H OT H ER A N D T H E IR C O UNSELORS
A F T ER C A M P I S OV E R? P LEA SE E X P LA IN W H Y O R W H Y N OT.
Broad Themes:
Meeting people & making friends, Trust building activities,
Expressed desire for contact
Specifics:
Time set aside to exchange contact information
Kids ask for counselor addresses
Returning campers eager to reconnect
Friend requests on Facebook (cannot accept)
Letters received from campers
Trusting, lasting bonds
Sustained relationships outside of camp
4 . I F C S C WA S A V I RT UA L WO RLD O N LINE, W H AT WO ULD YO U
H O P E TO F I ND T H E RE?
Broad Themes:
Replicate CSC vir tually
Specifics:
Games, Rituals & Activities
Daily summit question
Password
Mafia
Scavenger hunt
Wish boat races
Small group/cabin games
Olympics
Forum
Video chat
Campfire
Songs
Reading to kids
QUE ST I ON 4 SP E C I FI CS ( C ON T I NUED)
Vir tual world (like mindcraf t)
“How are you” check ins
Recordings of CSC songs
Videos of CSC activities/ events—dance, plays, etc.
Chants
Banner s
Avatar s
Catching frogs
News updates
Daily themes
Bir thday celebrations —staf f bir thday greeting
Earn points/coins for par ticipating in activities
Create own groups
Icons & Legends
Yeti
Godzeera
Mascots
5 . W H AT D O YO U T H I NK WO ULD K E E P C A M P ERS C OM I NG
B AC K TO C S C O?
Broad themes:
Change & Consistency, Communicating with other s, CSC activities,
Regular updates, Safeguards
Specifics:
Enough change to be dynamic
User friendly
Actively engaging —have something happening all the time
Pick up where you lef t of f
Real time chat
Emotional safety
QUE ST I ON 5 SP E C I FI CS ( C ON T I NUED)
Mechanism to reach out and connect
Easy access and navigation
Regular updating
Limit use time
Password
Summit
Chance to talk with counselors
Active participation of counselors —will draw campers in
Year round yeti watch
6 . W H AT C ON C ERNS WO ULD YO U H AVE A B OUT A N O N LINE
C S C E N VI RONME NT?
Broad themes :
Safety, Accessibility& Usage issues
Specifics:
Safety Concerns
Bullying
Inappropriate relationships
Communications too per sonal
Close moderation (especially instant messages)
Safety of private chatting
Other s using camper’s account
Invite kids via parent e -mail
Accessibility & Usage
No internet or computer access
Assistance with access
Track kids on site too long —prompt to get of f
Homework help
7. I F YO U C O ULD O F F E R O N E P I E CE O F A DVI C E TO P E OP LE
C R E ATI NG C S C O, W H AT WOULD I T B E ?
Broad themes:
Positive & Safe, Capture CSC, Consult with CSC Counselor s
Specifics:
Be a kid—be open
Learn about CSC comprehensively —physical space, activities, CSC
spirit/culture
Represent CSC accurately
Make daytime/nighttime
Pleasant music, sun shiny
User friendly—sensitive to age range
Make it a fun, positive & safe environment
Inclusive of all
Work with counselors
DOMINANT THEMES ON CSC CULTURE
FROM CAMPERS
Family
atmosphere:
Sense of Home
Encouragement,
Confidence
Building
Supportive
Bonds with
Counselors &
Friends
The
Culture
of CSC
Challenge:
Learning new
things
No Judgment,
Acceptance
Rituals,
Activities, & Fun
DOMINANT CAMPER THEMES ON CSCO
CSCO should be…
A place to connect with
counselors & friends
A place to learn new
things, have fun & play
CSC games
A place to see photos &
videos of camp: people
& nature
A virtual CSC: Transpose
everything CSC to online
world
CSCO should be…
DOMINANT CAMPER THEMES ON CSCO (CONTINUED)
Supportive
Fun
A place to be
together
DOMINANT THEMES ON CSC CULTURE
FROM COUNSELORS
Support:
Builds
Character &
Confidence
Strong
bonds:
Make
lessons last
Family:
Sense of
Home
The Culture
of CSC
Shared
experience:
Sense of
place
Tolerance &
Kindness:
Safety
Empathy &
Acceptance
: Kids are
who they
are
DOMINANT COUNSELOR THEMES ON CSCO
CSCO should be…
Supportive, personal &
compassionate
A positive, safe
environment
A virtual CSC
A place to stay in touch
with friends and
counselors
CSCO should be…
DOMINANT COUNSELOR THEMES ON CSCO
(CONTINUED)
A place to have fun, play,
learn & connect
User friendly, engaging,
stable & dynamic
A place that captures
the spirit of CSC
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the collective findings from the counselor and
camper focus groups, the following recommendations are
made:
 Capture the essence of CSC in a virtual world : Make it
supportive, non-judgmental, interactive, encouraging, accepting,
inclusive & personal. These are the empowering, resilience building elements of CSC. Campers and counselors both talked
about the appeal of creating avatars in a CSC virtual world.
 Include counselors and campers in CSCO development:
Campers and counselors will have many insights into what will
work, what won’t and why. Their expertise should be used in
the process of development.
 Learn about the details of the games & activities at CSC
and transpose them into CSCO: Campers expressed a
strong desire to do the things on CSCO that they did at camp.
RECOMMENDATIONS (CONTINUED)
 Include visual images (videos and photos) and sounds of
camp during all seasons: This came up in both camper and
counselor groups. Seeing the camp —the grounds, the lake, the
buildings, etc.-- will bring them closer to it when they are away.
 Work on making it safe and secure: This was highlighted by
the counselors in particular but it also came up in camper
groups. CSCO will need careful monitoring and clear policies to
train those monitoring to recognize and respond to a range of
safety concerns.
 Make CSCO educational and fun: Campers talked a lot about
valuing learning new things at CSC —counselors also emphasized
this. Educational activity and fun are not mutually exclusive.
 Address accessibility issues: Concerns were raised about
lack of or limited access to the internet —uneven across campers,
especially young campers.
RECOMMENDATIONS (CONTINUED)
 Incorporate the specific rituals, legends and
structures of the camp experience: Flag raising,
summit, password, campfire/singing, daytime/night time,
Yeti, Godzeera, etc (see more specifics in data analysis
sections). These capture the camp experience and will make it
unique and familiar.
 Create mechanism for campers and counselors to
reach out to one another: Some kind of alert system to
let people know contact is desired.
 Ensure that counselors go on CSCO regularly and
interact : Counselors felt that if they have a presence on
CSCO, campers will come.