Nebraska 4-H Camps

Owned and operated through a partnership of the, Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development and the Nebraska 4-H Foundation, Nebraska 4-H Camps promote the mission of Nebraska 4-H - which encourages all young people to reach their full potential, by working and learning in partnership with caring adults. The Nebraska 4-H Camps are accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA). This organization sets standards for safety, maintenance, programs, human relations, transportation, and other areas of camp management. The Nebraska 4-H Camps comply with more than 300 individual standards to ensure that your visit is a positive one!

Nebraska 4-H Youth Development offers a variety of day and overnight camps, which provide unique experiences that focus on life skills, including:

• science exploration
• leadership and citizenship skills
• future career opportunities
• healthy decision-making
• natural resources education

Purpose

The purpose of Nebraska 4-H Camps is to provide unique educational opportunities that empower youth to be active in the pursuit of self-improvement in a safe, inclusive, and fun environment. The Nebraska 4-H Camps offer all youth a place to discover, learn and grow while developing valuable leadership and citizenship skills.

Mission

Our promise at Nebraska 4-H Camps is to offer unique, hands-on experiences where youth, with the guidance of supportive role models, have the opportunity to develop themselves in programs that encourage positive relationships and healthy living, emphasize community building, shape individual leadership, and build awareness for the natural world in a fun, safe, and inclusive environment.

We accomplish this in cooperation with the mission, vision, and program priorities of Nebraska 4-H.

Vision

Nebraska 4-H Camps and Centers... a place to Discover, Learn and Grow.

Goals

1. Utilize best practices in Positive Youth Development.
2. To build programs that utilize unique local resources and serve the mission of the Land Grand University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
3. The program and facility will be proactive in growing to efficiently and effectively meet changing needs.
4. To be purposeful in the development and training of our human resources.
5. To provide intentional youth programming that:
   • is offered in a safe and inclusive environment
   • provides positive relationships with supportive role models
   • engages youth in learning and skill mastery (target specific skills)
   • encourages the development of personal mindset and social skills (target specific skills and traits)
   • provides youth the opportunity to see themselves as an active, important participant in the future
   • provides youth the opportunity to be a role model or provide service to others
6. To provide intentional educational and recreational experiences for adults.
7. To serve as stewards of the resource-rich environments where we deliver our programming.

Membership Requirements

Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to attend a 4-H summer camp. 

Structure

Nebraska 4-H offers two primary camping experiences:

• Day Camping: Day camping consists of multiple-day programs with youth returning home each evening.
• Residential/Overnight Camping: Overnight camping includes being away from home at least one night (residential, primitive, or travel camping).

A High-Quality 4-H Camping Program...

• Uses experiential learning (learning by doing) as a primary teaching approach.
• Provides opportunities to explore the natural world in a safe and inclusive environment.
• Includes planned opportunities to learn and apply life skills such as leadership, citizenship, community service and encourages healthy risk-taking.
• Provides programs, curricula, and procedures that are based on research and are developmentally appropriate.
• Fosters youth-adult partnerships that encourage active involvement and participation by youth and adults.
• Collaborate with Nebraska 4-H and UNL faculty and staff to provide premier learning opportunities.
• Is American Camp Association (ACA) accredited and undergoes a review of over 300 standards related to operations, staffing, emergency management, and program planning.
• Employees & staff that are CPR and First Aid certified.

Awards & Recognition

Nebraska 4-H aims to offer awards and recognition for all of its youth participants regardless of the delivery mode. 4-H campers, individually, have the opportunity to apply for and receive recognition through the following awards and recognition programs:

• Summer Camp Scholarships
• Diamond Clover
• Nebraska 4-H Gives Back