What is the Reuniting Children and Nature campaign all about?

Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council joins many childhood experts in being deeply troubled by what is becoming known as the ‘indoor generation.’  According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, children ages 8 to 18 are spending an average of 6.5 hours a day, outside of school, ‘plugged in’ to some kind of electronic medium.  They go on to report that a child is 6 times more likely to watch a video than ride a bike.  With these reports, it should be no surprise that childhood obesity has quadrupled in the past 25 years.  As our children’s health declines from an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, we at Camp Fire feel called to action.  

Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, the primary founder of Camp Fire USA, was an expert in physical education and a pioneer in the field of outdoor education.  He was passionate about preserving children’s health and well-being, and he believed that direct contact with nature was one of the keys to a child’s healthy development.  Today, there is accumulating scientific research that confirms what Luther Gulick and others knew nearly one hundred years ago. 

In his book entitled “Last Child in the Woods--Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder”, Richard Louv writes that there is accumulating research that reveals the necessity of contact with nature for healthy childhood development.  He cites countless studies that show direct contact with nature can be an antidote for many childhood maladies such as ADHD, stress, depression, and obesity.  He cites other studies that show when children spend time in nature, their cognitive, motor, and social abilities improve, and their imagination and creativity are expanded.  

Inspired by this new research, by our founder’s foresight for the well-being of children and armed with our beautiful Camp Wyandot, we at Camp Fire have the opportunity and responsibility to help the ‘indoor generation,’ and we invite the Central Ohio community to join us.  Together, for our children and the future of our natural world we will succeed in reuniting children and nature!!

Who is Reuniting Children and Nature?

Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council

Started in Columbus, Ohio in 1913, Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council was chartered in 1925 by the national youth organization known as Camp Fire Girls.  Founded in 1910 by Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick (M.D.), who was an expert in physical education, along with his wife Charlotte Gulick, and a host of other educational, health, and camping experts, Camp Fire USA was the first nonsectarian and interracial organization for girls in the United States.

Today, Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council is one of 105 Camp Fire Councils nationwide serving 750,000 youth (girls and boys since 1975) annually.  The mission of Camp Fire USA is to build caring confident youth and future leaders.  The vision for the Central Ohio Council is: Reuniting Children and Nature;  The goal of our campaign is to bring 10,000 kids to the woods by 2010.   

Camp Fire USA is an all inclusive organization welcoming children, youth, and adults regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation or other aspect of diversity.  Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council offers programming in the areas of camping, nature experiences and education, small group programming, and the “Kids of Character” diversity training for third through fifth graders.

One of Camp Fire’s core values is that we respect and celebrate nature.  

Who is Camp Fire Reuniting with Nature?

The children of Central Ohio!

Because Camp Fire is an all inclusive and welcoming organization AND because research indicates that all children--urban, suburban, and rural--are suffering the ill consequences of an indoor and sedentary lifestyle, our campaign to Reunite Children and Nature is an all inclusive campaign. 

The children we are serving with our Reuniting Children and Nature campaign may come from:

• Local youth centers where the children may not have access to natural open spaces  Families where Mom and Dad want to pass down to their children (or start), the traditional camping and day camping experiences from their youth

• Local churches that want to rent camp for their youth groups

• Schools that want to explore the Clear Creek Valley, where Camp Wyandot sits, for its ecological and geological educational purposes.
  

Camp Wyandot is surrounded by over 5000 acres of the Clear Creek Metro Park, also designated as the Clear Creek Nature Preserve, the largest nature preserve in Ohio.  Metro Parks describes the Clear Creek Valley as “one of the most pristine and secluded natural areas in Central  Ohio.”  The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes the area as “a special scientific, scenic and geological area.” And the Ohio Bird Banding Association calls it a “birder’s paradise”.  The Ornithological Society reports that “over 2,200 species of plants and animals have been documented for this area including 800 species of plants, over 160 birds, nearly 80 species of butterflies and over 1,200 species of moths.”    

It has been Camp Fire’s pleasure to serve the following groups and children with our Reuniting Children and Nature campaign.  We look forward to serving your group and/or your child in the near future:

•  Perry’s Kids (Perry County)

•  The Columbus Housing Partnership

•  The Homeless Families Foundation, and Hillel

•  The YMCA of Lancaster         
      

Why is Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council Reuniting Children and Nature?

The initial answer to this question is a simple one:  We at Camp Fire care deeply about the children of Central Ohio, and we care very much about our natural world.  

There is disturbing accumulating evidence that shows children today are spending more and more time inside, and that they are developing physical and mental illnesses because of their increasingly sedentary lifestyle.  As a youth development organization that has worked on behalf of children for nearly one hundred years, this trend deeply disturbs us at the Central Ohio Council. 

At the same time, there is a growing body of research that shows direct exposure to nature is not only good for children’s health and well-being, but that it can actually be an antidote for some of the very same health problems that are prevalent among today’s ‘indoor generation’. Childhood obesity, stress, depression, and even ADHD are just some of the maladies that direct contact with nature can ease.

We at Camp Fire have an opportunity and a responsibility to help the ‘indoor generation’--to get them up, outside, moving, and reconnected to their natural world.  We feel this responsibility because the Founders of Camp Fire, in their own time, called for it.  They too were trying to reverse the declines in children’s health due then to industrialization. The Camp Fire movement of the early 1900’s grew out of camp life, because the founders of Camp Fire knew that getting kids into nature was critical to their health.  We at the Central Ohio Council also feel a responsibility to help the ‘indoor generation,’ because we own and operate Camp Wyandot, one of the most beautiful long standing camps in Ohio, which sits in one of the most treasured and ecologically diverse areas in Central Ohio.

Where is Camp Fire USA Reuniting Children and Nature?

At Camp Wyandot in the beautiful Hocking Hills!

A magical outdoor experience where lives are changed and enduring friendships are made....since 1928

One year I had a little girl in my cabin who was terrified of getting dirty and was constantly asking for the antibacterial wipes from the First Aid kit  to clean her hands. By the end of the week, she had streaks of natural clay from the creek on her face, as she and the other campers gave themselves "mud facials."  Alice (Counselor)

“I could not get enough of the sense of accomplishment I felt every time I lit a one-match fire.”  Amanda (former camper

“After several weeks of living at camp, it is time to return to civilization.  A single salty tear rolls down Sit’s cheek as he says farewell to Leaning Lena, the rock over the road on the way out of camp.  Settled between two hills is Home--settled between two hills is Wyandot.”   Katy (camper, age 15)

“I feel more alive here than I do any other place!!”  Jenny Morgan (Alumna)  

Camp Wyandot is nestled in the beautiful Hocking Hills--45 minutes from downtown Columbus.  Surrounded by 5,000 acres of Clear Creek Metro Parks, this unique area has been described as “a special scientific, scenic and geological area” (ODNR), and one of the most pristine and secluded natural areas in Central Ohio. (Metro Parks).  Over 2,200 plant and animal species have been documented in the Clear Creek area of which nearly 40 are rare/endangered species in Ohio (Ornithological Society), the Ohio Bird Banding Association calls it “an Ohio birder’s paradise.”

Camp Wyandot is a traditional, rustic camp owned and operated by the Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council (formerly known as the Camp Fire Girls) since 1928.  Like many Camp Fire camps across the country, Camp Wyandot was purchased by Camp Fire in the early 1900’s to carry out Luther Gulick’s (a pioneer in the outdoor education movement and Camp Fire’s primary founder) vision to instill in youth a love of nature and the habits of good health.  

Although Camp Wyandot was specifically for girls from 1928-1975, it became a co-educational camp in 1975 when the Camp Fire Girls became Camp Fire Boys and Girls.  Since its beginning, Camp Wyandot is proud to have touched the lives of over 50,000 Central Ohio youth with its breathtaking beauty and its welcoming and all inclusive community.  Camp Fire USA is a nonsectarian organization and is “all inclusive, welcoming children, youth, and adults regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or other aspect of diversity.”     

Camp Wyandot’s physical beauty and scientific and geologic significance is profound, but ask anyone who has been touched by this camp, and they most likely will talk first about how Camp Wyandot made them feel special as campers.  They will talk of how the friendships they made at Camp Wyandot are treasured, lifelong, and unique.  They will talk of hanging onto their Wyandot treasures long after time and moves have claimed many other possessions.

One camper from long ago writes:

“...friends advised:  ‘If you haven’t used it in three years,...,get rid of it.’  Following their advice, I got rid of my wedding gown and a number of other things....However, I made three exceptions to that rule:  I refused to get rid of my camp fire girl beads and the beaded Indian symbols for water that I made and attached to the little leather purse with the ‘health bead’ fastener (that sits in the den), and the brown Camp Wyandot song book, which sits beside me as I write (with its Columbus Ohio 1938 date on the first page).”  Shirley Holzer Jeffrey

 When is this Reunion Taking Place?

The Camp Fire USA Central Ohio Council’s goal is to “bring 10,000 kids to the woods by 2010.” Creating and supporting the bond between children and nature, however, has been an integral part of the Camp Fire philosophy and program for nearly 100 years, and it will continue to be an integral part of our Camp Fire program long after 2010. 

How is Camp Fire Reuniting Children and Nature?

For the next five years and beyond, we at the Central Ohio Council will be working tirelessly to forge partnerships with community organizations, institutions, businesses, foundations, and government agencies that serve and/or care about children.  Through the Reuniting Children and Nature campaign, Camp Fire will work to raise awareness among these entities and the general public as to the health benefits of getting kids reconnected with their natural world.  

By designing a variety of program options at Camp Wyandot in the Hocking Hills, we are offering our partners and the general public numerous opportunities to get children reunited with nature.