A practical handbook to organizing summer camps for children

A good summer camp provides an appropriate and safe environment where children feel comfortable, have fun, learn new and interesting things about life and themselves, strengthen their physical and emotional skills to cope with new experiences and challenges, develop skills to express and communicate their thoughts and concerns, and build confidence in themselves by developing new friendships and actively participating in inclusive activities. As such, investing in summer camp programs provides countless benefits to children in general and especially vulnerable children who are at risk of abuse and/or exploitation. 

This document represents a simple guideline for planning and organizing a summer camp for vulnerable children in need of protection. These guidelines target Child Protection Units, civil society, government agencies and community based organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), schools and other child protection/welfare/rights/education stakeholders who wish to conduct summer camp activities. 

Although these guidelines are built upon Tdh’s experience in Albania and all the references are in line with the local context in the country, they can be easily adjusted and used as a basis in other countries. Building on the extensive experience of Tdh, this document reflects on the positive practices and challenges encountered during the process of planning and organizing summer camps, and provides practical guidelines for child protection units and other actors interested in organizing such activities.