At the 10th Biennial Research Symposium of the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) at Indiana University’s Bradford Woods campus on January 15-17, 2010, Dr. Stephen Fine is presenting, Fostering Cosmopolitan Citizenship through Camp Experience: Comparative Research in North America and Central Asia, a paper co-authored with Tulshig Tuvshin of the Mongolian Camping Association.
Dr. Stephen Fine is Co-Director of the Hollows Camp, Cookstown, Ontario. Tulshig Tuvshin is Director General of the International Children’s Centre, Nairamdal, Mongolia, the largest camp in the country established in 1978.
The collaboration between Stephen and Tulshig began through the International Camping Fellowship and a meeting at the American Camp Association’s 2006 Conference in Chicago. Subsequent meetings resulted in Stephen hosting Tulshig at his southern Ontario camp and Tulshig inviting Stephen to visit camps in Mongolia. Early in 2007, Stephen and his wife traveled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia via Seoul, Korea. After presenting a keynote address at a conference, Perspectives of Children’s Camp Development, hosted by the Mongolian Camping Association, Stephen visited five camps in north-eastern Mongolia. With an ancient nomadic culture and close ties to Russia, where camps are prevalent, Mongolia has approximately sixty children’s camps in a country with a population of 2.9 million people.
The research data was collected in both countries through dialogue with camp directors and Likert-scale surveys (the most widely used scale in questionnaires and surveys in which respondents are asked to state their level of agreement) with open-ended questions for current campers and camper/staff alumni.
The results in both Canada and Mongolia confirmed that “camps are optimal learning environments that transcend national and/or cultural boundaries and can effectively prepare youth for successful community interaction at local and global levels…Camp experience increased self-regulation, self-confidence, independence and recognition of strengths, weaknesses and potentials. Habits of personal hygiene and action towards a fit and healthy lifestyle were established…participants improved communication skills, accepted others regardless of ethnicity or social standing, realized the value and practicality of teamwork, and improved skills in group planning and organization. Learning…included a broader knowledge for sustaining clean air and water locally and globally, the value for contact with nature and a commitment toward environmental responsibility.”
The study concludes, “Perhaps in order to assure the development of cosmopolitan citizens, camp experience should become mandated as a compulsory component of education internationally…Camp offers opportunities for the positive development of youth regardless of cultural background and can assist them to take an active role globally as well as in their local communities.”
sfine@alumni.utoronto.ca
www.outdooredcoalition.org
– Catherine Ross, CCA/ACC Communications Dans le cadre du 10e Biennial Research Symposium de la Coalition for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) qui aura lieu du 15 au 17 janvier 2010 au campus Bradford Woods de l’Université de l’Indiana, le Dr Stephen Fine présentera la communication intitulée « Favoriser le développement de la citoyenneté mondiale par l’expérience des camps : une étude comparative réalisée en Amérique du Nord et en Asie centrale » (Fostering Cosmopolitan Citizenship through Camp Experience: Comparative Research in North America and Central Asia), qu’il a rédigée en collaboration avec Tulshig Tuvshin de l’Association des camps de Mongolie. Stephen Fine est codirecteur du camp Hollows de Cookstown en Ontario. Tulshig Tuvshin est directeur général de l’International Children’s Centre, à Nairamdal en Mongolie, le plus gros camp du pays, fondé en 1978. Cette collaboration de Stephen et Tulshig a débuté au congrès de 2006 de l’American Camp Association à Chicago, grâce à l’International Camping Fellowship. Après quelques rencontres, Stephen a accueilli Tulshig au camp qu’il dirige dans le sud de l’Ontario, avant de visiter plusieurs camps en Mongolie, à l’invitation de Tulshig. Stephen et sa femme se sont donc rendus à Ulaanbaatar en Mongolie en 2007, où Stephen a prononcé une habitudes d’hygiène personnelle et d’un mode de vie sain […] les participants ont amélioré leurs aptitudes à communiquer, ils ont su s’accepter entre eux, peu importe l’origine ethnique ou la condition sociale, ils ont pris conscience de la valeur et de l’efficacité du travail d’équipe, en plus de développer leurs aptitudes à la planification et l’organisation. Cet apprentissage […] a permis également un approfondissement de la sensibilisation aux enjeux relatifs à la qualité de l’air et de l’eau, tant à l’échelle locale que mondiale, à l’importance du contact avec la nature et à l’engagement pour la responsabilité environnementale. » L’étude conclut ainsi : « Afin de favoriser le développement de citoyens du monde, peut-être doit-on faire de la participation à des camps un volet obligatoire de l’éducation internationale […] Les camps offrent aux jeunes des possibilités de développement positif, peu importe leur origine culturelle, et peuvent les aider à jouer un rôle plus actif aussi bien à l’échelle planétaire qu’au sein de leur collectivité. » sfine@alumni.utoronto.ca www.outdooredcoalition.org Catherine Ross, agente de communication, CCA/ACC
Comments are closed.