You’re often having to rely on your teammates or cabin mates to complete an activity,” MacDougall says. “That builds in-group bonding, and in that process what you hope the young person’s learning is either to have some voice within that group … or how to be persuasive.”

As camp counsellors, youth get a chance to truly lead in a non-judgmental environment. “It allows a young person the opportunity to be creative and to test their particular approach to teaching and being a leader,” says Fine. “We want to build better leaders at camp, so we’re not going to come down hard on them if they make a mistake.”

According to the Canadian Summer Camp Research Project, most campers demonstrated an increase in emotional intelligence and self-confidence, both characteristics attributed to good leaders.

"Kids don't go to camp wanting to be better leaders or more self-aware—they go because it's fun and the positive outcomes happen as a result," Glover says.

As campers enter their teenage years, there are more opportunities to obtain explicit leadership skills. Most camps offer an LIT (leader-in-training) or CIT (counsellor-in-training) program that walks young people through the skills they need to plan activities and programs, care for younger campers and communicate effectively.

Whether it's by cleaning their cabins without being asked, helping younger campers find their way to the dining hall, or contributing their talents to a play or talent show, youth of all ages learn to take initiative at camp.


Outdoor Adventure
Outdoor Cooking