The Nature of Camp in Haliburton: Cultivating an Environmental Ethic in Children

Instilling the values of bioregionalism can be difficult as it involves changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. The natural place to start is with the children of our society and the author maintains that camps, if based on positive environmental ethics, can play a very strong role in fostering a child's sense of relationship with the earth and community.

The development of such learning through camp experiences is presented in general terms with reference to the aims of camping associations and environmental philosophers.  Specifically, these objectives are looked at in more depth with reference to Camp Allsaw and the work of Sam and Marjorie Hambly as they pursued camping focusing on the principles and practices of ecology and conservation.  The camp stresses the bioregional principles of community, the development of a sense of place, and the importance of home as the place to make a difference and its program is presented as an example of how camps can play a crucial role in shaping the desired attributes of bioregionalism.