Dear Current or Prospective Camp Fire Camp Parent/Caregiver:

Hi! It’s me again—Nikki Roe Cropp, Director of Youth Safety & Well-being for Camp Fire National Headquarters—writing to talk about a serious and critical trend, abuse risk at youth programs and K-12 schools nationwide, and how you can help us mitigate this risk before sending your kiddo to camp this summer. I also want to share some important information on how we are managing this risk and our approach to handling situations if/when they occur in Camp Fire programs.

The abuse risk I’m talking about relates to sexual activity between youth during their out-of-school-time activities, like camp and afterschool. Sometimes this sexual activity is considered innocuous and normative in the psychological and sexual development of a child. Other times, this activity results from “consensual” activity between two (typically teen) participants. And occasionally, sexual activity between two young people can be considered misconduct or assault. How do we know the difference? State definitions are hard to come by, but it’s generally agreed upon in the abuse prevention field that sexual activity between youth is problematic when it:

· Diverges from typical, healthy, youth-to-youth interactions

· Involves body parts such as genitals, anus, buttocks, or breasts

· Is developmentally inappropriate for the youth involved (depending on their age, size, abilities, etc.)

· Includes misuse of power, coercion and force

Let’s be clear, camp is NOT the time or place for sexual exploration.

We, like you, do not want your kiddo to engage in any type of sexual activity while they are in our programs—however innocent/age-appropriate/consensual it might be considered. However, even though we prohibit something, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. History shows us that, despite our best efforts, more and more youth are engaging in sexual activity occurring during their out-of-school-time programs, with a troubling increase in cases of problematic behaviors being revealed over the last few years. In fact, it’s estimated that between 50% to upwards of 77% of sexual misconduct is happening between youth, exceeding adult-to-youth sexual abuse claims. Youth development organizations and K-12 schools are at the biggest risk for this type of abuse to occur (read more on this trend in Praesidium’s 2024 report by clicking here: https://hubs.ly/Q02sjP120).

There are lots of theories to why this is trending—from young people’s increased exposure to sexually explicit material via the Internet to this generation’s heightened awareness and willingness to report such sexual incidents. Regardless of the reasons, youth-serving organizations have been working hard to address this trend over the last few years, Camp Fire included. In our youth protection policies and procedures, sexual activity among youth participants is explicitly addressed, requiring Camp Fire affiliates to have a written procedure outlining how both staff and supervisors respond to all types of youth-to-youth sexual activity. We also train our staff on how to intervene, stressing that EVERY incident of sexual activity between youth must be addressed and parents notified. (Read more about our commitment to child safety and youth protection on our website here: https://campfire.org/child-safety/).

What can you do to help?

Before sending your kid to camp, have conversations with them about personal boundaries and personal safety. We will reinforce this, too, during our opening safety spiel and throughout their time at camp but would love for you to have the initial conversation. We also encourage you to stay on top of abuse prevention techniques. Here are some resources to help:

For our part, we will continue to promote the “see something, say something” mentality and vigilantly supervise campers in our care, especially at high-risk locations and activities (bathrooms during nighttime/morning hours, shower/locker rooms, any time where youth are changing/undressing). That said, it is nearly impossible to have 100% oversite of every kid in a 24/7 environment like camp, just like at home. We also recognize camp as the perfect setting to build responsibility, independence, and self-determination in developmentally appropriate ways. Meaning, your camper will likely have progressively more independence as they mature and age. Your tween/teen camper might transition to and from activities without an adult lead directly taking them from place to place (like what happens between classes in middle and high school) or have looser supervision during free time. I encourage you to ask your camp about their supervision approach – when might your kiddo be on their own? For how long? In what setting? This will help you determine if the camp experience is the right one for your child based on what you know about them coupled with your comfort level.

When incidents of sexual activity between youth occur, we will respond in an appropriate manner, relative to the situation and in accordance with state and local laws. Because youth are youth, we afford them some grace that accounts for their developing maturity and experience. When deciding how to respond to sexual activity among youth, we consider the severity of the incident, age of the children involved, and willingness/ability of child to change their behavior. For incidents that are clearly problematic, we will follow mandated reporting laws. For more on our stance on this, see this excerpt from this framework developed by leading experts from academic institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

I know this is scary stuff. No one wants this to happen to your kiddo while they are at camp, believe me. As a parent of two daughters who have been attending summer overnight camp for 10+ years, I get it. Anytime we send our kids out into the world on their own, there is a risk. But the benefits of camp, at least in our experience, far outweigh the risks. AND this trend, like abuse itself, is preventable. Working together, we can prevent youth-to-youth sexual misconduct from occurring in and outside of camp. It takes everyone involved (campers, parents/guardians, camp counselors, camp leaders) to make it happen.

Thanks so much for your time and engagement with this challenging topic!

As always, wishing you and your kid a safe and happy summer camp experience,