Summer Success: Camp Anywhere

This summer we had to stay away from each other in person, but that did not stop us from getting together virtually! Camp Anywhere took the internet by storm and offered more than 100 opportunities for Girl Scouts to get together while keeping our distance. We offered it all: from 5-day camps to kits to do on your own. Girls made new friends attending 1, 3, 5 and longer programs. We had something for everyone. We served about 300 girls from 23 states spanning all four time zones. This was a new experiment for all of us and we are happy to say it was a success. But don’t take our word for it.

Here is what our campers and their families had to say:

What did you like most about her camp experience?

♥“That it gave her time to interact with others and not just her family. It was a nice break and a bit of normal in this crazy time.”

♥“She was excited to log on. She felt heard and valued and learned a lot of stuff.”

♥“Activities were fun and the camp counselors were really nice”

What would you tell others about the camp you attended?

♥“I would tell them to sign up because the camps are fun.”

♥“It’s really fun and you learn all about space and even get to make a rover!”

♥“I could not believe she was so excited to attend a VIRTUAL camp for 3 whole hours a day, but she loved it so much - eager to sign on each day, LOVED all the activities, and all the fun banter (20 questions, riddles, scavenger hunts, and dancing). She immediately asked if she could attend another camp.”

97 %

of parents are Satisfied or Very Satisfied with their girl’s experience

96 %

of girls said they Liked or Loved their experience

97 %

liked the price for the experience

What did we learn? As you can imagine not everything went right all the time. We were making adjustments every day! From how we communicated, what we communicated, what types of activities lend themselves to a virtual experience and which type of activities require way more help from an adult than we thought.

♥ We were so lucky to have such a wonderful first group who were willing to roll with the changes and rise to the challenge as we all learned this new method.

♥ We were so lucky to have girls and adults willing to provide timely, on the spot feedback that allowed us to adjust immediately to provide a better girl experience.

♥ We are looking for additional feedback, as Virtual is HERE to stay! So far, for next year we have planned clubs (weekly meetings for 6 months on one theme), events (1-1.5 hour single theme experiences), series (multi-session 1-1.5 hour around a single theme experience), Facebook Lives (drop in live events throughout the month based on a monthly theme). However, things keep changing and we want feedback from you - Please complete the short 10 question Virtual Going Forward Survey to let us know what you think of these ideas and what else you know:

https://bit.ly/VirtualForward