SeriousFun Children’s Network (SeriousFun), a non-profit that provides camp, in-hospital, and at-home programs for kids living with serious illness and their families, partnered with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) on a first-of-its-kind study that examined the influence and impact of residential camp participation for alumni campers of SeriousFun camps worldwide.
The study explored personal, social, and health-related outcomes influenced by SeriousFun camps; elements of the camp and camper’s experiences that affect those outcomes; and whether outcomes were affected by frequency of attendance or demographic characteristics of attendees.
SeriousFun, founded by late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, is made up of 30 camps and programs that help children living with serious medical conditions and their families reach beyond illness to discover joy, confidence, and new possibilities.
The only organization of its kind to serve children living with more than 50 medical conditions — including cancer, blood disorders, immunological conditions, neurological conditions, and more — SeriousFun offers children and families the opportunity to escape the everyday demands of hospital visits, doctor appointments and treatments to experience an unparalleled opportunity for belonging and accomplishment.
Study data were gathered between January and March 2021 through online surveys administered to SeriousFun alumni, who reported their outcomes and the extent to which they attributed these outcomes to participation in SeriousFun camps.
More than 2,200 SeriousFun alumni, ranging in ages from 17-30, from 16 camps and eight countries took part in the survey. More than 80 percent of alumni reported their SeriousFun camp experience played a major role in their development of lasting outcomes, which they used in their everyday adolescent and adult lives including:
- Willingness to try new things (90% of respondents)
- Appreciation of diversity (88%)
- Self-identity (86%)
- Empathy and compassion (86%)
- Self-confidence (85%)
- Perseverance (84%)
- Friendship skills (82%)
According to the study, all types of campers, representing diverse demographic backgrounds, benefitted from their experience at SeriousFun.
SeriousFun’s camps and programs continued to flourish, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Camp teams have continued to innovate and create opportunities for children and their families to engage — through increased virtual at-home offerings, or in-person sessions in smaller groups.
To learn more about SeriousFun, visit www.seriousfun.org.
