NCJ Number
222747
Journal
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth Volume: 23 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 75-90
Date Published
2005
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article addresses the need for therapeutic camps to support the disproportionate number of African-American children in and out of home foster care and group home placements.
Abstract
The pilot effort undertaken to create camp experiences for a newly formed group of young African-American men had encouraging results. Future culturally-centered camp intervention efforts should evaluate the influence of youth participants. Several suggestions are given that have implications for future practice and research. Culturally centered camp programs can provide a unique intervention through which vulnerable African-American male youth in residential child welfare placements could make gains in their emotional and social functioning. This paper expands traditional camp opportunities by proposing a culturally-centered approach for interventions that emphasizes same gender, race, and ethnicity characteristics. Training guidelines are suggested for camp facilitators to enhance cultural awareness and promote the incorporation of culturally specific activities. The article describes and discusses the experiences and impressions of camp facilitators who have piloted a culturally-centered camp for at-risk African-American boys. Table, references