It's nice to see that there are some camps out there that are specifically non-religious, although I would think many camps that don't label themselves as atheist would just avoid the subject altogether, like sports camps, etc. It is nice to see there is a venue for this type of free thought for youngsters. There is a fine line between pushing your beliefs on your children and letting them find their own way. The hard part is not trying to get caught up in the rhetoric of it all, and allowing them to have an open mind and be inquisitive about all things. This is what boosts imagination and helps grow critical thinking and reasoning so they can be productive adults. It is nice to know that parents who send their children away to camp will know that their kids won't be indoctrinated with religious ideas behind their backs.
Camp Quest - Chesapeake Website
Camp Quest History and Mission
Camp Quest Chesapeake is affiliated with Camp Quest, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization based in Columbus, Ohio. Camp Quest is the first residential summer camp in the history of the United States aimed at kids and teens from freethinking families, including parents who identify as Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, Brights, non-religious, or whatever other terms might be applied to those who hold a naturalistic worldview.
Camp Quest held its first camp session in 1996 in northern Kentucky with approximately 20 campers. Today we serve hundreds of kids and teens at camps across the United States, and in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Official Mission Statement
The purpose of Camp Quest is to provide kids and teens from freethinking families a residential summer camp dedicated to improving the human condition through rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking, the scientific method, self-respect, ethics, competency, democracy, free speech, and the separation of religion and government.
Through our programs we seek to:
- Build a community for freethinking families
- Foster curiosity, questioning, and critical thinking
- Encourage reason and compassion as foundations of an ethical, productive and fulfilling life
- Raise awareness of positive contributions made by atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, and other nontheistic people to our society
- Promote an open dialogue about metaphysical questions that is marked by challenging each other’s ideas while at the same time treating each other with respect
- Demonstrate atheism and humanism as positive, family-friendly worldviews
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