Figure 1.--This undated German image suggests that summer camping was a well established tradition in Germany before World War I. We estimate that this photograph was taken about 1910. We are not sure just what group is involved here.
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Figure 1.--This undated German image suggests that summer camping was a well established tradition in Germany before World War I. We estimate that this photograph was taken about 1910. We are not sure just what group is involved here. |
The popularity of summer camps has varied greatly from country to country and over time. We have noted that summer camps are especially popular in America, France, and the Netherlands. Summer camps in other countries such as England, Germany, Italy, and the Sovirt Union were more associated with the youth organizatios in hose countries which were in some cases state supported. Some counties like American and France had programs to provide summer camp experiences to poor children, variously supported by private or state charities.
While we still have limited information, we believe that summer camps first appeared in the late 19th century. We believe that America was a leader in the summer camp movement. Many private summer camps were set up in the northeast. Some counties like American and France had programs to provide summer camp experiences to poor children, variously supported by private charities. The YMCA played a very important role, especially for boys from families that could not afford an expensive private summer camp. Later Police Boys Clubs set up many camps. Many of the private camps had basic uniforms, usually "T"-shirts and short pants. Uniformed groups like the Scouts and Camp Fire also had important summer camp programs. Many American boys from the 1920s-50s only wore short pants when they were at summer camps, especially boys in northern states. Swiming and boating were especially favored activities as were crafts. Some camps had programs in basic first aid. Since the 1970s, American camping has become much more diversified with quite a range of specialty camps.
Both the Boy Scouts and YMCA have important summr camp programs in Australia. We do not know about the Boys' Brigade. There are also school camps. Presumably there are also a number of private camps.
A HBC readers provides some informatin from his boyhood in Flanders during the 1960s. Summer camps were laid on by health insurance oragizations called 'ziekenfondsen' (at the time they were called 'mutualiteiten' which shows their origins as mutual, non-profit insurances). There were
Christian (read: Catholic), Socialist and Liberal organizations which all had their own summer camps. Like the Netherlands, Belgium was a highly compartmentalized society. The divides ran along socio-cultural lines. While this system has lost much of its impact in the Netherlands, it is in full swing in Belgium, the deepening rift of its linguistic divide having added compartments over the past decades. There was (is) a Christian political party, health insurance, workers' union, countrywomen club, teachers' union and so on and so forth. Same thing for the Socialists and the Liberals. [Belgian and Dutch Liberals, unlike their British namesakes, are conservative and right wing. If in the USA they would probably vote Republican.] An old school pal jokingly told me that the Socialist Goat Breeders Association of Belgium are now likely to break up into Flemish, Walloon and erman-speaking societies.
We have not noted an important summer camp movement in England, but our information is limited. The first summer camping organized by uniformed youth groups were held by the Boys' Brigade. The first one was in Scotland in 1886. I'm not sure when the first English camp was held. The Church Lads also had a summer camp program. The Baden Powell introduced camping from the very beginning of the Boy Scouts in England. In fact the Brown Sea Island camp in 1906 was a test to see if Scouting was a feasible undertaking. As Scouting soon grew much larger than the Boys' Brigade, Scout summer camps soon overshadowed the Brigade summer camp program in England. Perhaps his most well known activity of King George VI while still Duke of York was his founding of the Duke of York summer camps. These camps brought boys of widely different social backgrounds together to enjoy healthful summer activities.
The summer camp experience is largely thought of as important component of American childhood. HBC knows less about summer camp in European countries like France. We have one report of "holiday
camps", although we are not sure precisely what this meant. We do know that there were programs to provide a healthy summer camp experience for city children from low-income families, but we have few details at ghis time. The boys at one of these holiday camps appear to be wearing a kind of uniform--white shirts and suspender shorts. Hopefully our French readers will provide more details on French summer
camps.
We believe that summer camps in Germany were primarily organized by youth groups. There may have been some private camps, but we have no information on these at this time. We note images of German boys at camp which we think were taken before World War I. They are at a camp with substantial facilities. After the NAZI take over in 1933, the camps were all seized by the Hitler Youth. The NAZIs made summer camping a universal experience for nearly all German youth, regardless of their ability tompay. Summer camps were an important part of their program to mold the minds of a generaltion of German youth. Only Hitler Youth members could participate, but this came to mean virtually all healthy Aryan children. Jewsish children were excluded and the summer camps that Jewish youth organizations owned were seized by the Hitler Youth without compensation. While we do not have information on summer camps in general, we have developed ome information on Hitler Youth summer camps.
We have some limited historical information about summer camps in Italy. The Scouts before World War I began organizing summer camps, but camp became an activity organized by the Balial after the Scouts were banned in the 1920s. Italian Fascism was not as absolute as the NAZIs. Thus although Scouting was banned, groups such as companies were allowed to organize summer camps for the children of their workers. An Italian reader writes, "Summer camps in mountain or countrysides were and are organized by Boy Scout groups. These camps usually are with tents, but for younger children, the "lupetti" (little wolves), they use organized camps. During the Fascist era were the party organizations that organized summer camps: the "Balilla" (younger) and the "Avanguardisti" (older) for the boys and the "Figlie della Lupa" (younger) and the "Giovani Italiane" (older) for the girls. The Italian term for summer camp is "campo estivo". Since the 1970s there are many summer camps organized from parishes and religious movements called "campo scuola" (school camp), because they have also an educational goal. There is an other traditional summer camp in seaside resorts, called "colonia estiva". This sort of summer camp is the more common in Italy. Italy is of ciourse virtually surrounded by the sea. There are numerous organizations that organize "colonie estive": for example the big companies organize these summer camps for their laborers' children. In Fascist era were the same. I attended my father's company sea summer camp between the late 60s and early 70s. We had a simple uniform: blue shorts, white t-shirt and cap, open-toe sandals without socks; for the seaside: blue trunks." One interesting note is that even though Italy after World War II had a very large and active Communist Party, the Young Pioneers were never organized in Italy. There were thus no Young Pioneer camps, the Party did, however, sponsor some summer camps.
We have no information on Japanese summer camps. We do not even know if there is summer camping in Japan.
We have littl information on Dutch summer camps. Availble phitographs, however, show that camps were well established in the 1920s.
Many New Zealand schools, both state and private, have camp programs, often focusing on outward bound experiences. Other camp experiences focus on athletic and academic programs.
The Boys' Brigade in Scotalnd introduced the first summer camps held by any uniformed youth group. The Brigade held its first summer camp in 1886, two decades before Baden Powell's Scouts.
Summer camps in the Soviet Union were as far as we know the exclusive preserve of the Young Pioneers. The Soviets had a very large Young Pioneer summer camp program, although we have few details. We are uncertain what kind od summer camps operate in Russia, but we know that the free Young Pioneer camp system has been dismantled. Some insights on summer camps in Russia today may be obtained in looking at tghe summer camp system in today's Ukraine--another of the pst-Soviet states.
We are not sure when summer camping began in Sweden. We note Swedish boys going to summer camp in the years after World War I. This seems to be an effor for underprivlidged city children. We note a boy in 1925 being taken to one of the archipelago steamers
and then out to a Childrens´ Summer Holiday Camp in the countryside.
In Stockholm there was/is a whole isle out in the archipelago intended for young children, who needed to get away from the big city and to see some nature sceneries and lakes to swim in. This isle is called "Barnens ö", which means "Childrens´Isle". By the way - the Stockholm Archipelago is a haven and contains more than 25.000 isles - one of the biggest and most beautiful in the world and still there are old, renovated steamers taking Stockholmers and tourists
from all over the world out to this paradise. This is unique that close to a big city.
The Christian 'mutualiteiten' used to have a well-known scheme for summer camps in Melchtal, Switzerland. A brief internet search tell me that they still have.
We have no information on Ukranian summer camps during the Tsarist era. There mau have been some Boy Scout camps, but we have no information at this time. During the Soviet era the Young Pioneer organization operated many summer camps in the Ukraine. As far as we know these were not camps specifically for Ukranian children, but Soviet children in general. The Crimea because of the climate and access to the Black Sea was a favorite spot for these camps. An assessment of the Pioneer camps is included at this time in the general Soviet Young Pioneer camp section of HBU. After the disolution of the Soviet Union, Pioneer camps like other Soviet institutions have disappeared in the Ukraine and other post-Soviet stattes. They have been replaced by camps sponsored by a variety of children's organizations. In this regard the Ukraine fared well in the disolution of the Soviet Uniion. Large numbers of Soviet Young Pioneer camps were located in the Ukraine. Some camps are now private and some are still sponsored by state agencies. Some are entirely Ukrainian and others supported at least in part by foreign groups. Many without the substantial support once offered by the former Soviet Government operate on very limited budgets. The organizations spnsoring summer camps in the Ukraine have a wide range of philosophies and goals. Each camp has its own varied rules and activities.
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