American Style Summer Camps? (country, places, train, people)

[StuckinMi]

I work at a summer camp in the summer time and I love it. This year we had tons of people from the UK come over here to work as part of a program called Camp America. I've Googled programs like that for Americas but all I can find are some in Australia. Just wondering, are summer camps even a thing in Europe?

[Ruth4Truth]

They are in Russia. I don't know about the rest of Europe.

[BigSwede]

I don´t know how common it is in Sweden today, but it used to be very common.
But if they were american style...?

[Urania93]

We have the "colonie estive". In practice we have old building at the seaside or on the mountain in which children are sent for one or two weeks during the summer to play together, have excursions and so on. Usually those places are near some village or little city, and not in the center of nowhere. This kind of activities was really popular during the fascism and then has lost progressively his popularity. During last years summer camps (with new and more catching names) are returning quite popular, principally because a lot of parents have to work during their children summer holiday, and so they need someone to control them.

[viribusunitis]

There are camps organised by the Austrian scouting organization, by the Catholic "Jungschar" organization (basically the same as scouts) and by various sports clubs (football, tennis, rowing, sailing, ...).

I guess the latter two are quite different to American camps.

[Miserere]

We've got like 100.000 of them in Spain, parents pay whatever amount to get rid of their pets at least during a month or two. All kinds of camps, the most famous ones are computer camps, English camps, Archeology camp, Restoration camp (they restore a castle, an old mill, etc). nature camp (they botter critters living peaceifully). Many are public funded.

A good way to restore old architecture for town halls..

Rich/middle class parents send their kids to Canada, Colorado, etc.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by viribusunitis

There are camps organised by the Austrian scouting organization, by the Catholic "Jungschar" organization (basically the same as scouts) and by various sports clubs (football, tennis, rowing, sailing, ...).

I guess the latter two are quite different to American camps.

We have rowing and sailing camps here in the US.

Also, when I was a kid/teen and went to summer camp, rowing was always a part of it. My favorite part, in fact.

[viribusunitis]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

We have rowing and sailing camps here in the US.

Also, when I was a kid/teen and went to summer camp, rowing was always a part of it. My favorite part, in fact.

Well, I'm not that familiar with American sports camps, but I guess ours are different in the way that you have to be a member of the sports club that's organising the camp. It's more like a summer training session abroad or somewhere else in the country.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by viribusunitis

Well, I'm not that familiar with American sports camps, but I guess ours are different in the way that you have to be a member of the sports club that's organising the camp. It's more like a summer training session abroad or somewhere else in the country.

They have those here as well, though that's not the type I went to as a teen. I just went to a "generalized" sort of summer camp that offered a wide range of sports to choose from, and you focused on one or two during your time there (I generally chose rowing and archery but they also offered baseball, hiking, horseback riding, etc). But there are areas which have specific clubs and kids can go there for one specific sport or activity as you describe.

[Northwindsforever]

Summer camps in the Nordics might be a thing of the past. On the other hand it's a great idea though. Gives the parents/parent more elbow room on their vacation and a chance to catch up and relax without the kids in tow.