Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience: Evidence for Multidimensional Growth

Three thousand, three hundred and ninety-five families, whose child attended one of 80 different day or resident summer camps for at least one week, completed customized questionnaires that measured growth from precamp to postcamp in four domains: Positive Identity, Social Skills, Physical & Thinking Skills, and Positive Values & Spirituality. Parents, children, and camp staff reported significant positive change in these four domains; more than would be expected by maturation alone. Most gains were maintained or showed additional growth six months later. Few of the camp's structural elements correlated with growth, nor did striking gender, age, or ethnicity differences emerge. The study highlights the particular strengths of camp as an educational institution and social movement and suggests that different variations of summer camp can provide potent developmental experiences. Christopher A. Thurber is full-time faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1997. His major research interests include homesickness, youth camping, and developmental psychopathology. Margery M. Scanlin is the Executive Officer for Research at the American Camp Association in Martinsville, Indiana. She received her EdD from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, in 1982. Her major research interests include youth development outcomes, program improvement in youth organizations, and organizational aspects of effective camps. Leslie Scheuler Whitaker is a Senior Associate with Philliber Research Associates in St. Louis, Missouri. She received her PhD in social science research from Washington University in St. Louis in 2000. Her primary research areas include youth development, arts education, and program evaluation. Karla A. Henderson is a professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at North Carolina State University. She received her PhD in education from the University of Minnesota in 1979 and is currently a member of the American Camp Association Board of Directors. Her research interests include leisure behavior theory, camping and outdoor education, and gender and diversity issues.     

西安城市发展带动农村发展战略问题探析

近年来,西安农村经济社会虽有了较大改善,但城乡发展之间的差距仍是一个不可回避的突出问题。要实施城市带动农村发展战略,必须从统筹城乡发展和城乡互动式良性协调发展上去考虑,按照城乡联动的社会系统工程规划,积极探索城市对农村建设的多种带动方式,以产业为纽带,实现城乡经济共同发展。     

论马克思主义的生态文明思想

马克思主义的生态文明思想有着丰富的内涵,包括人与自然的辨证关系思想、自然生产力思想和可持续发展思想等,这些思想对于当前我国促进人与自然的和谐发展,建设有中国特色的生态文明具有重要的启示作用。     

浅析科学发展观之可持续发展的哲学意蕴

科学发展观要求实现人与自然的可持续发展,而马克思的实践自然观理论是可持续发展的哲学基础。马克思的实践自然观认为,人与自然密切联系的媒介是实践,人类的实践活动推动了"天然自然"不断向"人化自然"转化,是人与自然相互作用的中介。其基本特征表现为,阐发了人与自然之间的辩证关系;突出了自然与社会的关系;强调了自然科学与人的科学的统一,而可持续发展是实践自然观的本质规定。     

社会支持网络与农村妇女发展——女村长与村落发展的案例分析

社会支持网络有助于缓解贫困妇女的社会处境。要建立农村妇女的社会支持网络,首先,要通过与外界的交流唤醒农村妇女自身的发展意识;其次要增强她们的人力资本,发挥她们所处的家庭与村落的即时支持性功能;最后,构建农村妇女异质化的村外社会支持网络,达到增强其自身发展能力,改善其发展环境,从而提高其社会地位的目的。     

马克思关于人的全面发展与社会公正理论

马克思认为:人的自由而全面的发展不仅以经济发展为前提,还要以社会公正发展为前提。马克思主义社会公正学说是促进人的自由而全面发展的社会变革理论,实现人的全面而自由发展是马克思主义公正观的“终极关怀”。只有社会公正发展,人才能有一个真正发展的社会条件;反过来,人的全面自由的发展又能推进社会公正发展。     

略论企业与自然的关系——对可持续发展的一种分析

在可持续发展系统中,经济持续是基础,生态持续是条件,社会持续是目的。企业与自然的关系是可持续发展中人与自然关系的集中体现;企业与自然是内在自然性与超越自然性的对立统一;企业可持续发展战略思想是现代社会生产和生活方式变化在企业管理上的必然反映。当代社会在强调人与自然协调发展的同时,也同样要求企业与周围环境的和谐与兼容。     

解决"三农"问题的两种互补模型:外生性发展与内生性发展

目前我国存在的一系列矛盾和问题,在相当程度上都是来自城乡二元结构转变的滞后。城乡二元结构包括城乡二元经济结构和城乡二元社会结构。针对发展中国家应如何改变由城乡二元经济结构所造成的农村经济落后状况,西方经济学家创建了外生性发展与内生性发展两种模型。这两种模型表面上是相互对立的,实际上是相互补充的。这已被中国农村改革与发展的实践所检验。     

International Organizations ICTs Policies: E‐Democracy and E‐Government for Political Development

New technologies provide new channels of access to political information and participation in decision‐making processes. This assumption is clearly important in the action plans and policies of International Organizations (World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, United Nations), which have assumed a leadership role in the reform of political institutions. Starting from an analysis of the reasons that have brought the state and processes of institution building back into focus, this paper will reconstruct the International Organizations' vision of the transformative potential of new information technologies and their activity in this field. Particular attention will be devoted to e‐democracy and e‐government as policies to build democracy in developing countries.     

The Development of Competitive Industries: The Role of State Government Actors

Despite widespread adoption of Porter's Industrial Cluster Theory as a policy development framework by federal and state governments over the past decade, Australia remains significantly below the OECD average in terms of its industries' economic contributions to real wealth creation ( Brown 2000 ; OECD 1998 ). The major cause cited for this relatively poor performance has been inability of key government officials to implement effective industry policy that simultaneously avoids de facto protectionism and distortion of competition. This article provides an insight into the key policy decisions undertaken by the Tasmanian state government that coincided with development of an internationally successful shipbuilding industry in that state. As such, this article provides a reflection on policy initiatives that may be valuable for government officials elsewhere.