Gaines Park teen summer camp blends outdoor play, field trips and hands-on learning

Gaines Park’s teen summer camp in West Palm Beach combines outdoor sports, field trips and indoor educational activities, participants said. The program aims to give teens a summer alternative to staying at home and to encourage social interaction.

The camp, run through the City of West Palm Beach parks system, offers kickball, card games, field trips and hands-on STEM-like projects; campers worked in teams to build towers and bridges from candy and toothpicks. “I came to camp to be able to make new friends, have a great experience over the summer instead of being in a house all day,” Camper said. “I came to camp to learn new things and step outside my comfort zone.”

Cheryl Conn, a reporter for WPB TV, described the program as seeking a balance between outdoor adventure and indoor activities: “Getting kids to play outside is not always an easy task, but at Gaines Park’s teen summer camp, they found a good balance between outdoor adventure and indoor fun.” Participants noted that the camp provides a variety of activities and opportunities to meet peers. “There’s lots to do here and lots of people to hang out with,” a Camper said. When asked about engineering concepts during a building activity, another Camper asked, “What are some things that you know about a bridge or tower or building itself?”

The camp encourages limited phone use: “And while kids are allowed to look at their phones during breaks, the goal is to keep that to a minimum. Put the phones down, put the tablets down, and actually interact,” Conn said. Information about future camps and other City of West Palm Beach parks activities is available at wpb.org/parks.

The reporting focused on participant experience and activities; specific details about enrollment numbers, cost, staffing levels and funding sources were not specified in the segment.