Exploring children and Adolescent́s experiences of a residential camp and the ambiguity of Reentering the everyday

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of nineteen children and adolescents who attended a ten-week residential camp, Christmas Seal Homes, one to six years earlier. The Danish CSH program aims to enhance their physical, mental, and social health. Drawing from ritual theory, we examine their transformations during the program, which focused on community, food, and physical activities. We consider these transformations in the context of their life situations before and after the camp. Our findings indicate that the children experienced changes in habits, improved self-perception, and, in some cases, weight loss. However, transferring and sustaining these transformations to their familiar environments upon returning home proved challenging, as their social conditions at home remained unchanged. In the discussion, we draw on Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance to elaborate on the quality and potential of the social processes within the program.