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This weekend's Camp Rocky programming has been designed by a class of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration students at WIU.
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Camp Rocky Comes to Spring Lake Saturday

April 19, 2021

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MACOMB, IL – An annual tradition from the Western Illinois University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA) has been redesigned for the Spring 2021 season. Students in the RPTA Camp Leadership course are once again offering the annual Camp Rocky program with a twist; the program is a one-day family camp to be held at Spring Lake Park from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 24.

Each spring semester, students in this course are responsible for planning and leading all aspects of a camp as a way to learn how to properly provide a youth camp program. The pandemic has shifted many family and youth programs to virtual formats, much like the 2020 Virtual Camp Rocky program, or have been cancelled altogether.

This class, taught by Assistant Professor Megan Owens, has always attempted to mirror the trends and practices of the summer camp industry. Last summer, many summer camps shifted to providing family camp opportunities when they were unable to provide traditional youth camp experiences due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"We can never just give up. There is always an opportunity to adjust and reconfigure and that is an important skill for students to learn," said Owens. "So, we decided the Camp Rocky program would also shift to provide the one-day family camp. There is certainly a need, because we closed registration after only five days."

Students have designed the camp program in consideration of guidelines from the American Camp Association, Illinois Department of Public Health and WIU.

Registration is currently closed, but individuals can visit facebook.com/camprockywiu for more information about the Camp Rocky program.

For more information about the RPTA program at WIU, visit wiu.edu/coehs/rpta.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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