Camp Quest coming to Minnesota

July 6, 11:04 PMMinneapolis Atheism ExaminerD. A. Ross

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Look, ma: no Jesus! Kids in action at Camp Quest.

One summer during my youth, my brother and I were sent to Vacation Bible School for what seemed like the longest week of our young lives. Gluing together rudimentary crosses out of plastic beads and cutting out paper chain angels wears on a kid pretty quickly – especially when there are video games to be played back home. What a breath of fresh air, then, to see that there is now an alternative available to kids whose parents are of a different mindset.

Camp Quest of Minnesota, affiliated with National Camp Quest (the first ever secular summer camp) is making its way to Minnesota July 26-August 1. According to the Camp Quest Website, the camp was designed for “children of Unitarians, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, or whatever terms might be applied to those who maintain a naturalistic, not supernaturalistic, world view.” If only this organization had existed in 1989!

What can kids expect at Camp Quest? Again, from the Website:

• Promote a sense of belonging to a large freethought community among the youth participants
• Encourage critical thinking in young people to enable them to draw their own conclusions
• Promote respect for others with different viewpoints, values, and beliefs
• Provide a safe and fun environment for personal and social development

Registration has recently closed for the 2009 event, which is taking place at the Voyageur Environmental Center in Mound, but interested families are encouraged to check back regularly for early 2010 registration.