Evaluation of the Therapeutic Camp Program for Chronically ill Children Offered by Yuppi Camp Movement Association Romania

Yuppi camps have been using the therapeutic recreation method since 2011, involving the association's employees, volunteers and participants, both parents and children. The main purpose of this study was to reveal the strengths of the program that can inspire other organizations with similar activities and to explore new ways of interacting with the association's volunteers and beneficiaries in order to increase their satisfaction. Program evaluation of Yuppi experiential therapy camps has shown that the camps have beneficial effects for children on various aspects such as identity development, increased self-esteem and the desire to step out of their comfort zone. For parents, camps are a place where they can take a break from everyday life and learn more about managing children's chronic illnesses. Yuppi employees are the ones who, despite being overworked and having difficulties in their organizational work, sticks with the association because of the category of beneficiaries. For the volunteers, the experience is similar, as they also manage to develop certain skills as a result of the camps, such as teamwork and empathy. The study also showed that there is a need for changes in the feedback forms and the volunteer recruitment strategies to improve the program.


Keywords: program evaluation; therapeutic recreation; children with chronic diseases; volunteers