By: Sims S.R. No. 1070
1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION
1-2 WHEREAS, With the arrival of another summer camping season,
1-3 more than 600,000 young Texans will experience the outdoor fun,
1-4 adventure, and educational opportunities offered by 538 organized
1-5 Texas youth camps, and the lessons and values they learn during
1-6 this time will shape their lives long after summer ends; and
1-7 WHEREAS, The summer youth camp is an American tradition that
1-8 originated nearly a century ago, when the Boy Scouts founded a
1-9 wilderness survival camp in New England; throughout the 1920s, other
1-10 youth organizations, community groups, and churches also established
1-11 camps all over the country in order to give urban children a chance
1-12 to enjoy nature; and
1-13 WHEREAS, After World War II, this concept spread to Europe
1-14 and Japan, and summer camp is now an essential part of childhood
1-15 for millions of young people worldwide; a former president of Yale
1-16 University once summed up this remarkable innovation by referring
1-17 to youth camp programs as "America's greatest educational
1-18 contribution to the world"; and
1-19 WHEREAS, Summer youth camps give children the opportunity to
1-20 enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature, and because of the vast
1-21 scope and diversity of the landscape, Texas camps offer a wide
1-22 variety of scenic environments for young people to enjoy; four of
1-23 the 50 most highly regarded camps in the nation are located in the
2-1 Lone Star State, and their programs rival those of the more
2-2 established and acclaimed camps in New England; and
2-3 WHEREAS, Furthermore, youth camp programs instill a sense
2-4 of adventure and independence in young people by challenging them
2-5 physically, mentally, and emotionally, and camp counselors serve an
2-6 important function in this regard by acting as role models for
2-7 youngsters, encouraging them in their personal growth, and helping
2-8 them to develop confidence, self-respect, responsibility, moral and
2-9 spiritual values, and a strong sense of personal identity; and
2-10 WHEREAS, These lessons, once learned, provide the framework
2-11 for a happy and fulfilling life, and the impact of a positive
2-12 summer camp experience can influence an individual well into
2-13 adulthood; and
2-14 WHEREAS, By offering children the challenge and excitement
2-15 of the great outdoors in a warm and nurturing atmosphere, the
2-16 administrators and counselors of summer youth camps are ensuring
2-17 that young Texans will grow up physically healthy and emotionally
2-18 secure, and their outstanding work in this area is truly deserving
2-19 of special praise and recognition; now, therefore, be it
2-20 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
2-21 73rd Legislature, hereby honor Texas summer youth camps for their
2-22 roles in the education and development each year of some 600,000
2-23 young Texans and designate the first week in June as Texas Youth
2-24 Camp Week to provide special recognition of their outstanding
2-25 achievements and services to our state; and, be it further
3-1 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared
3-2 for the Camping Association for Mutual Progress as an expression of
3-3 appreciation and high regard of the Texas Senate.
3-4 _____________________________________
3-5 President of the Senate
3-6 I hereby certify that the
3-7 above Resolution was adopted by
3-8 the Senate on May 26, 1993.
3-9 _____________________________________
3-10 Secretary of the Senate
3-11 _____________________________________
3-12 Member, Texas Senate