The Camp Quest movement
The Camp Quest movement started in the United States in 1996 and has had sustained success, with programmes now running in 11 states. It was launched by a Kentucky based freethought group, following an idea raised at the Council for Secular Humanism. This was partly in response to the Christian supremacy of the Boy Scouts of America and their discriminatory policies against LGBTQ+ and nonreligious campers and leaders. Atheist parents wanted to be able to send their kids to summer camps without facing discrimination, indoctrination or ostracisation. They adopted the motto ‘Fun, friends and freethought!’.
2009-2019
Samantha Stein was inspired by the Camp Quest movement, and after volunteering at Camp Quest Michigan, decided to launch Camp Quest UK along with a group of volunteers. We hosted our first camp in 2009 in Somerset for children aged 8-17. Over the next 10 years Camp Quest UK held residential summer camps for different age groups at various activity centres.
Building on our humanist values, and adapting the Camp Quest ethos to the UK setting, we developed the unique culture of Camp Quest UK, with a focus on neurodiverse inclusion. Campers had opportunities to discuss philosophical ideas, learn about subjects such as astronomy, and take part in traditional camp activities. We aimed to promote co-operation, tolerance, and empathy, and support campers to think for themselves on matters such as religion and ethics.
Campers were taught and encouraged to use creative thinking and reasoning skills using a set of philosophical techniques known as Philosophy for Children (P4C), to explore concepts such as morality, honesty and justice.
A central theme was chosen for each year, including: Evolution (2009), The Mind (2010), What is Science (2011), Humanity and Language (2012), The Future (2013), Worlds within our World (2014), Artificial Intelligence (2015), Space (2017), Thought (2018) and Sustainable Futures (2019).
In 2020 Camp Quest UK took an extended hiatus during and following the Covid Pandemic.
2025
In 2025 humanist parenting blogger and former Camp Quest UK volunteer Alastair Lichten proposed a revival. A team of former Camp Quest UK volunteers and alumni came together, and started plans for a revival starting with a pilot family camp in 2026 – to mark the 30th anniversary of the movement.
Our values
Camp Quest UK is inspired by humanist values. We strive to create a welcoming community for campers and families of all backgrounds, beliefs and abilities.