Camp Quest UK aims to bring together a community of free-thinking young people and families, dedicated to exploring the world’s most interesting questions through rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking. The camps offer a safe, fun and challenging environment for 7-17 year olds, regardless of their personal beliefs, to share in their thoughts about the big questions in life. We investigate tough and thought-provoking issues and hope to foster in young people an approach to life of empathy, reasoned thought, self-respect, self-expression, cooperation, and ethical deeds.
We run an educational programme based on humanist philosophy and values but is open to families of all worldviews and beliefs. While individual staff and campers may hold a range of beliefs, Camp Quest generally affirms the following (adapted from The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles):
- We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems.
- We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason, empathy and kindness.
- We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest.
- We are sceptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking.
- We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding.