FAQs

Camp Quest was founded in 1996 in Kentucky and has since grown into a nationwide network of camps. The name “Quest” was inspired by an acronym for what we do at camp: Question, Understand, Explore, Search, and Test! Camp Quest is a place for fun, friends, and freethought. Our camps provide a traditional summer camp experience for kids aged 5-17 with a wide range of activities including sports, crafts, games, swimming, and campfires. In addition to our traditional summer camp activities, Camp Quest offers educational activities focused on critical thinking, ethics, scientific inquiry, philosophy, and comparative religion.

Camp Quest is open to all children and teenagers with a focus toward building a community for children from atheist, agnostic, humanist, and other freethinking families. Our goal is to provide a place where children can explore their developing worldviews, ask questions, and make friends in an environment that is supportive of critical thinking and skepticism.

No. Campers at Camp Quest are encouraged to think for themselves and are not required to hold any particular view. We firmly believe that children should not be labeled with worldview labels by adults and instead should be encouraged to ask questions and explore different worldviews as they grow. We do present atheism and humanism as valid and reasonable options for an ethical and fulfilling life.

Yes. Campers at Camp Quest explore different worldviews, and many children have not yet formed their beliefs on the existence of God. Campers who believe in God may get a lot of questions from their fellow campers, but the camp environment fosters asking these questions in a spirit of dialogue and mutual respect. Campers who have expressed belief in God have had fun, made friends, and had a great Camp Quest experience.

See all of our Camp Quest locations to find our dates and locations for this summer. Typically, our week-long sessions start in late June and continue through mid-August.

Registration fees vary by location but typically range between $400 and $800 for a week-long session. View our locations to learn more.

We never want financial concerns to prevent a child from attending Camp Quest. The Edwin & Helen Kagin Memorial Campership Fund provides camperships to support attendance at camp. If the cost of camp is holding you back from registering, please apply for financial aid by contacting the camp you would like your child to attend. Camperships may support free or reduced registration.

Camp Quest sessions range in size from around 20 campers at our smallest camps to around 130 at our largest. Typically, campers are fairly evenly distributed throughout the age range of 8-17 in our residential programs. Most of our camps offer Counselor-in-Training (CIT) programs for campers who are 16 and 17.

Camp Quest welcomes all kids, regardless of their gender identity and/or expression. In order to create welcoming and safe spaces that respect the full gender spectrum, many of our camps offer gender-inclusive cabins which house campers of different sexes and gender identities. Look for the rainbow cabin icon in our camp directory for camps that offer gender-inclusive cabins.

Camp Quest camps all use volunteers as cabin counselors and program leaders. Our volunteer counselors are all at least 18 years of age or older.

Because our counselors are making a week-long volunteer commitment rather than committing to be on camp staff all summer, we are able to attract a very dedicated and experienced pool of counselors from a wide range of fields. Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and have included teachers, doctors, engineers, nonprofit activists, and graduate students. We also have several college-aged counselors, many of whom are former campers.

If you are interested in applying to be on staff, please contact the camp location that you would like to work at and complete a volunteer application.

Yes. We require all of our affiliates to conduct criminal background checks on all counselors and staff at camp.

Camp Quest relies on support from our donors and volunteers. Donations help support our current camps, launch new camps, and support our campership fund. Campership donations provide free or reduced registration for campers with financial need.

Volunteers support our camps through board participation, by becoming a program leader or counselor, and through special project or committee work. Additionally, volunteers can help spread the word about Camp Quest. Contact the Camp Quest camp of interest and complete a volunteer application to begin your Camp Quest journey! We would love to work with you!

Camp Quest is expanding to more weeks and new locations across the U.S. each year; however, we are limiting our expansion to a sustainable level that allows us to maintain our high standards of quality programming and safety. Our first priority is ensuring that each Camp Quest experience is great for our campers. If you want to start a Camp Quest near you, it is recommended that you become involved in a current camp first. Contact the National Support Center for more information on starting a Camp Quest camp.

Please contact us for more information or to request an interview. We will be happy to speak with you or to connect you with others to provide the requested information. If you are seeking information about a specific camp for media or publication purposes, you may contact your local camp directly.