About
Founded by a group of passionate child advocates, The Wholesome Children Foundation is responding to the stentorian call of today's youth pining for authentic experiences.
Why
While in many ways children today have an uncomplicated life relative to their forebearers, new challenges have surfaced in recent years fostering a maelstrom of anxious, unhappy, and confused children and teens.​
Background
Recent surveys show that a majority of both parents and teens believe it is harder to be a teen today than in past generations (1). Parent reported anxiety in children has increased 53.6% between 2016 and 2022 (2) and in 2021 the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association asked President Biden to declare child and adolescent mental health a national emergency (3). Social media use among adolescents has led to poorer sleep quality, lower self esteem, anxiety and depression (4). 34 percent of teens admit to being bullied (5).​
The average child in America between the ages of 6-17 spends just seven minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play (6). Schools have increased academic demands leaving children with limited outdoor unstructured playtime. Moreover, a growing perception of the outdoors as risky has led to parents restricting outdoor play (7).
Students in school are displaying a lack of independence and an inability to recognize or ask when they need help (8). Additionally, many children today simply lack a sense of purpose (9), and a majority of young people are struggling to make the leap into adulthood (10).
Reality
Simply put—children, adolescents and teens are struggling. Ironically, the struggles many children are facing are not readily apparent and many ostensibly ‘normal’ children may in fact be facing challenges.
Solution
Our solution is to enable children and teens to experience summer camp.
Youth at camp learn how to be independent and resilient while collaborating and playing with a diverse group of peers.
Additionally, camp teaches lifelong skills and fosters friendships and a sense of purpose--all in an oasis of screen free existence.
The myriad benefits of camp enable children to develop self-awareness, focus on mental health, and chart a path forward.
References
1. Michelle Faverio, Jeffrey Gottfried, Kaitlyn Radde, Chris Baronavski, Sara Atske. Why Many Parents and Teens Think It’s Harder Being a Teen Today. Pew Research Center. [Online] August 27, 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/feature/why-many-parents-and-teens-think-its-harder-being-a-teen-today/.
2. Anxiety, Depression, and Behavioural Problems Among US Children and Adolescents, 2016–2022. Myriam Casseus, Nancy E. Reichman. 2, March 27, 2025, Infant and Child Development, Vol. 34.
3. Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Well-being: Summary of the Evidence. Peter Gray, PhD, David F. Lancy, PhD, David F. Bjorklund, PhD. September 2023, 2023, The Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 260, p. 1.
4. #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Heather Cleland Woods, Holly Scott. 1, June 10, 2016, Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 51.
5. National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Online] September 6, 2023. [Cited: April 21, 2026.] https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/NHIS_TEEN/index.html.
6. Hintzen, Katy. The consequences of children spending less time outdoors. Michigan State University MSU Extension. [Online] July 2, 2015. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_consequences_of_children_spending_less_time_outdoors.
7. From Screens to Sunshine: Rescuing Children’s Outdoor Playtime in the Digital Era. Gopal Singh Charan, Raman Kalia, Mandeep Singh Khurana, Gursharan Singh Narang. 1, 2024, Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Vol. 20, pp. 11-17.
8. Prothero, Arianna. Are Today’s Students Really Less Independent Than Previous Generations? Education Week. [Online] January 13, 2025. [Cited: April 21, 2026.] https://www.edweek.org/leadership/are-todays-students-really-less-independent-than-previous-generations/2025/01.
9. Levasseur, Aran. The Biggest Problem for Kids Today Isn’t Stress, It’s Lack of Purpose. Ed Post. [Online] October 28, 2019. [Cited: April 21, 2026.] https://www.edpost.com/stories/the-biggest-problem-for-kids-today-isnt-stress-its-lack-of-purpose.
10. Viadero, Debra. Majority of Youths Found to Lack a Direction in Life. Education Week. [Online] June 10, 2008. [Cited: April 21, 2026.] https://www.edweek.org/leadership/majority-of-youths-found-to-lack-a-direction-in-life/2008/06.