The evidence
Full results, 4 months out from our 30 day program
Campers completed validated self-report measures before the program and again four months out — well beyond the six-week window that predicts whether shifts integrate for the long term.
| Measure | Change | P-value |
|---|---|---|
| Individual measures with a statistically significant shift | ||
| I spend this percentage of the day fully engaged in what I'm doing | 45% | 0.001 |
| In general, how would you rate your physical health? | 16% | 0.003 |
| I always act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations. | 14% | 0.005 |
| I am content with my friendships and relationships. | 21% | 0.002 |
| My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be. | 51% | 0.00001 |
| I am authentically myself in groups of people. | 22% | 0.01 |
| I feel joy regardless of what I'm doing. | 38% | 0.0003 |
| I feel well-equipped to be in groups of people. | 33% | 0.0004 |
| When others judge me it says more about them than it says about me. | 21% | 0.004 |
| How willing are you to face the challenges in your life? | ||
| Setting a boundary with someone in your life? | 40% | 0.00001 |
| Having difficult conversations? | 27% | 0.001 |
| Ending a relationship that isn't working for you? | 46% | 0.0005 |
| Agree / Disagree: | ||
| “It’s bad to be selfish” | -30% | 0.002 |
| The way I talk to myself is more kind than how others talk to themselves. | 43% | 0.0003 |
| Harvard Flourishing Measure | ||
| Happiness and Life Satisfaction | 18% | 0.04 |
| Mental + Physical Health | 14% | 0.01 |
| Meaning + Purpose | 19% | 0.04 |
| Character + Virtue | 13% | 0.01 |
| Close Social Relationships | 34% | 0.0000001 |
| Financial + Material Stability | — | — |
| MHC-SF (Mental Health Continuum) | ||
| Hedonic Emotional Well-being | 19% | — |
| Eudaimonic Social Well-being | 22% | — |
| Eudaimonic Psychological Well-being | 17% | — |
| ECR-S | ||
| Small, potentially negligible changes | 0–5% | — |
| PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) | ||
| 10% reduction in perceived stress, but not statistically significant (p=0.16). | ||
| SMM (Stress Mindset Measure) | ||
| 16% increase in the mindset that stress is enhancing (p=0.05). | ||
| DASS | ||
| Categories are: Normal, Mild, Moderate, Severe, Extreme. A category shift means, for example, “Severe → Moderate” or “Extreme → Severe.” | ||
| Depression | ||
| All people: average reduction 10%. | ||
| People with Moderate+ depression: average 18% reduction, 30% with a categorical shift down. | ||
| Anxiety | ||
| All people: average reduction 16%. | ||
| People with Moderate+ anxiety: average 39% reduction, 82% with a categorical shift down. | ||
| People with Severe+ anxiety: average 53% reduction, 100% categorical shift down, 100% two categories down, 33% three categories down. | ||
| Stress | ||
| All people: average reduction 15%. | ||
| People with Moderate+ stress: average 23% reduction, 33% category down. | ||
Campers left reporting a 100% extreme satisfaction rate, with 72% ranking it the most transformative experience of their lives. Several of these shifts — authenticity, joy, relational courage — continue to increase naturally as these life skills are practiced over time.
These are real skills that will keep improving these young adults' lives for the rest of their years.