When you think of "Soviet camp," you probably envision the Gulag system, where Stalin sentenced millions of political prisoners to work camps as punishment. But there were also summer camps for kids, called Pioneer camps. Between 1922 and 1991, all children in the Soviet Union were required to join the Young Pioneers organization, and Pioneer summer camp meant weeks spent with other youth, playing sports and learning wilderness skills. It also included indoctrination and basic military training.
I eventually came across the story of Pavlik Morozov, a 13 year-old boy who became the literal poster-child for the Young Pioneers in the 1930s. He was just a kid when he turned his parents in to the police for hiding grain, and actively participated in their assassination. He was then killed by his grandfather for betraying his family. Pavlik was celebrated as a martyr by the Soviets. Statues of him were built, and numerous schools and youth groups were named in his honour. His former school became a shrine and children from all over the Soviet Union went on school excursions to visit it.
The Young Pioneers organisation, which claimed Pavlik as one of their own for the perfect propaganda story, had a huge impact on the moral norms of generations of children, who were actively encouraged by the Soviets to inform on their parents.
Many former camp attendees remember those days with fondness. Read about Pioneer camps and see plenty of pictures at Messy Nessy Chic.