The initiative for this magazine for young people between 14 and 19 years was taken by the Vrijzinnig Christelijke Jeugdcentrale (Liberal Christian Youth Centre). Although Kampvuur was of liberal Protestant signature, the magazine was intended for a general audience. It emphasized the value of religion in a non-dogmatic way; the makers presupposed that young people are prone to seeking and exploring and that nothing should be forced on them. Many features evidenced open-mindedness with regard to political, social, or religious matters.

Kampvuur had a broad outlook and covered ‘the whole life of young people’. The magazine included a large number of regular features in various fields, each of them with its own logo. ‘Uit ons leven’ (From our life) dealt with all sorts of important issues in a young girl’s life, varying from furnishing her own room to choosing a profession or acquiring self-confidence. Art in all its forms of expression was a regular feature: poetry, visual art, books and their writers, et cetera. Global events, present or past, and social life were covered in the feature Van de Wachttoren (From the Watchtower). Topics such as sport and nature were also regular features in the magazine.

In addition to countless pieces of information, Kampvuur offered its readers also stories and poems by, among others, Mien Labberton and Elisabeth Zernike. It also functioned as the newsletter of the Vrijzinnig Christelijke Jeugdcentrale (Liberal Protestant Youth Center) and clearly demonstrated its connection with the organized youth camps. Furthermore, there were contests that stimulated the readers to take photographs, write poems or short stories and there was also a regular letters column.

As time went by, Kampvuur included gradually more and more photographs in addition to drawings. The magazine moreover offered a reproduction of a special work of art six times a year.

Digitized: vol. 1 (1927) – vol. 9 (1935)

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