Ostensibly, the camps in "The Darkest Minds" are meant to cure and classify the children. When they are first separated into these camps, the leaders claim that they are trying to cure them of the disease that wiped out the remaining child population and gave them supernatural abilities. In addition, they said they would be categorizing them according to the danger of their abilities.

Beneath the surface, however, their goals were much more nefarious. The leaders were part of an organization called The Children's League, which was attempting, through the camps, to militarize and weaponize the children to use as an army for the organization's bidding. This clandestine task force had been manipulating and guiding the children so that they could soon swoop in and take control of them for their military force.