CALIFORNIA
URJ CAMP NEWMAN
www.campnewman.org
campnewman@urj.org
Here at URJ Camp Newman, we celebrate the journey of discovering your best, most authentic self and help cultivate the courage to BE that person both at camp and in every facet of life beyond camp’s gates.
Camp Newman, a Reform Jewish sleep-away camp in Northern California, is in Santa Rosa, CA on nearly 500 acres of rolling hills and towering redwood trees. Campers currently in grades 1-11 enjoy art, sports, archery, our Alpine Tower, Skypark High Ropes Course, initiative course, miles of hiking trails and overnight camping activities, all in a warm, joyfully Jewish community.
Everything we do at Camp Newman revolves around building a holy community. We support one another, create friendships and mentorships, and live together in Jewish community. When you ask our campers and staff why they return year after year, they say they return because of the community they experience in our sacred space.
Camp Newman is proud to welcome and support campers, staff and family members of all genders and sexual identities. Every child is unique, and we want to learn more about your camper so we can ensure a safe space for them to be their authentic selves at camp. We recognize and celebrate that gender lies on a spectrum. Each summer we welcome campers and staff into the housing option where they will feel most comfortable and safe. We also offer all-gender housing options for campers currently in grades 7-11.
YMCA CAMP LOMA MAR
650-879-2100
cmackall@ymcaeastbay.org
www.ymcaeastbay.org/camps/camp-loma-mar
YMCA Camp Loma Mar, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, offers traditional overnight summer camp, pre-teen and teen overnight programs, and teen leadership programs.
But what’s the best part about Camp Loma Mar? Every aspect of a Camp Loma Mar experience integrates 4 signature core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. And a mission to serve all guides every activity, program, and event the camp offers.
Children and teens grow in a safe and engaging environment, spending their first nights away from home, gaining skills as young leaders, and bonding with new friends on forest hikes, swimming in our pool and creek, zip-lining, sleeping beneath the starry Bay Area sky, putting on skits for their friends, singing silly songs, and more. YMCA Camp Loma Mar offers 1-week programs from June to August for grades 2 through 12. Come for an open house or schedule a private tour. While camp only takes place for a matter of weeks – Camp Loma Mar is an experience that lasts a lifetime!
To learn more, visit www.ymcaeastbay.org/camps/camp-loma-mar. But hurry - sessions fill fast! Avoid the wait list and call: 650-879-2100 or email cmackall@ymcaeastbay.org today.
CONNECTICUT
CAMP CLIO
Empowering adoptees since 2012
July 21- August 3, 2024
Since 2012 Camp Clio has provided adopted children ages 9-14 the opportunity to enjoy all the fun of traditional summer camp while staying in cabins with other adopted children. The relaxed, safe, and non-judgmental environment of a cabin filled with other campers who are “just like me” encourages exploration of identity, family connectedness and curiosity about birth families. Counselors in the Clio cabins are either themselves adopted or have a demonstrated interest in working with adoptees (many are studying social work at university). Sharing their adoption stories with new friends, they can begin to understand that complicated feelings are perfectly normal, shared by their fellow campers, and that they are not alone.
YMCA Camp Jewell, rated the #1 sleep-away camp in CT, hosts Camp Clio in their new Clio Village, exclusively for adopted campers. The 500-acre facility, located in Colebrook, CT, is shared with the non-adopted campers who attend Camp Jewell. Swimming, archery, sports, etc. - the good “old-fashioned” camp activities and meals are shared with the entire camp population. Cabin and Village activities are exclusively with other adoptees, allowing campers to really bond. Many Clio campers have become lifelong friends.
Camp Clio is honored to continue working with the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE) on the adoption program for Clio campers, held during the stay-over weekend of the two-week program. Prior to campers’ arrival, all counselors in Clio cabins attend a workshop with CASE adoption certified therapists where they learn the camper adoption activities and ways to guide conversations in a positive direction. CASE’s nationally acclaimed WISE UP program is only a part of the adoption program. Adoption discussions, Adoption Bingo, Adoption Story Book creation, and CASE’s new Behind the Mask workbook are only a few of the activities led by CASE therapists.
For information and registration contact sandy@CampClio.org, (www.CampClio.org) 646-285-6237 or camp.Jewell@ghymca.org (CampJewell.org) 860-379-2782. Tiered pricing and need based financial assistance is available.
Quotes from Campers
-You can express yourself and talk to counselors and ask questions and stuff
-Everybody here is just like me
-Sometimes I feel alone but then I come here and see I’m not alone
-It’s OK to be adopted and still have fun.
-I didn’t think there were that many adopted kids but now that I’m here I see there are.
-You shouldn’t feel ashamed – it’s just how life works.
SILVER LAKE CAMP & RETREAT CENTER
Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, an ACA-accredited camp, is a place where young people experience nature, make new friends, and explore their faith. With more than 60 acres of wooded land on lakeside shores in Northwestern Connecticut, Silver Lake offers many opportunities for young people to take risks and try new things with the support of an intentional Christian community.
Time and again we hear from our campers: "Silver Lake is where I can be the real me!" We are committed to providing an experience of welcome and acceptance to youth and adults from diverse family situations and of all gender expressions and sexual identities. We invite you to take the plunge this summer and find your true self, new friends, and a closer connection to God.
We worship, learn, play, serve, and work together, respecting the right of private judgement. We seek to provide a safe environment of acceptance regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, reflecting our unity in Christ and respecting the faith journeys of all of God’s children.
Silver Lake is the year-round Outdoor Ministry of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. Visit us online at www.silverlakect.org.
MASSACHUSETTS
CRS SUMMER
https://www.charlesriverschool.org/crs-summer/learn-more/about-crs-summer/
summer@charlesriverschool.org
At CRS Summer, we celebrate the joy of childhood each day. With camps for ages 4-14, a Leadership/CIT program for 15-16 year olds, and a toddler drop-in program, there is something for everyone. Set on our beautiful 16-acre campus, our camps span interests from STEM, Science/Nature, Creative/Performing Arts, Leadership and Entrepreneurship and are led by experienced specialized educators. We provide an inclusive and welcoming community environment for campers and staff.
THE STORY SCHOOL
Story-based, STEAM Adventure Camp in Charlton, MA
www.thestoryschool.org
The Story School has been delivering immersive, interactive, and inclusive overnight camp adventures since 2013.
We build “character” by encouraging our heroes to be courageous, honorable, and compassionate in a story that reacts to their every choice. Education and imagination collide in our “STEAM-powered” adventures and heroes are challenged to complete engineering projects, master math puzzles, and solve chemical formulas to advance the story and level up new abilities. Campers are invited to try on and test out aspects of their identity when playing their character, encouraged to accept everyone for who they say they are, and driven as heroes to defend and protect each other. Differences are embraced and celebrated in our fantasy worlds creating an LGBTQ+ and neuro-diverse friendly community.
Our overnight adventures start at age 8 and continue up to 17 for our teen adventurers with Counselor-In-Training programs and employment opportunities for those who are still children (and heroes!) at heart. Come spend your summer in a story!
NEW HAMPSHIRE
YMCA CAMP FOSS AND YMCA CAMP MI-TE-NA
603-232-8642
www.campfoss.org
www.campmitena.org
Located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, YMCA Camp Foss and YMCA Camp Mi-Te-Na offer both one week and two week session options filled with a diverse mix of exciting and challenging camp activities. Every day is an adventure you can count on to give your kids the fun they want and the growing experience they need. Talented counselors and staff are a dedicated group of individuals joined together by a shared passion, to foster growth and independence of every camper. With endless activities ranging from archery, tomahawk throwing, and sports activities to high and low ropes courses, boating, and swimming, our compassionate staff create a safe and supportive environment where kids can challenge themselves, make new friends, explore, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Inclusion is a priority at our camps and our hope is that every camper feels as though our spaces and programs were created with them in mind.
Flexible payment options and financial assistance are available to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the magic of overnight camp. For more information please contact us at lfrazier@graniteymca.org or browse our website https://www.graniteymca.org/camps.
NEW JERSEY
APPEL FARM ARTS & MUSIC CENTER
(856) 358-6881
https://appelfarm.org/camp/
Igniting creativity, kindness, and confidence! Appel Farm is a creative haven for creative kids, age 7-17, with flexible, combinable 2-week overnight sessions on our beautiful, rural campus in Elmer, New Jersey. We deliver transformative arts and learning experiences in music, theatre, technical theatre, dance, visual arts, photography, video, creative writing, and more! Our mature staff and 3:1 camper to counselor ratio ensure your child’s physical and emotional safety. Our focus on camper choice, personal attention, and fostering a love of learning helps your child develop their unique strengths and skills. Our diverse community empowers your child to become their best self, teaching empathy and kindness through our unique approach to positive youth development, featuring collaborative problem solving, restorative justice, and emotionally intelligent leadership. Appel Farm’s balance of arts classes, free time, trips, campfires, and performances is the fun summer your child deserves!
We’d love to learn more about your creative kid! Connect with us at 856-358-6881 and camp@appelfarm.org.
NEW YORK
ATLANTIC ACTING SCHOOL
https://atlanticactingschool.org/kids-and-teens/summer/
Experience the magic of theater at Atlantic Acting School's Summer Camps! Our one-week camps, running from June to August 2023, provide children ages 5-18 with a fun and exciting opportunity to explore different aspects of theater and performance. With classes from musical theater to sketch comedy, improvisation, scene study, film/TV, and more, our experienced instructors help students develop their skills, build confidence, and make lifelong friendships. Atlantic Acting School provides a supportive environment for children to learn, grow, and let their creativity shine. Sign up now and give your child the gift of theater at Atlantic Acting School's Summer Camp!
THE PLAY GROUP THEATRE
1 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 946-4433
www.playgroup.org
info@playgroup.org
The Play Group Theatre is a thriving artistic community, offering young people the opportunity to collaborate in a uniquely nurturing, yet creatively charged environment. At PGT, you will find every class and rehearsal to be a unique learning environment: an authentic arts experience that prepares you to be a truly creative, innovative, and compassionate artist... and human being! Our emphasis is on understanding the thinking process behind your work. We provide you with tangible skills and the necessary creative freedom to access your imagination and define your own artistic voice.
Stage your year with The Play Group Theatre’s inspirational and innovative Performing Arts Programs! Join us in summer for the award-winning CAMP PGT. With programs in Musical Theatre, On Camera, Improv, Sketch Comedy, Shakespeare, Stage Combat, Design/Tech and more, there is something for everyone at Camp PGT! Camp PGT includes options for 1, 2, 3, and 4 week programs, and for students ages 4-17. Whether you’d prefer to be center stage or behind the scenes, or if you’d rather make us laugh or belt out your favorite tune, you can do it ALL at PGT!
And during the fall and spring, choose from all of PGT's innovative programs including Mainstage, Little Theatre, TheatreLab, Improv, Design/Tech, Community Cabaret, and our ALL NEW SKETCH COMEDY weekly program! With classes happening every weeknight (plus Sundays), you can mix and match your way to the perfect fall and spring! Programs available for all ages 4-17.
ROSS SUMMER
Ross School
18 Goodfriend Drive
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-907-5376
Ross Summer, built on the innovative, educational foundation of Ross School, is an exciting and enriching experience for kids and teens! Ross Summer offers fun programs in the arts, media, sciences, and more, plus for-credit academic courses with top faculty, and high-level athletic training! Ross is a leader in COVID preparedness and offers premium services to enhance the Ross Summer experience and provide an opportunity for families to create their ideal summer.
Celebrating its fifteenth year, Ross Summer is a place where children can learn and grow in a supportive environment under the tutelage of professional instructors. Along with all the fun of a traditional summer camp, our immersion programs offer campers a wide range of exciting week-long programs focused on specific topics including visual arts, performance, nature explorations, film-making and stop-motion animation, coding and robotics, cooking, fashion design, and surfing! Early childhood programs offer music and creative exploration programs for campers 6 and under.
Our summer sports programs provide young athletes with an opportunity to spend their summer training under expert coaches and sports professionals, including renowned tennis coach Larri Passos. From specialized U10 programs to our high-performance training with live ball drills and match play series, our all-encompassing summer program is our most intense and complete junior tennis education offered. Ross also brings the same dedication and experience of the Ross School Tennis Academy to our soccer and multi-sport programs, designed to help young athletes of all levels build their skills. Partnering with the NY Knicks, our summer basketball program provides campers with expert, small group training sessions with Knicks alumni and coaches.
Programs include:
• High-performance tennis training for players 6–16
• Strengthen individual and team basketball skills
• Individualized soccer instruction for all levels
• Multi-sport program for ages 3+
• Limited capacity, enrolling now
An academic Summer Term allows students age 14–18 to earn high school credits and participate in enrichment programs, working with Ross School’s world-class faculty. Rigorous academic courses are balanced with relaxation and time at the beach in idyllic East Hampton.
SURPRISE LAKE CAMP
845-265-3616
www.surpriselake.org
Since 1902, Surprise Lake Camp (SLC) has been a home away from home for generations of young people. We believe in a foundation of community and friendship and have created a welcoming environment where campers feel safe stepping outside their comfort zone. SLC is dedicated to helping young people develop confidence and skills to last a lifetime. At SLC, we help campers unplug, connect, and grow. Fun, fresh air, and friendships fill each day. Skills, maturity, and independence emerge. Connections flourish: to others, to nature, and to our shared Jewish values.
SLC’s program is filled with camp favorites such as beach volleyball, ropes courses, zip-lining, tennis, gaga, nature, and organic farming. We also offer creative opportunities, such as arts & crafts, baking, drama, music, dance, and photography.
Our waterfront program offers Red Cross swim instruction, swim teams, sailing, canoeing, row boating, kayaking, windsurfing, and aqua-jump water trampolines. We have a pristine private lake, as well as a heated swimming pool.
SLC provides delicious kosher food, fun; engaging Jewish activities; and a unique Bar/Bat Mitzvah program for those who never had the chance to have one.
Surprise Lake Camp offers the following sessions: 7 weeks, 3.5 weeks, (for campers who have completed grades 1-10); and a 2-week session, (for campers who have completed grades 1-4). For campers considering a sleep-away experience for a future season, SLC offers a 5-day “Get Your Feet Wet ” program in late August for first-time campers who have completed grades K-4. The camp also offers two Rookie Days for campers who have completed grades K-5. Learn more at www.surpriselake.org.
TEXTILE ARTS CENTER SUMMER CAMP
Textile Arts Center Summer Camp welcomes children ages 5-14 to create within the world of contemporary and historical textiles in exciting week long programs!
Each camp week features an in-depth project using fiber & textile techniques, with concepts drawn from textile exhibitions and local textile artists.
Textiles exist in nearly every aspect of our everyday lives and function in the world of utility as well as fine art & design. Learning about how something is made and the labor that goes into an object promotes appreciation of making and our ecological impacts. Textile Arts Center empowers youth to see themselves as the makers and innovators of the future and to continue a love of textiles long after summer camp is over.
PENNSYLVANIA
CAMP HARLAM
Welcome home to Harlam! It’s not just something we say when you walk through our gates, it’s the feeling that brings more than 700 campers back summer after summer. Camp Harlam is nestled in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, with beautiful facilities and grounds. Campers spend time honing existing passions and discovering new ones: everything from outdoor adventures, to arts, to sports, and waterfront activities. But beyond all of these activities, Harlam offers something special that every camper feels from the moment they arrive. It’s the power of our community. It’s a sense of belonging and comfort. A place where you feel safe and free to express yourself. Campers gain confidence, independence, lifelong friendships and a love of Judaism.
Camp Harlam is one of 14 Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) summer camps, and our Reform Jewish values influence every aspect of camp life – especially the emphasis we place on creating a warm, inclusive community, where campers and staff of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities are embraced. In fact, we have a REDI Manager on our professional staff, a taskforce of lay leaders dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as a Gender Sexuality Alliance for both staff and campers.
We would love to Welcome You Home.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to Rachel Steinberg at rsteinberg@urj.org, or check out CampHarlam.org.
CAMP ONAS
Ottsville, Pennsylvania
www.camponas.org
The Quaker camp in rural Bucks County, PA, Camp Onas is an inclusive and affirming residential camp for all kids, ages 8-13. Our program stresses sharing, cooperation, understanding, simple living, outdoor education, and most essential of all -- fun. Campers choose their activities from a daily schedule that includes sports and games, arts';
crafts, woodworking, gardening, swimming, canoeing, nature study, archery, drama and music. Special activities include theme weekends, camp-outs at the overnight site, team challenge activities, high ropes and rock climbing. For older campers, there is a three-day out-of-camp backpacking trip and activities centering social justice through play and teamwork. The camp's Meeting for Worship on Sundays and Wednesdays is held in keeping with the Quaker practice of silent worship and recognizes and respects the spiritual needs common to all people.
With one and two-week sessions, a robust financial aid program, inclusive housing policies, mental health support staff, restorative conflict resolution, and so much more, Onas strives to make the summer camp experience accessible and joyful for everyone!
For dates, rates and more information go to www.camponas.org or contact our office: Phone: (610) 847-5858; Email: friends@camponas.org; Address: 609 Geigel Hill Road, Ottsville, PA 18942.
CENTER SCHOOL'S SUMMER LEARNING AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
https://www.centerschoolpa.org/apps/pages/summer-learning
Center School's Summer Learning and Enrichment Program is a four-week program for students entering grades 1-8 operating July 8th to August 2nd. There are two options available, mornings only, or a full day.
The morning session focuses on targeted instruction in literacy using Wilson® Fundations® in grades 1-2, and Wilson® Just Words® in grades 3-8 for literacy to develop and maintain skills, practice effective learning strategies, and increase abilities in a welcoming and fun-filled environment.
In our interactive classrooms, emphasis is placed on language-based skill building, including phonemic awareness and phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and writing.
The morning session also focuses on building math competency, to enhance number sense and problem solving. A full learning experience is reinforced through the use of manipulative materials to engage students in active learning.
The afternoon session will include enrichment programming such as physical fitness, STEM, music, and creative arts classes. Each class is taught by qualified instructors in each field, providing students with an abundance of hands on activities to build and develop both cognitive and physical skills.
At the end of the program, students gather together for a fun filled day with lots of surprises, such as a foam party!
Learn more: https://www.centerschoolpa.org/apps/pages/summer-learning.
WOLF PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
1240 Montrose Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
info@wolfperformingartscenter.org
(610) 642-0233
https://www.wolfperformingartscenter.org
VERMONT
CAMP COMMON GROUND
Come to Common Ground Center this summer for a weeklong family camp vacation in beautiful Vermont.
Our signature program is Camp Common Ground, an all-inclusive, week-long family camp founded in 1994.
Fun structured morning programming for kids ages 3-12 gives parents a break and an opportunity to pursue their own interests. Our adult program teachers are professionals with years of teaching experience. Each week teens and adults choose from classes in arts, music, movement, and reflection.
Afternoons and evenings offer a variety of multi-age activities for the entire family. Our professional kitchen staff prepares inspired vegetarian meals and freshly baked delicacies using local and organic ingredients that meet a wide variety of dietary needs. The meat-eaters and picky eaters will love the food too!
In addition to our traditional family camps we are proud to partner with different organizations and community groups to offer a variety of programs for young people and families including Camp Outright, a camp for LGBTQA teens; Camp Kaleidoscope, a camp for families with children on the autism spectrum; and multiple day camps for local youth. Anya, a previous board member, states, "Plenty of spaces simply claim to be open to gay and lesbian families, but Camp Common Ground truly achieves the integrated, open and affirming community so many of us hope to create. Common Ground Center welcomes people of all ages, lifestyles, ethnicities, abilities and economic backgrounds. Site rental is available for your own programs, weddings, reunions, meetings or other events.
Check out our website today at www.cgcvt.org. We look forward to seeing you this summer!
FARM & WILDERNESS SUMMER CAMPS
https://www.farmandwilderness.org/
The F&W experience will offer your child new friendships, exciting challenges, immersion in the natural world, and the discovery of new skills. Our six camps nestled on 4000 acres of Vermont woods and lakes are the perfect setting for a wilderness summer. We offer overnight programs from three and a half to seven weeks for children 9-17 and day camp programs for children 4-10. At F&W, children practice outdoor living skills, participate in a working farm, swim in the lake, make their own music and art, discuss social issues, and play rousing games.
F&W campers experience a sense of confidence and joy in their daily lives, because they have an important role in the community. Campers participate in real work at camp, and find it really fun. They learn to build cabins, milk cows, harvest vegetables and serve them for lunch, paddle canoes, blaze trails, and much more. Our programs include hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing adventures. We work to have a diverse staff and camper community. Our counselors receive anti-bias training and discuss issues of diversity with campers in age appropriate activities. Financial aid available. For information, write sam@farmandwilderness.org or call 802-422-3761.
WASHINGTON
URJ CAMP KALSMAN
www.campkalsman.org
campkalsman@urj.org
URJ Camp Kalsman is the premiere Jewish sleep-away camp in the Pacific Northwest. Nestled on 300 beautiful acres just outside of Seattle, our variety of sessions for campers currently in 1st -11th grades offer a great balance of nature immersion, learning, growth, friendship and FUN! We practice experiential, values-based Jewish education, which incorporates Judaism into many different activities. Our campers learn new skills and hone existing ones in athletic, aquatic, artistic, and nature programs. Join us for a summer of belonging, fun, and an unparalleled Reform Jewish experience. We can’t wait to welcome you home this summer!
WISCONSIN
JCC CHICAGO CAMP CHI
Lake Delton, WI
www.campchi.org
(847) 763-3551 | info@campchi.org
For over 100 years, Camp Chi, in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, has transformed children’s summers. We unplug campers from their daily lives and connect them to life-changing moments while supporting their personal growth. Camp Chi’s staff is committed to creating an environment where each camper can thrive and benefit from individualized support and attention. We have a dedicated team of Camper Care specialists, which includes licensed social workers, who provide the necessary support to navigate relationships, take positive risks in a safe environment and be successful at overnight camp.
Our beautiful 600-acre campus is the perfect place for campers to discover who they are. There are over 50 activities to choose from including athletics, water sports, performing arts, media, and outdoor adventure. Where else can you sail a boat, fly down a zip line, record an original song, jump in a pool, hit an archery bullseye and sing around a campfire all in one day? Campers see opportunities for adventure and fun, while we see them making decisions for themselves, gaining independence and discovering their passions.
