Camp activities include: swimming, kayaking and canoeing, bike riding, hiking, campfires, berry picking, camping out, fishing, small group discussions, a talent show, a variety of arts and crafts, and an “outward bound” style ropes course. The children also play a variety of games, such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, and capture the flag between scheduled activities. 

We provide a youth leadership program for our Junior Counselors (JCs), which fosters mutual understanding, respect and civic engagement among them. The JCs gain meaningful, hands-on leadership experience and skills in a unique and supportive environment. Through our Director of the Day and Activities Director of the Day experience, they not only learn but test their ability to organize, manage, and motivate their peers and the campers.  They receive mentoring and constructive feedback throughout the week. 

One of the unique aspects of our camp is that we not only provide a number of opportunities for these predominantly inner city kids to physically and mentally challenging activities such as  the ropes course, kayaking down the Monocacy river, poetry workshops and hikes up Sugarloaf Mountain; we also allow our campers each day to choose their morning and afternoon activities they to pick the activities that they want to take on that day. Our staff encourages every camper to experience every activity throughout the week. However, if a camper, for instance really want to challenge themselves to pass the swim test by the end of the week, we give them the flexibility to choose swimming as an activity for multiple days. By not being prescriptive with the campers daily activities, they feel empower to create a camp experience that meets their specific needs. 

A former competitive swimmer and a highly successful swim coach, the camp co-directors place an emphasis on time in the pool, encouraging campers who do not swim to learn how to. Because of this, each year,  we successfully engage WSI instructors to assist those campers (and counselors) with their swimming skills. Each camper who successfully passes the swim test earns and proudly displays an orange wrist band.

Learning how to swim is particularly important for our camp population, as the fatal drowning rate of African-American children is three times higher than that of white children. According to a recent national study conducted at YMCA pools by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 64% of black children cannot swim, while only 40% of white children are non-swimmers. We are changing these swimming statistics, one child at a time.

We promote good nutrition and the challenges that young people face in trying to eat well in today’s world. We focus on providing young people with access to tools and activities that are meant to education them, empower them to make better decisions about what they eat, and provide experience in cooking and preparation so that they can use what they have learned.