Camp Heartwood is a secular Summer Camp that fosters character development in young people through the dynamic exploration of Friendship, Bravery, and the Power of Choice. Designed by some of the best youth development professionals in the world, this program masterfully blends social emotional learning with epic fun and a sprinkle of chaos culminating in an unforgettable summer camp experience. There are legendary games, ropes course adventures, Paradigms and Traditions that the camp community experiences together, but we give each camper the power to shape the majority of their experience through an innovative elective system called Choose Your Own Adventure. This delicate balance of freedom and structure provides powerful opportunities for our campers to develop social skills, face their fears, and exercise responsibility in a safe, supportive environment.

MEALS

Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks or s'mores, our Kitchen Team works hard to provide incredibly nutritious and delicious food. Meals are eaten in cabin groups during breakfast and lunch and banquet-style during dinner, to promote a camp-family feel. A copy of the menu will be sent out the week before your trip to camp and SBJs (sunflower seed butter and jelly) are always an option on the side.

THE GATHERING

Right after breakfast, before our day really begins, our community always comes together at a magical place called The Gathering. While sitting on couches in the middle of the forest, campers and staff have time to sing, laugh, play, tell stories and generally enjoy each other's company before we head off on the day's adventures. This time strengthens the sense of family within the community, and helps diminish any sense of urgency or anxiety that many young people often feel and associate with morning time routines.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE’S

At Camp Heartwood we give campers the opportunity to shape a large portion of their camp experience according to their own interests through an innovative elective system called Choose Your Own Adventure. The CYOA system is mostly built upon our incredible staff creating electives based on their own unique skills, talents and interests. This results in a vibrant, ever-evolving series of choices that keeps the program feeling fresh and different for our campers every day. This system also allows us to open up premier facility features like the Challenge Course to campers on a daily basis too. Certain CYOA’s are year-to-year staples like the Challenge Course, Arts & Crafts, and Magic the Gathering, while others may only happen once. Check out the sample schedule for a tiny idea of activities that campers may get to choose from. Some are self-explanatory and some you just have to experience to find out exactly what you're getting into! There is something for everyone among the choices, and we love giving campers the power to “Choose-Your-Fate.”

FREE TIME

Free Time is unstructured time wherein campers have full autonomy to do as they wish while being strictly contained and supervised within specific designated areas of camp. Among other things, campers can choose to spend Free Time at the swimming pool, cargo net, gaga ball pit, playground, basketball courts, and/or just napping in their cabin.

NIGHT PROGRAMS

Evenings at Camp Heartwood are a time for us to come together as a camp or a cabin. Activities are different each night, and always utilize different locations on the campus. Campers can expect to participate in a veritable cornucopia of songs, skits, cheers and stories at our campfire on the first night, show off their wild and weird talents at our talent show, play the legendary all-camp game Spaceship Kommando, have quality cabin bonding time, and even sleep under the stars on a special night! And finally, the whole community puts on a grand show and Paradigm at our final night extravaganza called The Helix Pinnacle. Rest assured that every night is packed, and it’s always a good time

PARADIGMs

At summer camps, young people are away from their parents and teachers in a new and exciting environment. They live in an intentional community with campers from different places, and experience a rich assortment of fun activities. These variables alone can nurture many positive changes in individual campers, and in their interactions as a community. At Camp Heartwood we influence and accelerate these changes through a genre of activities called Paradigms. Specifically, Paradigm is the name we use for a wide variety of Social Emotional Learning activities, facilitated reflections, and meaningful moments. While each Paradigm may differ wildly in their form and energy, they are all bound in respect through the use of specific props and decorum which help participants more effectively transition into a considerate state of mind at the beginning of each experience.