This year’s Camp Rise Up will not only be full of its usual adventures, but chock full of campers as well. With applications exceeding the 100-participant goal for the week-long sleepaway camp, demand is at an all-time high. SOAR, our module for Spanish-speaking teens, is back for year two. In July, we will launch Journey, a day-camp pilot program as a preparation for CRU, for kids ages 10 to 11.
Research has indicated teens in temporary housing are at greater risk of unhealthy behaviors. CRU, for those aged 12 to 15, provides an opportunity to learn about themselves, test their capabilities and see hope in their future on a 250-acre camp with a lake, pool, zip lines, hiking trails and more.
Dr. Meghan Miller, the director of health education for The Floating Hospital, said while there is always some significant drop-off between applications and those attending, the number of campers who want to return is greater than previous years. Add to that those who have signed up for the first year and it’s quite a lot of interest. Last year’s camp had a total of 96 attending. The number has grown steadily since it was launched eight years ago.
“Usually we have room for about 40 to 50 new campers each year, because attendance drops off as they get older, they move or age out. But this year, so many of them want to come back,” possibly 70 or more. “So we have far fewer open slots, and we had 130 people sign up for the first year,” she noted.
More campers mean more counselors, and the health education department plans to divide the kids into 10 groups this year, up from eight groups last year. They’re in the process of selecting the counselors, previous campers who have been counselors in training after attending three years of camp. CRU has different tracks for each year of attendance. The first focuses on life skills and sexual health. The second year is devoted to social and emotional learning. Third-year campers can expect to cover topics such as empathy, critical thinking and behavior management as they learn leadership and professional development skills.
A lot can change from sign-up to camp day, so health education staff members are beginning their calls to confirm that initial interest will translate into attendance. In the meantime, they are preparing for Journey, the day camp for 10 to 11 year olds, which begins July 1 and lasts three days.
A ‘Journey’ before the ‘Trek’
Journey’s classes will be held in the Long Island City main clinic’s classroom in the mornings. Every afternoon, a different activity is planned. The first day will be a trip to Ferox Ninja Park in Brooklyn, where there is a full ninja warrior course, trampolines, a foam pit and other fun and athletic attractions. On day two, the flying trapeze will be the focus of a trip to the Circus Academy on Pier 40 in Manhattan. On the last day, everyone will go to the beach in Rockaway Park. There will be five topics covered by the morning coursework: self esteem/identity, communication, bullying, healthy living and puberty. The amount of kids served is currently limited by classroom size with an ideal amount being around 15, or in the range of 12 to 20. There are 40 children signed up, but “they’re definitely not all going to come,” Miller said from previous experience.
Journey was devised as the solution to issues that were coming up frequently regarding CRU. The younger siblings of those going to the sleep-away camp wanted to go as well, even though they were out of the target age range. Preparing students for the coursework and structure of the sleep-away camp in a day-camp format seemed like the right fit.
“Most of the things we’re going over for Journey are the same as Camp Rise Up. We changed a few of the lessons slightly,” Miller said. The goal is “to prepare them to start talking about things like social and emotional learning as well as sexual health.” At the same time, they can become familiar with the teachers and the field trips, as a preview to “Trek,” the camp’s first year of coursework, along with the onsite activities of CRU.
“Journey is just a pilot, so we’re seeing how it works out. This could grow in terms of the number of people we see, and also potentially into an overnight camp,” Miller said. “But for now, we’re seeing how things go, how the kids like it, and how we can either change it or expand it for the following years.”
To SOAR before the ‘Climb’
SOAR will take place July 21-25. The day camp is a Spanish-language version of the first year of CRU’s coursework, with morning classes and afternoon field trips. Last year’s pilot program was well attended and the format will continue. Three teens who attended last year’s SOAR camp plan to join CRU in Rhinebeck for “Climb,” the second-year curriculum, having reached a level of English proficiency needed to safely enjoy sleep-away camp and its activities.
“We really are educating and nurturing the whole teenager, making sure they have the self-esteem and they are empowered to make healthy decisions and lead really successful, healthy lives,” said Miller.
Camp Rise Up begins August 24 and lasts for six days. To help fund these experiences, please click the button below.
