For parents of gender non-conforming teens, understanding and using new preferred pronouns can be an incredibly important gesture of love and acceptance. For some parents, this can be quite challenging. Making the switch from “he” to “she” or “she” to “they” may bring up feelings of grief, confusion, or even inadequacy. We want to provide…
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“Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.” — Bill Watterson The longest study of human development revealed what makes people truly happy. It’s not getting straight As, it’s not the college you attend, it’s not how much money is in your bank account, and it’s not even getting a gold…
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If teenagers are truly a lightning rod or a barometer to show us how our society is doing, then we know we have plenty of work to do, but we knew that anyway. Doesn’t it feel like our society is more polarized and maybe angrier than we have been in a long time? It feels…
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The countdown before camp has begun, and while excited, you may be less than enthusiastic about packing. Whether you’re speed packing after diligent procrastination or slow packing far in advance, we’d like to share some tips and tricks for a smoother experience. First Things First: Something not to pack: electronics! From Zoom to Netflix, the…
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Learning from disappointment and frustration When a camper wants to call home after only being there for a few days, they usually ask their parents to come and get them. They are tired from walking; they don’t love the rustic camping lifestyle; they miss their cell phones or all of the above. Usually, parents reluctantly…
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20 years ago, when I started Odyssey Teen Camp, I could not have imagined the impact this camp would have on my life and thousands of other people’s lives. A safe space The concept was simple – create a summer camp for teenagers where they were safe from bullying and emotional abuse. A place where…
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Update Nov. 2022: This is an old post from the pandemic. Odyssey Teen Camp is no longer offering the virtual camp because the real camp is now back in session. Please check out our camp activities page and definitely see the old video of Georgios & Chloe at the bottom of this post. It’s fun…
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A mom recently wrote about her son Fen’s experience at camp. He’s been coming to OTC for the past five years. Fen is one of the most original, interesting, and hilarious campers who has come to camp. He’s not always the easiest, and when he first came to camp, he seemed to want to go…
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As I continue my discussion in video 2 with therapist Amy Frisch, who has been leading groups for teenage girls for twenty years, Amy offers some great advice for parents (none of which will necessarily be easy to follow). Staying in the game Staying in the game, as she says, can take many forms.…
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Every month I receive calls from concerned parents whose teenagers have been spending too much time alone, having trouble making friends, seeming irritable, etc. It’s easy to understand why parents get worried. They see their wonderful, kind, sensitive, vulnerable, and generally very shy teenagers withdrawing. Tending the fire I’m pretty sure teenagers have always been…
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Find Out About Odyssey Teen Camp
A Non-Profit Overnight Summer Camp For Teens Ages 13-18
Located in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.
