“Every human being has a true, genuine, authentic self. Trauma is the disconnection from it, and healing is the return to it.” – Gabor Mate We are in a moment in which every single young person who identifies as LGBTQAI+ is hearing messages that they are unworthy of love. Either explicitly through hateful rhetoric, or…
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…
When I started Odyssey Teen Camp 20 years ago, I wanted it to be a place free of bullying because I knew the damage bullies could do firsthand. Unsurprisingly, teenagers thrive in an environment where they feel safe enough to try new things without worrying about success, failure, or humiliation. I know from my own…
Our biggest question One of the biggest questions we get all year is how we assign campers to their cabins at OTC. Unlike many other camps that decide to house based on the binary genders of “boys” and “girls,” we at OTC have chosen a different approach. We have listened to counselors and campers over…
Cosmic Phoenix Rising by Laura Milnor Iverson I don’t know the story of that phoenix very well, but I think it’s about renewal, resurrection, transformation, strength, and all sorts of things that sound really good to me. I started Odyssey Teen Camp about twenty years ago. The last ten years have been tough financially. For…
I asked my wife while we were walking our dogs the other day why I didn’t make OTC a non-profit years ago, and she said, “you were always so busy planning for summer.” I thought, “oh, yeah, I remember that,” but if I knew then what I know now, I would have focused more on…
Just as gender identity can feel complicated, housing at camp for transgender and gender-diverse teens can also feel that way. I remember ten years ago, when the first openly transgender kids started coming to camp, everyone’s big question was, “where are we going to house them?” Looking back, our concerns seem a little silly and…
Twenty years ago, I was a middle-aged guy with a corporate job that never felt like a good fit for me. Today, I run an unconventional summer camp where up to one in four teens identifies as transgender or gender non-conforming. The journey has been an unexpected one. An idea of a camp for teens…
I love this segment with Amy. It’s short, but she touches on several things we, as parents, would be well served to keep in mind. When talking about gender and sexuality, Amy says, almost as an aside … I love that she said that, and it is something I will keep in mind…
About eleven years ago, a counselor named Erik, who is gay, called me into the middle of one of our community meetings. He told me I needed to do more to support the LGBTQ community at camp. I remember feeling a little defensive and thinking, “what does he want me to do?” Looking back, I…
Find Out About Odyssey Teen Camp
A Non-Profit Overnight Summer Camp For Teens Ages 13-18
Located in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.
