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Asking for Money is Harder Than I Thought it Would Be

By Adam Simon | December 6, 2023 | Comments Off on Asking for Money is Harder Than I Thought it Would Be
A group of teen campers eating lunch at a picnic table.

At least, it feels hard to me. I guess it opens you (I mean me) to rejection, and that’s never fun. I started this camp 22 years ago. I was in my mid 40’s and needed something to commit to. I have some ideas about where that idea for a teen camp came from, but…

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Teenagers are a Lightning Rod to Show us How we Are as a Society

By Adam Simon | November 2, 2022 | Comments Off on Teenagers are a Lightning Rod to Show us How we Are as a Society
Adam Simon, Odyssey Teen Camp Director With Teen

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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Telling Ourselves a Different Story 

By Adam Simon | October 6, 2021 | Comments Off on Telling Ourselves a Different Story 
Camper Performs at Talent Show

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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The Gift of Being a Non Profit Summer Camp

By Adam Simon | February 1, 2021 | Comments Off on The Gift of Being a Non Profit Summer Camp
Group of teens hug goodbye intensely

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…

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Our Summers Save Lives

By Adam Simon | November 8, 2020 | Comments Off on Our Summers Save Lives
Adam Simon, Odyssey Teen Camp Director with campers.

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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From a Feeling of Malice to Hope: One Camper’s Personal Odyssey

By Odyssey Teen Camp | November 2, 2020 | Comments Off on From a Feeling of Malice to Hope: One Camper’s Personal Odyssey
Kendall with their guitar

Odyssey Teen Camp means different things to different campers, but one thing they all can agree on is that OTC changed their life. Kendall was a camper at OTC starting in 2014. His life was transformed as he built friendships, discovered a new sense of belonging and regained his confidence. Here Kendall shares his story…

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What’s It Like to Run a Summer Camp with Many Transgender and Gender-Expansive Teens?

By Adam Simon | February 1, 2019 | Comments Off on What’s It Like to Run a Summer Camp with Many Transgender and Gender-Expansive Teens?
Group of all kinds of teens

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…

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Let the Little Moments Happen – Staff Culture at Odyssey

By Adam Simon | March 24, 2018 | Comments Off on Let the Little Moments Happen – Staff Culture at Odyssey
Allie and friend

This blog post comes from one of our first-time counselors, Allie. While Allie had many years of camp experience, this was her first time at Odyssey Teen Camp—and as she describes, it totally changed her view of what camp could really be for campers and staff alike. Allie’s story At first, I didn’t know what…

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MAKE MORE BAD ART! Fearlessness and Confidence-building at Odyssey Teen Camp

By Adam Simon | March 1, 2018 | Comments Off on MAKE MORE BAD ART! Fearlessness and Confidence-building at Odyssey Teen Camp
Camp counselor superimposed on colorful collage background

This next post comes to you from one of our devoted staff members, Schu! She has been coming to camp for the past four years and now writes about her favorite intensive to teach: Fearless Art-Making—also known as MAKE MORE BAD ART! Shu’s story The first time I picked up a marker, I was not…

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From Studying in Brazil to Summer Job in The U.S: One Counselor’s Story of Late Nights, Love, and Laughter

By Odyssey Teen Camp | March 1, 2016 | Comments Off on From Studying in Brazil to Summer Job in The U.S: One Counselor’s Story of Late Nights, Love, and Laughter
Cydnii, Holly and Kamra all hugging on the Mothership

The following story comes from Cydnii, a terrific counselor of ours that came straight to Odyssey Teen Camp from studying abroad in Brazil, and fit right into our teen camp family. Enjoy! Cydnii’s story I had never attended the camp as a camper, nor was I connected with any of the other staff members, save…

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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.

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