Last month, I wrote a blog post about the importance of honoring one’s authentic self. We talk a lot about that at camp – about being exactly who you are. But how a teenager, or anyone, gets to “know” that authentic self in order to “be” that, is a whole other topic. Emotions live in…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Find Out About Odyssey Teen Camp
A Non-Profit Overnight Summer Camp For Teens Ages 13-18
Located in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.
