The “Heart” of Camp Blue Skies: A Closer Look at How We Fulfill Our Mission.

Our mission at Camp Blue Skies is to enhance the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities through recreation, socialization and education.  You may be wondering just how we reach that goal.

Let’s break it down.

Recreation:

Whether we are doing the zipline, going on a nature walk or catching a fish, campers are exposed to a variety of recreational opportunities. Simply being outside can be a challenge for some campers (and volunteers). Our intent is to design activities that are fun, appropriate and align with the concept of challenge by choice , a common outdoor education philosophy.

Socialization:

Socialization comes in many forms at camp. We like to have a blend of structure and spontaneity within our community. Structure and emotional safety is created by campers being assigned to cabin and activity groups. These small groups allow them to share common experiences and form friendships with a handful of other campers and week long volunteers.

Campers are also encouraged to interact with other members of the Camp Blue Skies family during meals and evening programing.  Our hope is that campers will feel comfortable and safe within their small groups at camp and therefore will be willing to step out of their comfort zone and reach out to someone new during whole community activities.

Education:

Similar to socialization, educational opportunities are endless at camp. Informal lessons on flexibility, patience, humor and friendships are interwoven into camp life. More formal lessons are taught through our life skills program. The hope is that this type of program will seamlessly fit within the camp activities. For example, our “Fun with Food” classes are designed to be fun and campy while also containing some tips on health and nutrition.

We are doing our best to reach many goals with a “do it right” mentality while having the best interest of our campers in mind. In the end, the real truth is that the “heart” of camp comes from the people involved. The Blue Skies family is filled with grateful, enthusiastic and loving people. Together we will continue to provide meaningful programing and opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Please email or post  other ways we could improve our community and better fulfill our mission.

Liz, Camp Blue Skies