Annual camping trip!

We were very fortunate this summer to be able to take 16 of our youth on a wonderful five-day camping trip to the Boston/Cape Cod area. This trip was not only fun but also very meaningful. Our youth get a chance to interact with staff and build friendships with their peers on a weekly basis here at Pride for Youth. But a trip like this really deepens these relationships and creates lifelong memories.

We packed up the vans to leave bright and early Monday morning and set off. Arriving at the campgrounds was quite exciting after the five hour ride. We immediately unpacked and ran off to the pool. The campgrounds were packed full of fun. The jumping pillow was a favorite among our kids, and some staff as well! We cooked up dinner barbecue style and all enjoyed each other’s company. Following dinner that night we did some fun team building activities. Everyone enjoyed “knee-tag” and a good old-fashioned game of Manhunt.

On Tuesday we packed ourselves in the vans again to head off to Salem! We started off at the Witch Museum. They gave us a lovely tour and a greater understanding of what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. We also took a tour of a horror movie museum. We spent the rest of the day shopping around the cute old fashioned town.

Wednesday we spent in Boston. We started off touring the famous Boston aquarium. I’ll never forget how excited one of the kids, an aspiring marine biologist, was to have that experience. After the aquarium we hopped on a boat for a five hour whale watching tour. They brought us way out into the open sea at an exhilarating speed to see the whales. The perfect weather held out for us right until the very end of our boat ride. Then back to camp for dinner and activities we went. With a little struggle we managed to get our fire started. We made smores and played improv acting games right up until bed time.

Thursday morning came quite quickly and we departed for Provincetown. Once again the weather was perfect for the two hour ferry ride. We all enjoyed our time out on the water. The kids were so excited to shop around Provincetown and enjoy the beach. The kids were very excited to be in such a LGBT friendly town. When we arrived back at camp it was time for our last camp fire together before departing home the next morning.

The end of the trip came quickly for all of us. Friday we found ourselves back on the road heading home. We asked the kids to each name their three favorite parts of the trip. The majority said their favorite parts were the day in Salem, the jumping pillow at the campgrounds, and the opportunity to get to know their counselors and peers so much better.