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Inclusive Camps & Retreats for Trans Youth Like You!
Everyone is encouraged to be their amazing, authentic selves at our Resilience Retreats and summer camps all year round! Join us for exciting outdoor activities that make your heart race and conversations that make your spirits soar. We're talking about swimming, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, making new friends and so much more!
Who Can Join?
We’re so excited to invite transgender and gender-diverse youth ages 10-17 to our Resilience Retreats! Our goal is to provide a fun and exciting, yet secure and nurturing environment, where youth can connect with peers and receive dedicated support from our team of experienced TGNB camp counselors and mental health professionals.
Action-Packed Days
Every year, our team plans an action-packed schedule of activities. Though the activities vary from year to year based on location, here are some activities campers may have the opportunity to participate in:
In addition to all of these activities, we also have our Outdoor Adventure Program led by TGNB outdoor educators and recreation professionals. In addition to the longer trips that we offer, our summer Resilience Retreats feature an optional one-night backpacking trip, where campers get to sleep under the stars, learn how to build fires, and cook in the wilderness, among many more cool and exciting skills.
Campfire Convos
Campfire Convos are the backbone of our programming at TA and are what set us apart from many organizations serving TGNB youth. As TGNB people, we come face to face with challenges and adversity every day that are unique to our community. Campfire Convos provide a brave space for our youth to share their experiences, learn valuable coping skills, and explore a wide range of important topics during our Resilience Retreats. These topics include but are not limited to, gender euphoria and dysphoria, social and medical transition, managing anxiety and depression, embracing a healthy lifestyle, and coping with being misgendered and transphobia. Topics are youth directed and chosen based on what our campers have identified as key stressors in their lives; topics that they need to be able to discuss in spaces designed specifically for this community. S.P.E.A.R drives our curriculum, and our retreats are a safe and welcoming space for TGNB youth to learn, grow, gain support and community.
Following each day’s fun-filled activities, campers will take part in group conversations that are scientifically proven to reduce stress with caring TGNB mental health professionals from universities and organizations across the nation. Campfire Conversations are designed to help campers identify, acknowledge and learn skills to cope with their emotions, while also highlighting evident resilience and learning new ways to maintain it. Our dedicated and trained mental health professionals empower TGNB youth by presenting the nightly topics and center youth voices by allowing them to guide these conversations, fostering an environment where youth can reflect not only on the day's experiences, but also their experiences in the world. Campers lend support to one another as they tackle challenges and apply the knowledge they've acquired to their everyday lives.
Campers are free to share thoughts on all topics among mental health professionals and their peers. In addition to nightly Campfire Conversations, our team of mental health professionals are on site, interating, and participating in activities with campers throughout the whole day and are available to chat one-on-one with campers 24/7. We look forward to increasing our reach this year and the years to come through future Resilience Retreats!
Good Vibes All Around
Our retreats take place in various locations across North America giving campers the opportunity to experience new places and terrains while building on different skill sets. Campers can learn to swim, kayak, and waterski in beautiful lakes, ride mountain bikes, play music and cook meals in evergreen forests, among many, many other fun activities. At our retreats, TGNB staff, professionals, and community members create a variety of workshops where campers gain valuable skills including yoga, self defence, and the knowledge to advocate for themselves as TGNB people in legal and medical settings. The possibilities for adventure and growth are endless!
What's for Dinner?
Meals are cooked onsite and we are happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions. Please be sure to note any allergies and dietary restrictions that you may have when you register, or email us at least a week ahead of time so we can be sure to prepare accordingly.
Recognizing Our Strengths
During retreats, our staff takes the time to build meaningful connections with campers, helping them discover and embrace their unique strengths. We're not only here to recognize these strengths but to empower campers to see their own abilities, too.
Sure, learning how to swim, cook a meal or ride a mountain bike sounds fun, but trying new things and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones allows all of us to recognize every single win we make. Sometimes, just getting out of bed is a big win when we’re feeling down, and that deserves to be recognized, too!
That’s why our team guides campers in understanding how to use their strengths to boost confidence, address anxiety, approach life with less fear and make positive, lasting changes for their future success. If you can climb a rock wall after thinking it was impossible, imagine all the other things you can achieve!
The Sky's the Limit
Resilience Retreats are all about providing a safe and supportive environment for TGNB youth ages 10-17. Here, they can truly be themselves, gain the skills, resilience and confidence needed to navigate the world as their authentic selves. Each evening, our unique Campfire Conversations will encourage open dialogues among participants, helping them apply the skills they're acquiring at camp to their everyday lives.
The increase in trans sports bans, anti-trans, and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, such as Florida’s "Don't Say Gay" bill, are eliminating young people's abilities to be their authentic selves and creating barriers for them to live healthier, happier lives. The onslaught of misinformation and legalized hatred impacts TGNB young people in areas including outdoor recreation, personal development activities, healthcare, academics and more. As we remain committed to our mission, we are aware of how this increase in hate and violence affects the youth we serve. That’s why we’re committed to giving youth the opportunity to experience the great outdoors with their peers in safe, secure environments in Florida and across North America.
Our Leadership Team works tirelessly throughout the year, volunteering their time and expertise, to continuously analyze the results of and improve our programming. Each month, our team collaboratively develops and strengthens the S.P.E.A.R. approach, ensuring top-notch quality and support for our campers.
Register for a Resilience Retreat Today!
Together, we're on a mission to empower, inspire and create a welcoming space where TGNB young people can discover their inner strengths and shine brightly like the stars above. Are you ready to join us on your journey towards resilience? We can't wait to meet you and embark on your next adventure together!