What Are Adoption Summer Camps?

As you are considering your summertime adventures for your family, look into the idea of an adoption camp to enhance your experiences. A summer adoption camp can expand our thoughts and captivate our hearts. Spotlighting adoption plans as part of your family’s summer will also show your family and friends the importance of being intentional with incorporating adoption as a special part of the lives of those you love.

Adoption summer camps have become popular in recent years as we learn the value and benefit of all they have to offer. They can be day camps, weekly meetings, or week-long camps attended by either an adopted child or the entire family. The goal behind sending your child or going with them to a camp during the summer is all in experiencing more of who they are and who they will become. Navigating adoption doesn’t cease after ICPC is approved and your child is home; you have just begun. A summer camp empowers your child, strengthens friendships, and provides opportunities they may not normally be given.

Camp in general is a word that instigates excitement and wonder as well as being a new adventure. If you look around your city, you may not necessarily have camps that are only geared toward adoptive families, but there will be many options for children to make new friends and enjoy new experiences. Contact your local churches for summer camps or Vacation Bible Schools they offer. Ask your local YMCA about choices they have for summer. The Boy/Girl Scouts or 4-H clubs will be able to tell you what your child can be involved in while out of school. Also, your local school system may provide camps based on your child’s interests like science, math, art, music, or sports. These are safe environments that would give your child a great opportunity to learn and have fun during the summer.

If what you’re searching for is something specifically related to adoption, you can find many camps that focus on adoptees or adoptees and their families and what makes them so special. Adoption-focused camps may be fewer and far between but can be well worth the time and travel it takes to participate.

What you will find in an adoption camp are positive and eye-opening benefits. Families are able to spend time in activities together as well as find space for children to engage with other adoptees and parents to connect with each other. Children who attend adoption camps have encounters that are usually less-than-normal in their day-to–day lives. Whether they are kayaking on the river or just being around other children who understand their feelings, adoption camp provides them with special times and unwavering support. Lifelong friends or summer companions are made from similar backgrounds and shared experiences. Families also benefit from the stress-free environment and respite from a life outside the realm of normalcy.

There are several options for adoption camps if you’re looking to take your child. A quick look in an internet search engine, a social media investigation, or a call to an adoption professional for recommendations will point you in the direction of adoption camps to check out.

One well-known adoption agency, Holt International, provides adoption day or overnight camps for the whole family or a camp that is solely for adoptees. Check out their website for more information. Heritage Camps also has camps for adoptive families that are located in Colorado. They focus on families with adoptive children and teaching them about their culture of origin. Another camp is the Pact adoption camp, whose mission is to serve adopted children of color and their families. They have two camp locations, in California and Georgia. See their website for information.

The important thing to remember when planning for summer is to find an experience that will best fit your child and what they are ready to handle in order to get the most benefit and happiest experience for your child and family.

—

Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.