4 WEEK SESSION PROGRAM

Beam Camp's program focuses on skill-building, collaborative challenge, responsibility, and mentorship while retaining a culture of community, exploration, and supported risk-taking. 

PROGRAM AREAS

The Big Project
The Big Project is one of only a few program areas with which every person at camp connects, and there are many ways to connect to it. In the first two weeks of the 4-week program, campers cycle through different project shops to engage with the various tools, materials and techniques required to complete that specific summer’s project. Project work happens in the morning during these first two weeks, and it serves to get campers more familiar with project work and lead them into weeks three and four, during which the camp focus shifts to prioritize the Big Project’s completion. During the third and fourth weeks of the session, peer-led teams of campers, called “Waves”, will be challenged to execute phases of the Project autonomously through Project Challenges. They will be supervised by the Project Staff, but it will be up to them to ask for specific guidance and support if they encounter roadblocks.

Domains
In the first and second weeks of camp, campers choose guest-led Domains which are hands-on, discovery activities in the arts, performance, sciences, athletic or cultural fields. Each camper participates in two domains per week which take place on alternating days, culminating in a sharing of camper creations and experiences.

Independent Work
Each camper is invited to, with the guidance of our shop specialists, visualize, design, and create their own independent project. These projects can include a wide variety of ideas, so long as they can be created using the facilities and expertise we have available to us at camp within the four weeks we have together. In the past we have helped campers create pogo sticks, skateboards, original songs, arcade games, RC vehicles, ceramic dish sets, and more.

Community Work
During community work periods, campers and staff work together to inspect and upkeep the shared camp spaces that maintain the operations of our community. Community work areas include sweeping of the dining hall, cabin maintenance, dishwashing, and cleaning and organization of shared spaces like the art barn. This serves to encourage those who are residing at camp to take responsibility for the spaces we share and make sure camp can run as it should. 

Pulse
Each day, every camper has the opportunity to swim and take part in athletics and active play. Activities can include traditional camp activities like nature walks and Gaga Ball, as well as Beam Camp activities like Circle Rules Football or Froccer.

2 WEEK SESSION SCHEDULE

Beam Camp’s 2-week program, similar to the program described above, focuses on skill-building, collaborative challenge, responsibility, and mentorship while retaining a culture of community, exploration, and supported risk-taking. The main differences between our 2-week session and our 4-week session exist in the scope of the Big Project and the Independent Projects created by campers. Our shorter session serves as an introduction to Beam Camp for campers and families who may want to try camp but aren’t ready for four weeks.

Project
The Big Project during our 2-week sessions is a smaller scale opportunity for creation through collaboration. Whether we build a piece of a larger project created across multiple sessions, or we build something contained within those two weeks, all campers and staff get to have their hands on the Big Project in some way. The scope of the work done during these shorter sessions is designed to fit within a two week window, and it serves primarily as a taste of the work done during our 4-week program.

Independent Work
During our second session, independent work periods create opportunities for campers to learn new skills and connect them to other practices and personal needs. Each week, our four shop specialists guide campers through a pre-designed small project which campers have an opportunity to personalize. Campers get to choose which shop they would like to work in at the start of each week, so while they are at camp, they will be able to work in two different shop spaces on personal small projects.

Here is a sample of our daily schedule while at camp:

Thanks to David Golann, Emily Wilson and Danny Kahn for incredible photography.