ASCV Adult Campout

Summer camp is a special place to build memories, make friends, and try new things. This year we partnered with the Autism Society of Central Virginia to host an adult summer camp at Camp Hanover. Over a full weekend, we all shared fun activities, spending time around a campfire and in our cabins and exploring local trails and waterways. Camps like this are a growing opportunity and programming style for Beyond Boundaries and we’re excited to have had such a fun weekend.

“The idea behind the camp itself is to provide longer experiences for participants and a different experience than our 2-3 hour programs, it’s multiple experiences over a few days. From a 30k foot view, it’s a deeper inclusive opportunity for everyone to spend 24 hours together. The downtime that isn’t programming is another chance for people to bond and spend time. We have all of this relaxation time around meals and in-between programs where people can bond,” says Shep.

Summer camp opportunities can be rare for individuals with disabilities and our goal was to create something that opened this experience up to everyone. “First and foremost people get to be outside and socialize with other people. I think that people who are on the spectrum maybe don’t get to socialize as much and spending that much time together helped them develop friendships,” says Gary, one of the volunteers on the campout whose brother attended with ASCV.

This camp included so many activities, that even with the impending bad weather, campers were able to disperse and follow their interests. We also made a point to stay true to our challenge-by-choice model, allowing campers to hang out in their cabins, lodges, or common areas if they didn’t have an interest in a certain activity.

“I feel like BB/ASCV created a very inclusive and very thoughtful program that really made sure everyone was included, despite their abilities and backgrounds,” says Gary.

What really makes summer camp so fun, however, is being able to build relationships with new friends or expand on relationships with familiar faces.

“I felt like I was witnessing a lot of interactions that happened during an activity, being explored deeper during the downtime. When we’re running a specific program, there can be less time for these types of explorations,” Shep explains.

Our itinerary for this camp was designed to create space for exactly these kinds of opportunities.

“The framework for a lot of these interactions was built during the specific event and was able to develop during the downtime. These conversations turn into relationships that continue beyond just the camp, or activity, and let campers make friends and connections outside of that immediate circle,” explains Shep.

Over the course of the day, campers were able to enjoy fishing, archery, swimming, and crafting before meeting at the main lodge for dinner, a movie, a bonfire, and s’mores. The next day, we offered campers the opportunity to choose between fishing, hiking, or disc golf before packing up and ending the trip with a closing circle.

“Fishing was a standout event for me. A lot of the participants were able to catch their first fish and it was great to see their excitement at that accomplishment,” Gary says.

“It's about opportunity and empowerment. A cool thing that a camp experience provides is the multiple options of activities. We’re going to offer something over the time frame of the camp that the campers will enjoy. Again, the downtime really lets the volunteers, campers, and staff connect and gives us opportunities to have new conversations. It showed a lot of our volunteers that they had a lot in common with the campers and gave them the chance to bond,” says Shep. 

“Seeing the participants interact with each other was really cool. My brother for example joined the “three amigos” and they played a ton of cards and were just laughing up a storm and having a ball,” Gary states.

We’re extremely grateful to all of our volunteers, ASC, and Camp Hanover for helping to make this camp happen, and can’t wait for next year.

If you’re interested in volunteering or joining us on trips, sign up to volunteer. Or, support our mission by donating today.