You belong here.
You’re invited to our upcoming
Get to know us better and get answers to all your
Unirondack questions!
March 14 @ 10AM EST
for this free zoom event
Unirondack is a radically inclusive summer camp community in Upstate New York for misfits and weirdos of all ages.
We’re committed to helping youth, adults and families explore themselves, spend meaningful time in the outdoors, and build the kind of supportive, lifelong community we all want to be a part of. We are a progressive and open-minded organization driven by curiosity, social justice values, and a commitment to youth empowerment.
Unirondack is a place for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in.
Our campers are given the opportunity to create their own camp experience by choosing from a wide range of creative, silly, active, outdoorsy, and discussion-based activities every day. We offer weeklong summer sleep-away camp sessions and wilderness trips for youth ages 8-18, plus a variety of enriching programs for adults and families. We are grateful to be located on a secluded lakeside in a breathtaking old-growth Adirondack forest, on the ancestral territory of the Oneida and Mohawk peoples. And we are also grateful to have the opportunity to share this space with an incredible group of creative, curious, and inspiring youth every summer.
Our approach is rooted in empathetic care, youth autonomy, laughter, and wild, expressive silliness - something that allows us to embrace and celebrate every single camper
for all of the things that make them
weird, unique, and amazing.
Learn more about…
We sometimes struggle to answer this question.
That’s because we offer about 65 totally original programs every week, born out of the wild imaginations of our talented staff and brought to life with the help of our curious and enthusiastic campers. Everyone at Unirondack is free to choose the activities and programs that spark their interest, and there is always something for everyone. That’s what makes every week at Unirondack a totally unique, one-of-a-kind experience for every participant.
We have all the camp classics - Swimming, boating, outdoor exploration, music, theatre, arts & crafts, group games, ceramics, athletics, DnD, board games, cooking and baking, educational workshops, and discussion groups. But we also have gnome weddings. Intergalactic Model UN. Extreme charcuterie boards. Bad breath contests. Fandom showdowns. And so much more than we could ever list here.
Below is just a teeny tiny taste of some of the programs we’ve offered recently. We’re hoping it will give you a sense of what we’re talking about:
What Activities do we offer?
Jam Band, Trash Sculpture, Unirondack Newspaper, Lock Picking, Auctioneering 101, Lord of the Flies, Intro to Philosophy, Making Flip Books, Destroy a Nalgene, Mythology Magic, Spy School, Watercolors in Canoes, Survivor, Fruit Surgery, Competitive Napping, Pirates Vs. Ninjas, Soap Making, Comics & Zines, Vampire Nightclub, Bottle Orchestra, Gender Rebellion Discussion, Calvinball, Guess What's in My Ravioli, Making Popcorn in a Canoe, Costume Kickball, Exploring the Bog, Creating a Pyramid Scheme, Darkroom Photography, Clay Sculpture, Body Image Discussion, Cut-Throat Bake Sale, Bug Weddings, Nerd Trivia, Tiny Playwrights, Counselor Sundae, Build a Superhero, Pet Rock Habitats, Disability Advocacy Workshop, Water Balloon Baseball, How to Go Zero Waste, DIY Instruments, Fairy Houses, LGBTQ History Jeopardy, Black-Out Poetry, A Capella, Screenprinting, Extreme Floor is Lava, Bookbinding, Improv, Plant Identification, Neorodiversity Parade, Sports for People who Hate Them, Crochet Animals, Rock Climbing (on real cliffs!), Cardboard Boats, How to Make Your School More Inclusive, Camp Documentary, Natural Fibre Dye, Trans Health Q&A, Random Acts of Kindness, Dirty Jobs, Climate Crisis & Hope Discussion, Make Your Own Cryptid, Foley Artists, Queerness in Nature Workshop, Extreme Musical Chairs, Social Change Ecosystems, and Zombie Apocalypse Survival.
We take silliness seriously.
Camp is a place where growing up is optional. We don’t just make space for silliness and creativity, we make them the whole point. Be loud, be weird, be daring, be absurd, be authentic - we celebrate you as you are! We nurture curiosity and wonder for all ages. We are a place where misfits find their fit, where adults and teens find their inner child, where children and youth find the courage to be their truest selves.
We practice radical inclusion.
We believe that inclusion is an active process, and it takes a lot of work. We design our programs, space, and community guidelines with everyone in mind - especially those marginalized voices who have been historically left out of the summer camp experience. We are always striving to learn, adapt, and teach so that we can really mean it when we say: you belong here.
We build a healthy community together.
What kind of community do you want to live in? That’s the question we ask our campers at the start of every week. We empower youth to take the lead in designing their own set of expectations and responsibilities. Youth are encouraged to create their own experience by choosing their own activities, making impactful collective decisions, and holding each other accountable. Through this practice they develop strong community building skills.
We inspire youth to stand up for a more equitable world.
We encourage young people to think critically about the world we live in, to acknowledge and celebrate difference, and to consider new perspectives. We challenge our campers to learn and grow through engaging, age-appropriate, expert-led social justice programs that complement a schedule packed with other fun and silly programs to match every interest.
We are summer camp done differently
We believe that all summer camps offer an amazing way for youth to get outdoors, unplug from technology, celebrate wonder and play, laugh until your sides hurt, build connections and social skills, develop problem-solving skills, challenge themselves in a new environment, and learn new things about themselves. But we also believe that summer camp can be so much more.
Camp can be a place where youth find their voice. Our campers come away from their experience at Unirondack feeling more like themselves. They walk away knowing that their story matters and that they have the power to build a more just and equitable world. And more importantly, they come away knowing that they are part of a lifelong community where they are loved, exactly as they are. Unirondack is a place where many youth feel a sense of real belonging for the very first time.
Is your child too young to come to camp by themselves?
For kids under 8 who are curious about camp, or kids of ANY age who aren’t quite sure they’re ready to embark on a solo camp adventure just yet, we recommend checking out our Family and Friends Weekend. This is an intergenerational program hosted every Memorial Day weekend at Unirondack. Family and Friends Weekend offers families the opportunity to come to camp together and give it a try without committing to a whole week at camp. Kids who attend this program have the chance to get to know our space, our staff, our activities and the general environment at camp so that they can feel confident coming back on their own when they’re ready. It’s a great way for adults to get to know us, too! Check out our whole list of intergenerational programs here.
