What is Camp Indigo?

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Thanks for asking! We're a summer day camp for trans, nonbinary and gender expansive youth ages 5-17.

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Are you a trans-led organization?

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We sure are! We are founded and led by trans people, and 95% of staff are trans and/or gender expansive identified.

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Where are the camps located?

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We run one camp in south Boulder (Colorado), one camp in central Oakland (California), another in the Akron, OH area, and one camp in SW Austin, Texas. Exact locations are given out after registration.

 

What are the hours?

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All locations run 9am-3pm.

 

What is the cost of camp?

 

So glad you asked! Our Under 12 Oakland, Boulder, and Austin camps run for $500 per week. Our Ohio camp is $425 per week. 

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The teen camp (12+) is $550 per week in Oakland, Boulder, and Austin and runs $475 in Ohio.

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What's included in the cost of camp?

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Great question! First and foremost, fees pay your staff. All Camp Indigo staff are paid a living wage respective to the camp location - no one works for free! Registration fees also cover the cost of facilities, all program materials, activities and transportation for teens, scholarships, insurance, and so on. Oh, and Band-Aids! Lots and lots of (emotional support) Band-Aids. 

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Do you happen to offer scholarships?

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We sure do! No applications or emails needed. Just go ahead and use one of the codes below for 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% off:

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Indigo25

Indigo50

Indigo75

Indigo100

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These discounts ensure that cost is no barrier for our community of campers. Please take what you need. We do encourage families to register early as scholarships are limited to $85,000 across all camps. 

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Can cis siblings attend?

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Great question! The answer is yes! Assuming:

 

1) They are under 12 (we try to keep the teen space trans only),

 

2) The cis camper knows what the camp is about/for,

 

3) The trans and/or non-binary camper is okay with it

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Are there any sibling or multi-session discounts?

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You bet there are! These will apply automatically at check-out. You can also use the codes above in addition to the sibling and multi-session discounts.

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What's your refund policy?

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We offer 100% refunds up until 30 days before your respective camp. 

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I have a gay daughter. Can I send her to this camp?

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Love that for her! Camp Indigo is a camp for trans and non-binary youth. We are not an "LGBTQ camp." So - though we love queer youth, this isn't the right space for your kiddo.

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My kid is really resistant to a camp all about being trans. He want's to just be a "normal boy." How do I convince him to attend?

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We like to say that this is a camp for trans youth, but that it's not a camp about being trans. Yes, there are certainly campers who wear that trans flag loud. and. proud. AND we have an equal amount of young folks (and staff) who are stealth and/or who don't want to talk about being trans. There is a space for all of us. Conversations about trans identities and experiences come up naturally (and often) amongst the teens. Our younger campers do participate in some trans-centered story time and identity-centered projects. 

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There is nothing more important than community. It's where we feel our most validated, where we see ourselves in others, where we meet our people. Give us a try - you'll be glad you did!

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Is this an overnight camp? And can the whole family come?

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We are a DAY camp - which means we send your kids home each day, and as much as we love your enthusiasm, this space is just for youth ;)

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Are you running camp on July 4th?

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YES. Is there anything more patriotic than being trans??

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Are all of the week's activities the same or do they vary? And do campers usually do just one week?

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Each week of camp is chalk full of fresh programming, skits, songs, everything! Most campers come for multiple weeks, and we often hear, "I wish we had signed up for more than one week!"

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Do you offer any programming for parents/ care givers?

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Yes! There are two care-giver led sessions per day (9:30am and 2pm), and these are a great way to make connections with other families, to boost your own knowledge of trans allyship, and to allow yourself the space to process and feel all of the things that come along with parenting trans youth. Our families LOVE these!

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You serve kids 4-17. Are they all together? Or, how do you group the kids?

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Great questions! We have one camp for kids 5-11 and one for kids 12-17 (with the option for 12 year olds to flex down or flex up depending on maturity and interests). Within those respective camps are even smaller groupings based on age. We often have 10-11 year olds together and 14-17 year olds together (for example). Teen programming is different and aligns with the interests of that respective age group.

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Okay cool. So what exactly do the teens do all day?

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It depends on the day! We often go offsite for Pride events, museums, scavenger hunts, etc, or stay on campus for music production, poetry, theater, cooking "classes," comic books, and more. There's also a reasonable amount of down time to allow our teens to connect organically. You can find out more at our teen page HERE.

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Will my teen/kid become "more trans" after this camp? I'm worried that they will be influenced by others to want things (like surgeries, hormones, etc) more urgently...

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After running camp for 10 summers we can say that gender exploration looks different for everyone. That said it isn't uncommon for teens (especially) to see/learn about possibilities that they hadn't yet considered and to feel a strong need to make gender affirming changes. Our advice to families is to acknowledge and affirm these desires and to show a good faith effort towards meeting those needs. We really encourage avoiding statements like, "what if you change your mind?" This doesn't typically land well with our kiddos!

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Younger campers tend to just leave camp exhausted, but not more trans than when they started ;)

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We LOVE what you're doing at Camp Indigo! Can we donate services? Hours? Money? One million dollars??

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Well that sure sounds nice! You can donate through our donation page, but go ahead and email us to discuss larger gifts, company matching programs, Foundation-commitments and more! thecampindigo@gmail.com

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We hate what you're doing at Camp Indigo! Can we send you hate mail??

 

...Sure? Go ahead and do that HERE.

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