“African/Caribbean Heritage Camp was about letting our children (and our whole family) be a part of something, of finding a place of belonging, and being so supported by everyone (other kids, families, and those awesome counselors!)” - ACHC Parent Comment
Colorado Heritage Camps developed ACHC for families who adopted:
There are two main reasons we moved the camp to Denver this year. One is the economy. This will be a MUCH more reasonable camp cost wise for families. The group hotel rates at the Hampton Inn Cherry Creek is $79 per night and includes a full breakfast. At Snow Mountain ranch, the rates averaged $159 per night, including breakfast and dinner. We will be including one dinner in your camp program fees this year, and of course, lunch both Friday and Saturday. The second reason is because we felt we needed to be closer to the African, Haitian, and African American communities in Denver. It is difficult for some of the people who really want to work with us and with our kids to take the time off work (many are small business owners) to come up to camp for a long weekend. In Denver, they can find a couple of hours here and there to come and be part of camp. We believe this "urban experience" will be a positive way to more fully immerse ourselves in our kid's cultures. We will still provide some great outdoor opportunities for kids and families, in Denver's amazing parks, recreation centers, and more. A rafting trip is still planned for our high school group, and outdoor team building exercises for our middle schoolers. There is a large, enclosed courtyard at the church for outdoor games and activities for preschool/elementary campers, and for parents to have some outside time as well. As an urban camp, ACHC in Denver will also offer opportunities for families to explore and enjoy the many sights of the Denver/Boulder area. More information about what to see and do in the Denver/Boulder area can be found at www.Denver.org. Registration materials are available, so NOW is the time to request registration information to be placed on our mailing list.
All are welcome, please join us! Adopting internationally from Africa or Haiti and adopting African American children domestically offer very different experiences for our families. Colorado Heritage Camps is working very hard to provide a camp experience that serves both families of domestic and international adoption. We are glad to continue the tradition of providing a warm and welcoming place for children to be with other adoptees who have a common racial background and therefore some common experiences growing up in North America. Our children may face life experiences that will most likely differ from our experiences in the world. One of the best and truest parts of camp is sharing your story with other parents from all over the country about our parenting journey.
What's happening in 2009? During the weekend of camp, 3 to 18-year-old campers join their peers for cultural activities, which include everything from dancing to drumming to customs to crafts and so much more, plus some outdoor summer camp fun. African-American counselors serve as role models and mentors to the children during camp.
Depending on the registration size, we typically group the kids as follows:
Life-long learning: workshops for adoptive parents Adult family members attend cultural and adoption-related workshops facilitated by various experts and professionals. Many are African-American, including the ever-popular Adult Adoptee Panel, and are experts in their topics. In the past, camp has offered various topics including:
We have started work on camp programming ideas for 2009 and plan to deliver a unique blend of culture and adoption topics. Some confirmed events so far include:
Stay tuned for more events to be confirmed in the coming months. Again, we are very excited to meet families who have adopted both domestically and internationally and hope we can continue the tradition of providing a warm and welcoming place for children to be with other adoptees who have a common racial background and therefore some common experiences growing up! Our children may face life experiences that will most likely be different than their adoptive parents' experiences! Come share with families from around the country who participate in this fabulous family experience!
Thinking about giving camp a try but want to know more? Click here to read our Frequently Asked Questions and For more pictures of African/Caribbean Heritage Camp 2008 click here Though we have generated some good support from Denver's African American, African, and Haitian communities, we still need YOUR help. We need more community volunteers to work with the kids, teach workshops, cook authentic cultural meals, perform dance and music, etc., MOST importantly, we are looking for high school and college-aged African Americans to be counselors at camp, acting as role models for the children and spending time with them throughout the two days of camp. Please consider volunteering for this rewarding position! As a non-profit 501 C(3) organization, African/Caribbean Heritage Camp is always seeking financial assistance to help keep camp costs reasonable for families, and still provide an outstanding program. If you'd like to help, please go to the Donations section of this web site, and thank you very much in advance. We are also in need of donations of frequent
flier miles to help defray costs of out of state speakers. If
you have miles you can donate please email us at info@heritagecamps.org
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African/Caribbean Heritage Camp (ACHC) celebrates its 11th year in 2009 and remains one of the only camps of its kind in the country. This year’s camp theme is "Building Community."
Truly, all politics aside, be it because he is African-American, bi-racial or that he was raised in a trans-racial family, it is a remarkable time in our country and the first time that children of color can actually see themselves as President of the United States. Now if we can just change the law so that those born outside the U.S. could be President too! We honor this historical time in American history as we continue building our camp’s connections to the larger African/Caribbean community and strengthen our own ties as a community of adoptive families. 
African Caribbean Heritage Camp has moved!! We are excited to announce that this year, ACHC will be held at Augustana Lutheran Church (camp is not affiliated with this church or any church, just using it's marvelous space!) in Denver, Colorado, Augustana is centrally located in Denver with easy access to and from Denver International Airport and the major interstates that serve the Denver area.
ACHC runs as a family camp with programming for all ages primarily led by African-Americans who hail from the United States or immigrated from Africa or the Caribbean, just like our campers. We are developing growing connections with the Ethiopian and Haitian communities in Colorado and hope to build on these connections in the years to come.
While our kids enjoy summer in Colorado, we parents participate in cultural and adoption-related sessions to help us celebrate the blessings and navigate the challenges inherent to our trans-racial adoptive families.
