Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My child is in middle or high school, do you have activities that will hold his or her attention?
A: Yes, we are very proud that our programs continue to grow with our campers. We maintain the cultural depth of learning while increasing the opportunities for peer group bonding and mentoring with counselors and other young adult adoptee's at camp. We have introduced supervised middle school and high school parties (which are separate) in the evenings, outdoor team building activities, such as challenge courses, zip lines, climbing wall, canoeing, etc. for just the middle school groups, and rafting trips for some of the high school groups. Additionally, our More Than Me™ program, which is exclusive to Colorado Heritage Camps, is a program designed specifically for the middle school groups, and per their request, is now expanding to include the high school groups. Read about More Than Me http://www.heritagecamps.org/morethanme.html
Q: What age children benefit most from camp? How young is too young?
A: All ages benefit from camp. In fact we firmly believe it is never too young to start introducing an adopted child to his or her birth culture, but also to many other adopted children "just like them." We begin with our child care program complete with culturally relevant toys, videos, and activities for toddlers. Our "campers" begin at age 3 (if they are potty trained) in our PreK program. This program has built in rest time and centers where camp comes to them, similar to a protective preschool environment. We have a full scale elementary age program that strongly focuses on pride building cultural activities that are age appropriate. Camp continues through our exciting middle and high school programs. The camp experience doesn't end there - it is followed by opportunities to be camp counselors or volunteers after high school graduation at one of our annual 10 camps.
Q: Is your camp inclusive of all types of families?
A: Yes, Colorado Heritage Camps is adamant about being inclusive of all types of families and every child. Our "official" non-discrimination policy states, "We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, marital status, or national and ethnic origin." In our hearts, every family is welcome to attend camp and every family is accepted without question. We are all in this together!
Q: Is your camp affiliated with a specific adoption agency or support group?
A: No, we welcome and encourage all families to attend camp, no matter which agency you used, or which path you took to adopt your child. Typically, we have families at the ten camps throughout the summer that come from 42 states in the U.S. and even a few foreign countries!
Q: What is the #1 reason for my family to attend a heritage camp?
A: There are actually two #1 reasons; identity building and self-esteem for your adopted child, and a greater recognition and understanding of where your child came from. It is the perfect way for your entire family to immerse themselves in the wonders of your adopted child's culture. This unique experience is entertaining and enlightening for your adopted child, non-adopted siblings (and cousins, friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.), and for you as parents to learn much about your child's birth country. It truly is a 4-day celebration of culture and adoption as presented by our wonderfully generous ethnic community members, experts in the field of child development and adoption, and our fantastic role-model counselors.
Q: Will my non-adopted child(ren) benefit from a heritage camp?
A: Absolutely! Each of our ten 4-day family camps are quite an extravaganza celebrating culture and adoption. The days are filled with age-appropriate activities, shopping opportunities at our camp markets, as well as exciting performances by our campers and members of the cultural community. Non-adopted children are welcome and encouraged to participate in everything and delve into the camp's culture to learn more about where their sibling came from and who they are. It's a great opportunity to create long-lasting friendships for both adults and kids. There's also plenty of family time to enjoy all that Colorado has to offer including hiking, mountain biking, and horse back riding, or visiting the sites in Denver if your camp is located there.
Q: What is a typical camp day like?
A: Please see our web site http://www.heritagecamps.org/dayinlife.html to view "Four Days in the Life of Heritage Camp."
Q: My child has never asked about his/her ethnicity - does that mean heritage camp wouldn't be a good fit for him/her?
A: Not usually. Though some children may not verbalize their thoughts about being "different" from his or her parents, relatives, possibly peer group, they are most likely internalizing those thoughts and feelings from a very young age. Heritage Camp is an opportunity to validate those feelings, simply by spending four days with other children "just like" him or her, and they are "just like" not only in the color of their skin, or shape of their eyes, or wave of their hair, but also in the fact that they are adopted. Knowing you are not the "only one" is a very reassuring feeling for children and probably the strongest reason to attend a heritage camp. As parents there is no greater gift you can give your child than the opportunity to discover who they really are, and to celebrate in that discovery with them.
Q: Is there financial aid/scholarships available?
A: Yes, Colorado Heritage Camps wants to insure that EVERY family is offered the opportunity to attend one or more of our annual camps by offering confidential scholarships to those in need. We realize that needs vary per family and are known to award scholarships of some amount to all who apply. You must first register for camp on our user friendly registration page http://www.heritagecamps.org/onlineregistrations.html
then complete a scholarship application at http://www.heritagecamps.org/scholarship.html.
