Beloved members of the LGBTQIA+ community, you and your relatives and chosen family are invited to join us for an all ages Pride camp to celebrate our sacred selves, our stories to create community and of course some all out camp fun! Come on your own, come with your partner or spouse, come with your family…come and be part of this time to join together in a community of Pride founded on love, safety, openness and inclusivity.
While here, campers will:
1) Find a safe space to be fully themselves, to explore their identity, and to share their stories. At Pride Across the Ages, pronouns are honored, names respected, exploration is welcome, and identity is celebrated! There will be space to tell stories, to honor grief, and to recognize the beauty of coming together from different generations, different versions of “family” and different lived experiences.
2) Find affirming space for conversations around spirituality, identity, and love for self and others. We honor all of our campers’ spiritual journeys, offering support and places to allow for the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ identity and matters of spirituality. While Pilgrim Lodge is a United Church of Christ camp with Christian symbolism throughout the facilities, Pride Across the Ages seeks to support all spiritual paths among our campers. While we will offer some Christian practices, we will also have space for other methods of exploring spirituality. You may even have opportunities to share practices from your own faith tradition. All of our activities are encouraged but optional. We run a “challenge by choice” mindset. If something isn’t the right fit for you or your family at a given time, you are more than welcome to find an alternative activity (and relaxation is most definitely an activity!). If you do not claim a particular faith, are agnostic or atheist, you are welcome here! Just as we ask all campers to respect the faith traditions of others, we will respect your beliefs too. There will be no efforts towards conversion or indoctrination in any faith tradition. Our Sacred Gathering times offer an invitation to be still, to engage one another’s stories, to sing, and to enjoy the beauty of nature and community.
3) Experience the fun of being at camp! Campers can enjoy all that camp has to offer, such as swimming, boating, singing, crafting, playing games, enjoying cookouts, having ice cream, spending time with old and new friends, and so much more! We will also spend time exploring topics which are important to the LGBTQIA+ community and their family members, share from our collective history, and support one another wholeheartedly.
Housing is in cabins with private bathrooms and shower rooms. People who register as a family will be housed together. Cabins generally sleep 6-10 people, so individuals or small parties may be grouped together as well.
Campers under the age of 18 must attend with a parent or legal guardian and stay in the same housing option together.
The Lodge and Dining Hall at Pilgrim Lodge both have single-stall restrooms available. The multiple-stall restrooms are made gender-neutral for those who wish to use them. However, there is always a single-stall restroom within reach!
We hope you will join the invitation to come and unplug, relax, unwind and enjoy all that camp and community have to offer. We look forward to seeing you this summer!
