Camp Elevate in Action!

Lantern Light Staff member Ben takes the newest Elevate Youthers from West End House out on a one-of-a-kind Craig Ryder boating trip on Wednesday morning.

Today, Elevate Youth celebrates the completion of another successful week of Camp Elevate! We partnered with the West End House Boys and Girls Club to explore the natural beauty of New England. We began on Monday with a day of sailing in the Boston Harbor with Pier’s Park Sailing and talking about what they can expect camping the rest of the week. Tuesday morning, we hit the road for a three-day, two-night camping trip at Lantern Light Camps in Deerfield, New Hampshire, just between Portsmouth and Concord NH. We were so excited for our students to have the chance to make new friends, try new activities, and unplug from life in the city.

After a delicious meatball sub lunch, our new Youthers kept cool at the waterfront and tried their hand at archery. We thoroughly enjoyed dinner before calling home, playing basketball and gaga ball, and a wonderfully silly campfire brought about by the Lantern Lights Camp staff.

Waking up on Wednesday wasn’t easy, but breakfast and a trip on LLC’s one-of-a-kind Craig Ryder boat called! We kept cool in the heatwave by swimming and then headed to lunch – grilled cheese, a clear favorite. After lunch, we spent time at the Frontier programming area, which included fire-building, wood-chopping, branding, paracord bracelets, ax sharpening, and making our own frozen dessert. We enjoyed art, basketball, and a visit to the camp store before dinner and stargazing. 

Thursday began with packing, breakfast, and a full morning of youth-choice. Campers had the opportunity to revisit any and all the program areas we had already attended. The waterfront was extremely popular in the heat, and youthers also enjoyed archery, sports, and art again before heading home.

At Elevate Youth, we know many low-income children in Boston’s inner city have never experienced the crunch of pine needles beneath their feet, the rush of adrenaline when they hit a bullseye in archery, or the comradery of paddling a boat around a lake together. Connecting to the natural world is a privilege few young people have in the communities we serve, and Elevate Youth is proud to begin to dismantle this boundary. Urban youth and families typically lack the transportation, outdoor education, and financial resources to experience natural places, understand and appreciate the environment, and engage in outdoor physical activity, and we are proud to provide them the resources to make these connections. We know that an abundance of bugs, being away from home, and sleeping in a new place can be extremely stressful, so we applaud our newest Youthers on a fantastic camping trip. We are proud of them for trying new things even when it can be scary.

Camp Elevate would not be possible without our partnerships and generous donations. You can support kids getting outside and experiencing the outdoors today. Visit our page about Camp Elevate to learn more about how your contribution will have an immediate impact on a child’s summer experience.

After calling home and showering on Wednesday, our Youthers watched the beautiful sunset on the lake.