Accessible Adventure

Over the many years that we’ve held Passages Adventure Camp, we’ve discovered that kids have a lot in common. They’re curious, quick to laugh, and thrive in a team environment. We’ve also discovered that each kid is unique, with their own set of likes and dislikes, quirks, and things that make them special.

Our youngest campers are only 5, while our oldest are 17. We see the wide range of growth as they move from childhood to young adult. Our camps are full of boys and girls, coming from all walks of life, and with vastly different lived experiences.

One of the things that really neat about our annual Wood River Run is that it helps us to expose more kids to the outdoors and adventure sports. This 5K fundraiser helps to sponsor scholarships so that we can provide the Passages Adventure Camp experience to deserving kids whose families may not have the financial resources to pay for a session.

You know what? When they arrive at Passages, they blend right in. They’re curious, quick to laugh, and thrive in a team environment.

This makes us especially excited about our latest outreach.

We’ve partnered with Autism Society of Central Virginia on an inclusive summer camp for this season. They work with kids with all different forms and levels of autism, and are adept at breaking down barriers, creating connections, and providing opportunities for everyone in the autism community.

Working with them, we learned that working with a camper on the autism spectrum requires a new set of tools. They provided our staff with in-depth training on communications skills, helping to create a safe space for someone with autism, and methods of breaking through communication barriers. They helped us to create diagrams for our rules and activities, social stories to share, and more.

When our first new campers arrived at Base Camp, we felt as if we had been well prepared. We were able to create a new level of excitement, and introduce adventure sports to a special group of amazing kids in an entirely new and inclusive way.

At the end of the day, they were just like every other kid, but entirely unique in their own individual ways.

This was one more step in making Passages Adventure Camp more accessible and inclusive to all kids, and we look forward to working with the Autism Society of Central Virginia a lot more in the future.