Top 10 Reasons LGBTQ Teens Love Camp Brave Trails
MEET NEW PEOPLE
LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS
There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by so many people who get you and identify the way that you do. Every session has a mix of new and returning campers from nearby and around the then world. Our fun activities and welcoming cabin spaces make it easy to bond with friends and have blast. Come meet your future besties at camp!
FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG
OUT & PROUD
The beauty of attending an LGBTQ+ camp is that you never have explain your identity or worry about being excluded because of who you are. At Camp Brave Trails, we celebrate YOU! We encourage exploration and expression. All campers and staff wear name tags every day with their name and pronoun displayed. You are free to changes your name and pronoun any time or use a fun camp name! Campers are welcome to check out clothes and make-up from our clothing closet if they want to try on a new look or wear a tutu for the day… just because!
A CAMP THAT WORKS FOR YOU
GENDERLESS SPACES
One of the hardest things about traditional summer camps is that everything is so gendered. This is why we’ve done away with gendering anything at camp. All of our cabins are divided by age and come complete with private bathroom for maximum comfort. Two counselors sleep in the cabins as well for safety and support. We never require campers to share their gender or identity if they don’t want to. Bye bye gendered spaces, hello more fun!
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
AWESOME PROGRAMS
We leave the schedule making to you so you can design your perfect camp session, the way you like it! You’ll get lots of options that change daily so you can explore new activities or master your usual favorites. You’ll find a great mix of creative, outdoorsy, performance based, sporty, and adventure programing to choose from. All of our programs are designed with LGBTQ+ bodies and needs in mind, like how we combat dysphoria at the pool with our rule that states everyone must wear a top and bottom in the pool, regardless of gender identity.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
LEARN TO LEAD
One of the most unique and exciting things about Camp Brave Trails is our leadership programing. We believe LGBTQ+ youth have boundless amounts of natural resiliency, creativity, and courage. Our programs help our campers find they are passionate about. Then throughout the session, they get to gain leadership tools, meet mentors, and build the confidence they need to go back in to their communities and make a positive impact.
SUPPORTIVE LGBTQ+ MENTORS
AMAZING STAFF
We know how important it is for LGBTQ+ youth to see themselves in positive adults around them.
Our welcoming, supportive, and super fun staff members are our secret sauce at camp. We put together an amazing team of adults who are passionate about mentoring our campers and masters of creating tons of FUN! After all, they were once LGBTQ+ young people themselves, so they understand the unique joys and challenges for navigating teen-hood as an LGBTQ+ young person.
MORE CONNECTED THAN EVER
UNPLUGGED
“When the staff first told me this was an electronics free camp, I was pretty hesitant and annoyed. I had phantom phone vibrations in my pockets for the first few days of camp (haha). By the last day of camp when I got my phone back, I told the staff I didn’t even want it back. I realized how much better it was to be face-to-face with my friends in this beautiful forest.” - M.E. (14 year old camper)
As weird as it may feel at first, most campers grow to absolutely love being unplugged. Less screens = deeper connections with those around us and that’s what camp is all about. Campers communicate with home via snail mail letters and family members can send campers message though our app, which we print and deliver daily.
THEME DAYS, PRIDE FLAGS, RAINBOWS, OH MY!
CAMP SPIRIT
No one does camp spirit like Brave Trails! When campers walk in to camp, they are engulfed in a sea of rainbows, pride flags, and unicorns. Some call it “a queer haven”. Our festive spirit is what makes camp feel magical. We love to go BIG for theme days, which is a fun way get silly, creative, or theatrical. It’s not unusual to see staff and campers in full drag or dressed head to toe in pride gear. It’s okay if just like to rock a t-shirt and cheer folks on. Show your camp spirit in your own way.
the stuff they don’t teach you in school
LGBTQ EDUCATION
As an LGBTQ+ teen, there’s a lot to figure out and not a lot of spaces to learn. This is why we infuse LGBTQ+ education in to our programs. Our campers get the opportunity to learn about: LGBTQ+ history, different identities, their rights as an LGBTQ+ person, modern queer hero, coming out support, safe relationships and consent, body positivity, intersectionality, and so much more. Learning about our community gives us a deeper understanding of who we are and sense of pride.
YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
THE BT FAMILY
It’s no coincidence that so many campers call Camp Brave Trails “home”. Home is where you are celebrated, supported, and feel loved. These are the feeling we strive to create for each and every camper while they are at camp. When you leave camp, you gain a beautiful community that rallies around you. After camp, campers can continue to stay connected by joining our online programs, monthly meet-up groups, our yearly reunion, and our mentorship program. It’s the family feel of Brave Trails that keeps campers coming back year after year.
