The program is structured with a morning session, an afternoon session, and an evening session. The morning and evening sessions take place at our camp, and the afternoon session usually involves a field trip. The evening is reserved for processing - discussions summarizing the ideas that were brought up during the day - and an evening activity that takes place with the rest of the camp.
*Staff bios will be listed shortly.
**Please note program subject to change due to weather.
At EcoCamp we believe that every child
deserves the chance to play and learn in nature. We believe that it is
important to know where your food, water, energy, and other resources come from
and that the younger you begin to learn, the better. We believe that youth have
a special role in their community - to ask questions, push boundaries, and
shape their world - and we believe that it is our job to give them the tools to
do so. Our educational methods place great importance on thinking critically
about local and global issues and asking questions that get to the root of the
problems - and the solutions.
EcoCamp
is a week long environmental education program that combines experiential,
hands-on learning with discussion based and group building activities. It is
organized in partnership with local farmers, educators, and activists, and the
Cornell University Extension of Sullivan County. EcoCamp will teach its
participants about current, pressing environmental issues, challenge them to
envision a healthy and sustainable world, and give them the tools and resources
that will empower them to make it a reality. Your kids will be meeting with
experts in the fields of chemical free farming, water systems, renewable
energy, and environmental education. They will be planting, tending to, and
harvesting a garden that they help to maintain. They will visit nearby farms
and meet farmers who sell their produce both in upstate New York and in New
York City; they will have time to discuss all the things they learn and do with
their group, facilitated by their counselors; they will explore Camp Shomria’s
many acres of beautiful forest; they will see windmills, meet chickens, and
swim in a creek above the reservoir where most of their water come from. In
short they will have a mind blowing and incredible environmental experience!
During
their down time, your kids will be participating in the activities of Camp
Shomria – they will be swimming, playing sports, spending time in the arts and
crafts cabin, enjoying meals, and engaging in group building activities with
other kids their age.
The
mission of EcoCamp is to give participants a chance to connect to nature and to
educate them about issues related to the production and consumption of food,
water, and energy. EcoCamp challenges youth to envision a healthy and
sustainable world and to empower them to take steps, in their lives and in
their communities, towards enacting that vision.
Through
hands on experiential education, as well as content learning and discussion,
the participants in EcoCamp will learn about food and water systems, farming
and agricultural processes, energy, and
the history and politics of resource usage in our society. They will be
challenged to examine their role in these systems and encouraged to think
creatively and innovatively about how to problem solve some of the relevant
issues affecting them today.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of education towards
sustainability and environmental stewardship in the public school system. Urban
and suburban youth are not often given the opportunity to connect to nature on
a personal level, to learn firsthand where their food comes from, meet the
people who raise the animals and farm the food that they eat, or understand the
connections between the choices that people make every day and the state of our
shared planet. Today's urban and suburban youth should be given the opportunity
to care and the tools to figure out what they can do to make this world a
better place. Unlike the year round school system, sleep away summer camp
offers the chance to immerse kids in their education. Because they live where
they learn and play, they are able to understand concepts and lessons in a
deeper and more all encompassing way than they can anywhere else. EcoCamp will
provide your kids the chance to learn about important, contemporary issues in
the fun, safe, and nurturing environment of Camp
Shomria..
EcoCamp is unlike any other camp out there. EcoCamp
participants will not only learn about farming practices and do some of their
own farming, they will also meet and discuss important issues with professional
farmers. They will not only learn about different kinds of energy, they will
visit with local educators who use wind energy to power their homes, as well as
some who have chosen to use no electrical energy at all in their homes. They
will not only learn about water systems, but they will visit the reservoirs and
aqueducts in upstate New York that supply the very water they drink every day.
EcoCamp is not purely an instructional program – it challenges its participants
to draw connections between all that they will see, do, and learn, their daily
lives at home, and the health and sustainability of our shared planet. EcoCamp
will give each participant a learning experience that will last far beyond the
final day of the program.
The staff of
EcoCamp are all experienced educators with various areas of expertise. In addition
to the staff of Camp Shomria, EcoCamp happens in participation with local
farmers, environmental educators, and activists, each with many years of
experience in education and environmental studies.
Who will take care of my child in case
of illness or injury?
Your child is supervised by highly trained youth and adult staff. Camp Shomria provides professional first aid facilities, our nurse is always on duty, and we are situated just 12 minutes from the nearest hospital and 6 minutes from our medical clinic. In addition, many members of the staff are trained to deal with emergency cases if ever they arise. The keys to a safe environment are safe habits and prevention. At Shomria, our staff know when to draw the line on horseplay, in sporting events, and other high-risk activities. Like all camps in New York, Camp Shomria is also overseen by the New York State Department of Health, the strictest in the country.
Transportation to camp is not provided for short programs participants, but we are more than happy to assist in car-pooling. Luckily, we are only two hours from New York City, and the drive up is absolutely beautiful. While at camp, field trips will be taken in camp vehicles with specially trained drivers.
How will I communicate with my child
while he/she is at camp?
While at camp, your child can be delivered any email you send him or her. Just email Shomria@gmail.com with your child's name clearly marked on the subject heading. Emails are printed every morning and delivered during lunch. Your child should pack some envelopes and stamps in case he or she would like to send letters home. Like most camps today, we no longer allow telephone use except in emergency circumstances. Cell phone use is strictly discouraged. Phones brought to camp will be confiscated and returned only after the session is over.
If you loved EcoCamp and want your child to be involved year-round, we have programs galore. Programming starts with our Monthly Seminars - opportunities for youth to get together, have fun, and discuss world issues that are relevant to them. We also offer short spring and fall camps at our campgrounds in Liberty, New York, and we hold a five-day winter camp at the beautiful Epworth Camp and Retreat Center. Throughout the year we also offer family programming (like our annual Family Hike, and our programs at the Other Israel Film Festival) and adult programming (like our Holocaust Remembrance Day lectures and ceremony).
Join our mailing list and stay up to date on all upcoming programs.
Yes. Financial aid awards are determined on a case by case basis. Fill out the scholarship application and either fax it to (212) 989 9840 (attn: Tal Beery) or mail it to:
John Gorzynski is
an organic farmer who has been living and farming in Sullivan County
since 1982. He is a staunch advocate and producer of chemical free food, and
was integral in the early definition of the ‘organic’ (he has since become
disenchanted with the organic label and currently grows over 500 varieties of
pesticide free vegetables and fruits on his farm, butis no longer officially an organic farmer. He
has been an activist and educator towards sustainability and environmental
stewardiship for over 20 years. He currently lives in Sullivan County
and sells his produce to local citizens as well as every Saturday at the Union
Square Farmer’s Market.
Sonja and Dick own and operate the Apple
Pond Farm and Renewable Energy Education Center in Callicoon
Center in Sullivan County.
Sonja Hedlund began her work life as an English teacher in Hiroshima, Japan.
The former director of New York
State's heart disease
prevention program, she is now a full time farmer. As a shepherd and goat
keeper, she takes pride in her flocks. Making goat cheese, bread, sheep
shearing, spinning, dyeing wool and weaving have become special interests.
Every Saturday morning she hosts "Ballads
and Banjos" on WJFF.
She is a regular contributor to the local weekly newspaper, The Towne Crier.
Dick Reisling background and academic training are in
international relations, fiscal policy and social justice. Concerned about
global warming and the oil crisis, he installed the first on-farm wind turbine
in Sullivan County. Since then, solar hot water and
solar electric systems have been added to the farm; these produce more than
two-thirds of the electicity used. Dick is a community activist on several
issues: sustainable development, renewable energy, casino free development, and
social justice. He offers workshops on renewable energy and private
consultation on ways to install renewable energy systems in homes and
businesses.
Trina owns and operates Silver Heights Farm, where she
specializes in certified organic, heirloom & unusual, open pollinated
vegetable transplants. She grows food with great flavor and plants that perform
excellently in the Northeast. In addition to vegetables, she also grows a wide
variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. She is an activist and advocate of non
genetically modified food and lives in Jeffersonville,
New York
Wes Gillingham is the Program Director of Catskill Mountain
Keeper, an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the long term
health of the Catskill Region. Last summer he ran an amazing educational
program, leading 12 high-schoolers on a 150-mile journey from the peaks of the
Catskills to New York City's Central Park,
teaching them about the history of the watershed and the politics of protecting
the Catskills and the Hudson River. He has
many years of education and experience in water and resource issues and
maintenance.
Amy Gillingham is an educator and activist who works mainly
with textiles. She gives classes and workshops on textile production and energy
issues. She lives in Youngsville,
New York with her husband and two
kids.
Cornell
Cooperative Extension is a key outreach system of Cornell
University with a strong public
mission and an extensive local presence that is responsive to needs in New York
communities. The Cornell Cooperative Extension educational system runs programs
that aim to help people to improve their lives and communities through
partnerships that put experience and research knowledge to work. Cornell
Cooperative Extension operates on the Cornell campus through the leadership of
faculty and staff in departments in the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences and
the College of Human
Ecology, with contributions from the College of Veterinary
Medicine. In Sullivan County,
The Extension offers classes, workshops, and programs for youth, families, and
farmers about sustainability, food and agriculture, community and economic vitality,
environment and natural resources, and nutrition and health.
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