Baltimore Yearly Meeting Camping Program

Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) offers an outstanding camping program that for many of our children has been one of the most memorable parts of their child- and teenager-hoods. Apart from being enormous fun, the camps are places where the Quaker testimonies – simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship – are learned by living them in community. Young people from the ages of 8 to 14 can attend one of the BYM camps – Catoctin, Shiloh, and Opequon – for two weeks or even a full month. Teenagers of 15 to 18 go for three weeks to Teen Adventure. Goose Creek values the camping experience so much that we fund one week of camp for all children and teenagers who attend our meeting.

BYM Quaker Camps registration opens on January 15!

BYM Quaker Camps will be open for the summer of 2021! The BYM Camps are a 2- or 4-week residential summer camp for 9-14 year olds and an outdoor adventure camp for 15-17 year olds. Registration for the camps opens on January 15th! Starting this year, the BYM Quaker camps will be using a sliding scale for camp fees. Goose Creek Meeting will also pay for one week for each member or attender from Goose Creek Meeting. If you have more questions or want more information about the camps, you can visit https://bymcamps.org/ or contact Cory Joseph at coryjoseph2014@gmail.com.

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Catoctin Quaker Camp

Catoctin is located in the Catoctin Mountains just north of Frederick, Maryland. The camp offers many in-camp activities such as swimming in a natural pond, arts and crafts, informal music and drama, low pressure athletics, and chores. Campers also take overnight hiking and service trips. These may take them to various sections of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We backpack roads and trails; we canoe the Potomac, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah Rivers; and we give technical rock climbing instruction at several sites. Younger campers will be away from camp for shorter periods of time with less demanding activities than older campers. Spiritual development is nurtured through daily silent worship at the fire circle, regularly scheduled campfires, and in less formal ways by example and through continuous sharing of love. (More….)

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Shiloh Quaker Camp

Shiloh is in Madison County, Virginia, close to Shenandoah National Park. Shiloh offers in-camp and trip experiences. Younger campers are away from camp for shorter periods of time with less demanding activities than older campers. Trips may take them to various sections of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Campers backpack roads and trails, canoe the Rappahannock, Rapidan, James, and Shenandoah Rivers, and are given technical rock climbing instruction at several sites mostly within the Shenandoah National Park. In-camp activities include arts and crafts, dance, drama, music, informal sports, swimming in the pond, and playing in the creek which runs through the front of the property. Work projects and chores also play an important part in our community’s life. (More…)

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Opequon Quaker Camp

Located just north of Winchester, Virginia, Opequon is a more arts-oriented camp. The day includes all-camp activities, art projects, games in the playing field, swimming in the pool, and exploring in the creek. Art activities might include digging Opequon Creek clay to create original pieces for firing; carpentry projects such as building tree houses and tipis; painting life size murals; weaving fiber and words; and workshops in theatre, dance and music. Other activities include cooperative games, exploring in the woods, singing and working together, performances, playing musical instruments, making sailboats for the creek, fire circle, and tons of other cool things like batik, volleyball, puppet making, star gazing, candle making, and tubing on the creek. (More…)

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Teen Adventure

Teen Adventure is a outdoor adventure program for youth ages fifteen to eighteen. Originating from a base camp in Lexington, VA, trips – either hiking or biking – are three weeks long and consist of twelve campers and two trip leaders. Campers have considerable responsibility for the day-to-day planning and management of trips, which consist of backpacking, white-water canoeing or rafting, and service projects. They are encouraged in their emotional and spiritual development as they grow through these wilderness challenges in collaboration with their peers. These trips are rigorous and require campers to be in good shape and up to significant physical and mental challenges. TA Leadership Training is offered to the more experienced outdoor camper in the second year, emphasizing outdoor leadership skills and training. (More…)