优蜜视频鈥檚 annual camp concluded powerfully at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, Michigan! Throughout the week, we watched all 79 campers 鈥� including 23 leadership campers 鈥� get to know themselves and each other in gentle yet profound ways. As ever, our leadership campers demonstrated incredible talents to connect with younger campers, support one another and be positive role models to all. All campers were empathetic, compassionate, sensitive and full of personality. It was an honor for the entire staff to watch the growth that transpired in each child.

theme this year is passion. In a named Found Poetry, campers created a poem using reading materials focused on passion. It was a collaborative effort that culminated in a beautiful and powerful passage:

鈥淭his close relationship, it felt very natural,

An absolute thunderbolt merged with part of your being

My life had changed

Practice; how to play anew

Grand devotion, imported in my life

Such a devastating event, a slow burn, a sensitivity that resonates

Obsessively thought about

Devoted to this love story.

Fire, that鈥檚 me!鈥�

In addition to , campers also spent time each day practicing psychosynthesis 鈥� a guided imagery meditation followed by in-depth discussion. helps one to focus, concentrate, be in tune with their senses, and be more aware of the present moment.

Yunasa also integrates specialized learning with traditional camp activities, so campers get a full experience of a weeklong sleep-away camp. Throughout the week, campers balance their day by participating in waterfront activities such as kayaking, sailing, tubing, fishing and riding in pontoons. Some land-based activities are also hugely popular such as archery, horseback riding, zip-lining and other rope courses.

Yunasa was a fun-filled week packed with exploration, friendships, growth and passion. Thank you to all campers, counselors, Fellows and staff for making it yet another amazing and memorable week. Have a great year ahead! We look forward to more summer fun in 2020!

the entire Yunasa Michigan photo album. to be the first to know when Yunasa 2020 dates and application information.

this year was yet another fun-filled week that鈥檚 packed with self-discovery and growth at YMCA Camp Shady Brook! Campers ventured out to try something new, made lasting friendships and attended many impactful workshops that are designed to nurture balance within.

Some people say it takes a village to raise a child. At Yunasa, it takes a tribe to build this camp. For many, it鈥檚 their first sleep-away camp and the longest time apart they have ever spent from their parents. This year, we had 23 new campers! Being mindful of this, our returning campers and counselors actively reached out to new campers and included them in group activities. Some campers are more introverted and reflective than others, but would ensure that they too have a space to share and be heard throughout the week.

From the youngest camper at ag 10 to our most senior elder at 85, Yunasa is a space filled with intergenerational connection and nurturing. Our workshops are designed to nurture balance in all five aspects of self 鈥� intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual and physical.

In campers practice guided imagery meditation exercises. The goal is to integrate the conscious self with the unconscious. In the process, campers open a wide flow of energy from their intuition, inspiration and creative energy to the logical self. In the workshop called kindness, campers learn about the biological and physical benefit of practicing kindness and did several meditations in the session. In building and walking the labyrinth, campers constructed a single path in a serene setting. As they walked the labyrinth, they followed a single path that at times appeared to be a 鈥渨rong turn,鈥� but each turn actually leads them to a new beginning and ultimately the 鈥渆ye鈥� of the path. It symbolizes a spiritual journey and the tools needed for transformation. In art-based workshops, campers practiced focus, relaxation, trusting their intuition, self-acceptance and expression through activities such as Intuitive Mandala and Soul Collage.

Yunasa also offers outdoor activities in a traditional camp setting. Campers expand their comfort zones in a safe environment as they try ziplining, rappelling, and rock climbing. They learn about teamwork and build trust on the giant鈥檚 ladder and low ropes. They practiced focus with archery and tomahawk throwing. There are also waterfront activities such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding.

We hope all of our campers and volunteers have been able to get some rest this week. We cannot wait to see you all again in 2020. Until then 鈥� may your year be filled with joy, growth and loving kindness!

the entire Yunasa West photo album on 优蜜视频鈥檚 Facebook page. To learn more about Yunasa

Tasked with the mission of writing a blog post, I pondered 优蜜视频鈥檚 2016 theme, 鈥淔inding and Cultivating Your Voice.鈥� Turning to Thomas Merton, to whom I often turn whilst seeking inspiration, I found this: 鈥淭he beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image.鈥� While we all should strive to develop our intuitions, seek self-understanding, and learn to trust and respect ourselves, how do we help our loved ones 鈥� friends, family members, children, and students – cultivate their voices?

By loving them.

One of my best friends is incredibly adept at asking profound questions 鈥� the kinds of questions that force you to delve into your mind and unravel swirling thoughts that haven鈥檛 yet been formed into words. She listens deeply. Her questions are meant to elicit answers that help her get to know bits of you that might be unwittingly hidden or unobvious. She loves by listening, by paying attention, and by finding ways to personalize her encouragement. She is a gifted person, and her intuition is powerful. She uses her intuition to discern needs in her friends, and she meets those needs creatively, often by appealing to specific senses of humor. As her friend, I have found her questions and personalized moments of encouragement, helpful in my own quest for self-understanding. She draws me out of myself, and as she is learning about bits of me, I learn just as much.

As a new mother, I hope to use these tactics as I get to know my daughter while she grows. At six months, her personality is already beginning to emerge 鈥� she approaches the world with a certain whimsy, her face alights when she connects with people, and she loves to sing and twist her hands in the air in front of her face. And this is only the beginning. I hope to love her by listening, watching, and seeking to understand her, then finding ways to help her cultivate her strengths and understand her weaknesses as they are, not as I wish them to appear.

Giftedness, while acting as a common bond between those who share it, also manifests in different and intricate ways. As we work to help gifted young people find their voices, we remember that the giftedness of each child is unique, and we do not expect anyone to fit perfectly into a gifted framework that aligns with a particular expectation or understanding of how giftedness should appear. I think of the children at Yunasa 鈥� some of them experience deep reverence for nature, their imaginations and spirits alight during guided visualizations, and they have stunning intuitions.聽 Others hesitate to connect with psychosynthesis, but they are able to decipher, without struggle, the foreign language of coding or advanced mathematics. 聽Some arrive at camp and immediately engage in captivating conversations about politics, physics, and literature. Others feel trapped inside themselves, longing to connect but confused as to how. To love these children, we honor their uniqueness and meet them where they are.聽 We engage them in ways that help them to learn about themselves, and we listen.

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Jennifer de la Haye obtained a B.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis from California State University, Long Beach. She spent time as a freelance writer and customer service representative before arriving at 优蜜视频. Jennifer is thrilled to contribute to an organization that nurtures and provides guidance for gifted youth, whose earnest curiosity and relationship with the world around them she finds inspiring and delightful. She especially enjoys working at 优蜜视频 because she is constantly learning, likes and respects her colleagues, and finds value in contributing to an organization she admires.

优蜜视频鈥檚 pioneering unite highly able youngsters with experts in the social and emotional development of gifted children. Campers explore and grow the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical aspects of their lives.

When I sat down to write a blog post on the wonder of Yunasa and Yunasa West, I was completely baffled as to how to begin. I sat, hands stagnant upon my keyboard as I searched for words that would adequately capture the essence of this magical summer. When I am thwarted by writer鈥檚 block, I often feel compelled to turn to the words of a beloved author or poet for inspiration. And so, I begin this blog with the words of Hafez, a Persian poet from the fourteenth century.

鈥淲ith That Moon Language鈥� by Hafez

Admit something: Everyone you see, you say to them, 鈥淟ove me.鈥�
Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise
Someone would call the cops.
Still though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect.
Why not become the one who lives with a
Full moon in each eye that is always saying,
With that sweet moon language, what every other eye in
This world is dying to hear?

At Yunasa last year, I was deeply moved by the overall acceptance I witnessed as the uniqueness and individuality and quirkiness of each child was celebrated by the entire group. I never experienced anything like that amongst my peers as a child, and I felt grateful that a place exists where such unconditional acceptance envelopes each young person. This year, I was especially struck by the wisdom of the campers at both Yunasa and Yunasa West.

I watched, in awe, as campers 鈥� both new and seasoned 鈥� intentionally reached out to include some of the more shy and timid children; I listened, in awe, to conversations between campers that reflected profound insight and deep thought; and I shared conversations with quite a few campers whose empathy and self-understanding touched me deeply. This year, the Counselors in Training (CITs) at Yunasa in Michigan decided to orchestrate a 鈥渇riendship panel,鈥� or an open discussion with the entire population of campers about issues pertaining to relationships amongst friends. The younger campers had lots of questions, both general and specific, and the CITs demonstrated the type of wisdom one encounters within clusters of brilliant philosophers. They led an enlightening and interesting conversation that could easily have continued for hours.

Both camps were marked by traditional Yunasa Programming: Heart of the Matter 鈥� small group sessions with clinical psychologist and Senior Fellow Patty Gatto-Walden; Fellows鈥� Workshops, e.g., Emotional Life of the Brain with Michael Piechowski, Energy Healing with Stef Tolan, Archetypes: The Four-Fold Way with Shelagh Gallagher and Dan Tichenor, and Psychosynthesis Scenarios with Jim Delisle; Counselors鈥� Workshops, e.g., Duct Tape Crafts with Darcy, Russian Fairy Tales with Paul, Soccer with Lucy and Steph, History with Wade, and Music Improv with Ethan; traditional camp activities 鈥� zipline, giant swing, high ropes, kayaking, rock climbing, fishing, and hammockville; Psychosynthesis 鈥� daily guided meditation in small groups; and evening activities such as the Variety Show, Campfire, Social, and Movie Night (we watched Big Hero Six). Special guests of Yunasa West 鈥� Louise Hindle and Dr. Amy Gaesser 鈥� offered workshops on poetry and EFT, respectively. Dr. April DeGennarro, our special guest at Yunasa Michigan, offered two compelling workshops pertaining to the identity we display on social media.

At Yunasa West, each psychosynthesis group performed a skit to demonstrate one of Dabrowski鈥檚 overexcitabilities. The Fellows, counselors, and I laughed hysterically as our wise young campers harnessed their creativity and impressive theatric talent to portray individuals who exemplify the intellectual, sensual, imaginational, emotional, and psychomotor overexcitabilities. Although we all laughed 鈥� a lot 鈥� their dramatic depictions were not far from reality!

This year, we read Listen! by Stef Tolan to correspond with the Yunasa theme, which was also 鈥淟isten.鈥� We chose this theme because listening to our bodies, minds, spirits, emotions, and, of course, listening to one another is imperative as we seek balance. At Yunasa, we aim to pay attention 鈥� to listen closely 鈥� to the world around us, even as we sit silently amongst the trees, absorbing the sounds, colors, life, and history of our surroundings. Listening and mindfulness are closely related. As I listen, I grow attentive to the way my body feels and what that means; I am able to gauge my emotions with a deeper sensitivity; I am more equipped to empathize with others.

I have now participated in three Yunasa camps, and each time, I come home with a heightened sense of attentiveness. My interactions with the Fellows, campers, and counselors of Yunasa help me return to a vibrant place of attention. We miss so much when we dwell inside our heads, bend our heads over our phones, and stare blankly as we move through life. Thank you, people of Yunasa, for existing and for inspiring.

And with that, I shall end this blog post in the same way it began.

鈥淭en times a day something happens to me like this 鈥� some strengthening throb of amazement 鈥� some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.鈥�
鈥揗ary Oliver

Jennifer is the Program Coordinator for , 优蜜视频鈥檚 pioneering summer camps that unite gifted young people ages 10-15 with experts in highly able youth. In a nurturing setting, campers explore and grow the intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of their lives. Yunasa is the Lakota Sioux word for 鈥渂alance.鈥�

鈥淏reathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment.鈥�

-Tich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk

At Yunasa, we begin each psychosynthesis session with a similar directive. Tich Nhat Hanh鈥檚 words remind us that all of life is held in this moment; his words encourage us to smile and seek gratitude for the moment we are in. Psychosynthesis, as practiced at Yunasa, is meant to cultivate balance amongst its participants, whose minds are often swirling with thoughts, anxieties, ideas, and observations, and for whom a peaceful moment is a true gift.

The word 鈥渂alance鈥� connotes an array of ideas 鈥� time management, sanity, stress-control, and lithe circus professionals sauntering across tight ropes. At Yunasa and within all of 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs, we strive to impart the type of balance that helps us to understand and interact with every piece of ourselves in an effort to pursue wholeness. In his commentary, 鈥淭he Heart of Understanding,鈥� Tich Nhat Hanh refers to the five elements that comprise a human being as five rivers that flow through every one of us: 鈥溾�he river of form, which means our body, the river of feelings, the river of perceptions, the river of mental formations, and the river of consciousness.鈥� These 鈥渞ivers鈥� are 鈥渕ade by the other four,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have to co-exist; they have to inter-be with all the others.鈥澛犅� Just as each limb, neuron, cell, blood particle, and organ work together to sustain physical existence, so do the body, myriad emotions, soul, mind, and relationships interconnect to create life experience. Thomas Merton, a Catholic Trappist monk, says, 鈥淭here is in all visible things鈥 hidden wholeness.鈥� We strive to be whole, to seek balance, because wholeness brings us closest to who we are 鈥� complex and alive.

The pursuit of wholeness requires vulnerability because it means that we are intentionally acknowledging parts of ourselves that are less developed, even broken. In our culture of social media, it is tempting to present a polished rendition of ourselves 鈥� the most attractive, the cleverest, the most sophisticated version 鈥� as though we are ashamed to reveal the bits that we are working on, the parts of ourselves that need help. If we are not careful, this tendency creeps into our real-world presentation of our self, as well; this self is safer, impervious, protected by the armor of contrived impeccability. To grow in understanding of ourselves, however, and to establish meaningful, mutually empathetic connections with others, we must embrace vulnerability. As Bren茅 Brown, author and public speaker, discusses in the podcast On Being: The willingness to approach life with our whole heart cannot be less than our willingness to be broken-hearted.

鈥淲e must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.鈥�

-Thomas Merton

We must take risks to be whole. For a shy intellectual, it might feel terrifying to acknowledge his innate need to integrate into an accepting community, especially if he suffers from the internal vituperation of , when every word that he uses to forge a connection with another leaves him riddled with doubt. Likewise, understanding the connection between one鈥檚 emotions and her physical reactions, or engaging her physicality through outdoor adventures, might seem scary for the individual whose exceptional gifts are rooted elsewhere. Some of us prefer to eschew emotion altogether in an effort to remain focused on our work or to avoid the discomfort emotion sometimes renders. To live in relationship with ourselves and others, to pursue wholeness and balance, we must, with vulnerability and honesty, take the necessary risks. Yunasa is important because it is a safe, accepting place to take these risks and to delve into intensive learning about ourselves and our world.

This is our intention: to develop our ability to relate to others and our capacity to empathize with different perspectives; to explore and cultivate our blazing intellect; to create honest connections with the world, with nature, and with our community; to grow in understanding of our range of emotions 鈥� intense, subtle, tender, and wildly uncomfortable; to engage the intricacies of our spirit 鈥� both delicate and resilient; and to acknowledge the interconnectedness of each of these pieces 鈥� how they influence and inform one another at every moment.

In seeking balance, we are not striving to achieve equilibrium amongst every element of our personhood. Living in balance does not mean that one鈥檚 social skills are on par with her ability to reason, or that one鈥檚 physical agility matches her profound emotional reaction to beauty in nature or literature or art. Balance isn鈥檛 a strange and unnatural perfection; rather, balance is to understand the relationship between all of our parts 鈥� the developed pieces and the fragile ones. A musician does not employ every note of his instrument simultaneously or with equality; if he did, the result would be shrill and offensive. Instead, he creates an interaction between each of the notes; they complement one another, culminating in mellifluous accord 鈥� beautiful and alive.

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Jessica Houben is a Program Coordinator with 优蜜视频. She will be working most closely with the camps this program season.

1. What are you most passionate about in working with the gifted community?

I am most passionate about working with gifted youth in a non-traditional educational setting because I get to see kids grow on a personal level as well as intellectually. Getting to know each individual student throughout the application process and then seeing them in person going through an 优蜜视频 program is really rewarding because these kids are multi-faceted and complex in the most amazing ways. In a school setting, you don鈥檛 always get to see these kids for who they are, but at 优蜜视频, we get to see them blossom as individuals. It is such a pleasure to hear happy parents when they realize that they鈥檝e finally found programs that will challenge their child.

2. What is the most interesting thing you have learned about gifted kids since you started at 优蜜视频?

I guess I always thought about gifted kids being really intelligent, which they are. However, one interesting thing I have learned is that they can also be very . They do not take injustices lightly, they are passionate about the world鈥檚 problems, and they can be overly worried about friends or loved ones. These kids care a lot about their environment, and if given the proper tools, can really make a difference as leaders of the next generation.

3. What are you looking forward to about coordinating Yunasa this year?

I have coordinated Academy classes as well as our Apprenticeship Program for the past two program seasons and had the opportunity to attend and be in a supportive role at Yunasa in 2011. I love that Academy and Apprenticeship are academic programs that provide challenging intellectual content to gifted learners that they may not otherwise have access to, but I鈥檓 really excited to facilitate personal and intellectual growth within a camp environment. I really enjoy camping, the outdoors, and carrying on traditions. I鈥檓 hopeful that I can continue the Yunasa tradition and that even more students are able to benefit from the camp.

4. What鈥檚 your favorite activity from an 优蜜视频 program?

It is really hard to choose because there are so many things that I love that we do in each program! I like that we do Olympics at Apprenticeship, because the Apprentices support and encourage their team members and compete in a positive way. I also enjoy Psychosynthesis at Yunasa because it allows campers the opportunity to focus and relax. However, I think my favorite activity from an 优蜜视频 program is launching rockets with our Academy students. During spring, I assisted in the Rocket to Calculus class and had the chance to build and launch a rocket with students, which was so much fun because I got to see the students鈥� faces light up as the math and science they learned came to life!

5. What is your educational philosophy?

I believe that education should be meaningful, holistic, and child-centered. In today鈥檚 society, a lot of emphasis is placed on test scores and results rather than focusing on the process of learning. Children need to learn by exploring their world, solving problems that are relevant to them, and having positive experiences in content areas that are interesting. Of course, everyone needs to learn the basics, but that is just one part of education. The other part is finding out what each child enjoys and wants to learn more about and then providing the opportunities to learn about that topic in a way that keeps them interested in becoming lifelong learners.

6. What鈥檚 your favorite snack food?

My favorite snack food is chocolate. Whenever I鈥檓 feeling tired, or stressed, or I just need something a little sweet, chocolate is the answer. It can be in any form; I don鈥檛 discriminate.

7. What鈥檚 one activity you enjoy doing in your free time?

I really enjoy doing yoga in my free time. I have practiced yoga on and off for about 9 years, taking different classes in college, at yoga studios, at the gym, or with a video in my living room. It鈥檚 an activity that uses my mind and body, and every time I do it I feel like I鈥檓 doing a good thing for myself.

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Every gifted person has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts depicting the many faces of gifted by highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through 优蜜视频 programs. 优蜜视频鈥檚 pioneering summer camp 鈥� mentioned in this story 鈥� unites highly able children and experts in the social and emotional development of gifted children and provides an opportunity for campers to explore and grow the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social and physical aspects of their lives.

Matthew
Yunasa Camper

Matthew lives on the island of Java in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. He is 13 years old, is home schooled and has traveled to Camp Copneconic in Fenton, Michigan, for the last two summers to attend .

How did Matthew hear about Yunasa?
Matthew first learned about Yunasa through his mentor. 鈥淢ark Lediard has been my mentor for three years now, beginning from the age where I was withdrawn from formal schooling. He and I now meet regularly to discuss opportunities for my enrichment and intellectual expansion, including out-of-country learning and meetings with learned professionals. It was through Mark鈥檚 collaboration with a homeschooling curriculum adviser named Kathi Kearney that I learned of Yunasa, and I was quick to jump at the prospect.鈥�

But why Yunasa?
鈥淚ndonesia, despite being diverse both culturally and biologically, does not have the inherent essence that Yunasa offers. Although the country does have camps, most are relatively generic when compared to Yunasa; mostly they fall within the categories of academic, ecological, or religious. It can be said that the reason for my participation was to experience these new spiritual aspects that no other camp could seem to offer.鈥�

What has he gained from attending Yunasa?
鈥淲ords alone cannot describe the effects Yunasa have had on me; intellectually, socially, physically, and spiritually. I have met people with radically varying perspectives, others with opinions very akin to my own, and those still who have enhanced me and the way I see myself by their personalities and experiences. Here, I found an arena to discuss and debate the theories I hold so dear, and to marvel at the ambitions of others who were driven by that same desire to cultivate humanity.鈥�

What does Matthew like about Yunasa?
鈥淭he experience of Yunasa was terrifically structured, and my greatest thanks go to the 优蜜视频 staff for organizing and providing such a seamless daily schedule. The topics and contributions of the were invaluable in expanding my intellectual and emotional repertoire and are inspiring to reflect on, especially when considering their many possibilities.鈥�

What part of Yunasa has had the greatest effect on Matthew?
鈥淎lthough I meditate in my daily life, the concept of psychosynthesis itself intrigued me, and I quickly found out why. In the process, I experienced undoubtedly profound visions of the unified continuum of time; often, I would leave the session pondering my beliefs and what it meant to be there. Frankly, I cannot wait to experience pychosynthesis again next year and see what I may experience.鈥�

What similarities does he find between himself and the other campers?
鈥淚 find that in a myriad of ways, we share similar perspectives, interests, and ways of comprehending reality. I can say that I have never felt more assimilated into a community than 驰耻苍补蝉补鈥檚 gestalt, especially when considering I have lived in a foreign society for all my life. In this way, Yunasa is a sanctuary, a home for me. Even before I arrived, I had an innate knowing of the events to come, as it is an undeniable fact that Yunasa has that powerful quality of making one feel completely and utterly at ease with his surroundings, his peers, and most importantly, his inner beliefs.鈥�

Does Matthew keep in touch with other campers throughout the year?
鈥淎s a matter of fact, I regularly keep in touch with my closer friends via email and online sources. They inform me on a constant basis about their current activities and circumstances, and it has happened more than once that we have asked each other for aid on issues that cannot be resolved by only a single perspective. It is an honor to know and communicate with these individuals, and I consider them to be important in my development.鈥�

What does he do in his free time, and where does he see himself in the future?
鈥淏eing in the cultural fusion that is Indonesia, I am exposed to a wide variety of people, perspectives, and religions on a daily basis, even within my own household. The most enjoyable pastime is observing how all of these fundamentally different groups cooperate and interact in a common environment, even though many share dividing opinions and views.鈥�

He also enjoys reading and writing, 鈥渕ainly due to the unbounded creativity that they grant me in shaping myself as an individual. I greatly appreciate the intellectual diversity I gain from books and that I can create with writing. I believe that the greatest gift that is bestowed upon the world is the written word, and the knowledge that stems thereof.鈥�

Like many gifted children, Matthew draws connections between different intellectual and spiritual subjects to make more sense of the world and wants to contribute positively to the world around him. 鈥淔rom a young age, I have expressed an intuitive knowing in the existence of an unseen organizational structure above the chaos of reality, and with it, a pressing need to aid humanity in grasping the concept of realms far beyond their understanding. Over time, this ambition progressed to an interest in the fields of theoretical physics and the philosophy of consciousness, namely Ontology. For as long as this aspiration has stood, I have dedicated my life to the unification of science and spirituality, the empirical and abstract. My purpose, I believe, is to aid humankind in reading what Einstein once termed as 鈥楾he Mind of God.鈥欌��

Do you or your children want to share your experiences of being gifted? Please leave us a comment below or email us at 优蜜视频gifted@educationaladvancement.org!

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优蜜视频’s pioneering and summer camps unite highly able youngsters and experts in the social and emotional development of gifted children. Campers explore and grow the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical aspects of their lives.

2012 saw another memorable year of Yunasa in Flint, Michigan. Campers arrived on Sunday, July 22, at Camp Copneconic with great anticipation for the week to come and left mid-morning on July 29 elated from a week of flourishing at camp. Yunasa is more than your average summer camp鈥攊t鈥檚 a week-long exploration of one鈥檚 intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical self. The week was a success on all levels, as campers took away valuable life lessons, deeper bonds with peers, and unforgettable memories.

A high ropes course, offered as one of the many camper options, tested campers’ physical and risk taking abilities.

Psychosynthesis sessions were led by our Fellows, , each morning. Campers practiced guided visualization and relaxation techniques. Many campers said that Psychosynthesis was their favorite part of the day.

The Emerging Leaders (ELs) hosted a camp-wide talent show, including a comedy routine, musical performances, and a choreographed dance.

One camp session was an ongoing Rube Goldberg project, where campers used various materials to construct a complex machine that, in the end, would perform a simple task. After much deliberation, campers opted to make a device that would put a hat on someone鈥檚 head.

The Counselors in Training (CITs) put on the annual Yunasa Olympics. Physically and mentally challenging, the events included in the Olympics vary from year to year. A game of Quidditch was the highlight this year!

Bubble making stations were set up outside the conference center and available throughout the entire week. Campers enjoyed the option during down-time in the midst of an eventful camp schedule.

During the week, campers become a part of the Yunasa family. Many campers describe Yunasa as a time of true friendship and togetherness.

Throughout the week, campers were encouraged by staff and their peers. Many campers felt 鈥渁t home鈥� and inspired to be their authentic selves. There were multiple unique opportunities for personal growth. With physical activities such as horseback riding, water sports, zip lining, and ropes courses, campers were challenged to develop confidence in their athletic abilities. With the support of the Fellows and 优蜜视频 staff, they also grew emotionally with one another and in self-awareness. Campers called on their spiritual abilities to connect with the world around them through activities such as Spirit Journey and Call in the Directions. Intellectually, campers enjoyed sharing with one another in an environment of acceptance and mutual understanding. Our hope is for these campers to return home with cherished Yunasa memories to share and hold onto until we meet again next year.

Thank you to Nicholas Farrell for taking these photos at camp!

For more photos from Yunasa, click on the button below. Also, be sure to check out the article about Yunasa in !

What was your child鈥檚 favorite part of Yunasa this year? Please share with us in the comment section below.

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