Kids explore the great outdoors with sleep-away programs!

The Holiday Sleep-Away Program (HSAP) and the Teen Holiday Sleep-Away Program (T-HSAP) took place this winter at Camp Vacamas, which is located in West Milford, NJ, and operated by Hands in 4 Youth (HI4Y).

This year, 92 children attended HSAP, which serves youth ages 8 to 13. Activities included high- and low-ropes challenge courses, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, maple syruping, team sports, hiking, outdoor recreation, nature exploration and much more.

My child loves HI4Y—it was the best decision to let her attend. Every child should experience some form of sleep-away camp in their lives. I highly recommend it.

T-HSAP, which serves teens ages 14 to 17, had 61 participants in the winter session. In addition to enjoying some similar activities as the younger group, the teens participated in collaborative and team-building exercises, including movie night and discussion, debate, games and big brother/sister mentorship activities with the HSAP participants.

Here are some of the responses from a survey of parents whose children attended camp:

  • Their child liked/loved his/her camp experience (76%).
  • Participation in the program had a positive impact on their child (87%).
  • It’s likely/extremely likely they will apply for the program again (78%).