Adventure Camp

media release: Girls Inc. of Greater Madison, a project of the Goodman Community Center, will host a free outdoor adventure camp for middle school girls, nonbinary and female-identifying youth this summer. Families can choose to enroll their child in one of two three-week sessions. The camp is free to all participants.

“It’s important to us to make our programming accessible to all girls who are interested in participating, which is why this camp is free,” said Pahoua Vang, Girls Inc. of Greater Madison Assistant Director. “Adventure camp will expose girls to activities they might not have normally had a chance to try.”

Girls Inc. Adventure Camp is open to incoming 6th through 8th graders, and will focus on outdoor adventure, health and wellness. Camp activities will include canoeing, hiking, high and low ropes courses and log rolling, and each session will end in a three-day, two-night camping trip to Lake Farm Park.

“This is the second year doing this camp, and we’re excited to do it again this summer,” said Vang. “Last year, girls gave us overwhelmingly positive feedback, even on the days that were challenging for them. They learned so much about themselves and about leadership in just three weeks.”

The camp will pull activity inspiration from the Girls Inc. research-backed curriculum “Girls enCourage.” Girls enCourage is designed to sustain youth’s interest in sports through adolescence by introducing them to nontraditional activities and adventures that go beyond stereotypes and challenge them to set their own personal goals and create their own definitions of success. As youth master new physical techniques and learn to take calculated risks, they build not only physical strength but also courage, confidence, self-reliance and other critical life skills.

Camp information:

• Session 1: June 20 - July 7 (overnight camping July 5-7)
• Session 2: July 18 - August 4 (overnight camping July 25-27)
• Schedule: Weeks 1 & 2: Mon-Thu, 9am-4pm; Week 3: Mon-Wed, overnight camp at Lake Farm Park Campground
• Age level: For 6th - 8th graders
• Cost: FREE
• Meals and snacks provided.
• Summer camp pick up/drop off is at Goodman Brassworks building, 214 Waubesa Street, Madison, WI, 53704

Learn more and enroll here: goodmancenter.org/girlsinc-summer

About Girls Inc. of Greater Madison

Girls Inc. is a national organization whose mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold, providing hundreds of thousands of girls across the U.S. and Canada with life-changing experiences and real solutions to the unique issues girls face. Girls Inc. develops research-based informal education programs that encourage girls to take risks and master physical, intellectual and emotional challenges. Girls Inc. of Greater Madison, sponsored by the Goodman Community Center, is the local Girls Inc. affiliate and reaches more than 1,000 girls — from elementary to high school — at 26 sites in the Madison area annually.

About the Goodman Community Center

The Goodman Community Center strengthens lives and secures futures throughout the greater Madison area. Located in the heart of Madison’s Atwood neighborhood, GCC offers programs for preschoolers through teens, families, individuals and older adults. The Goodman Center has on-site childcare services, including fully licensed and accredited preschool, 4K and elementary after-school programs, as well as a teen center that offers after-school activities and employment opportunities for teens. The center’s food pantry serves more than 200 households a week and is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and they also offer meals, social activities and health and wellness opportunities for seniors. Accessibility is a top priority of the Goodman Center, and as such most of the center’s programs are free or priced to be very affordable, including access to its fitness center, catering services and community spaces.

Every year in November, the Goodman Center hosts its Thanksgiving Basket Drive, when they collect donations to provide thousands of Dane County families with everything they need to make a Thanksgiving meal at home.

Learn more at goodmancenter.org or find Goodman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.