Summer Matters - Valley Forge Educational Services

Summer Matters - VFES Summer Matters - VFES Summer Matters - VFES Summer Matters - VFES

Overnight Respite Camp Experiences

Overnight weekend retreats are specially designed for campers who have difficulty connecting with their peers. These campers deeply desire friendships, but due to difficulties with social skills, spend much of their time feeling socially isolated and lonely.

Our goals for these retreats are:

  • To help each camper recognize and practice the social skills necessary to understand, interpret, and effectively manage his/her relationship to others.
  • To foster the personal growth of each camper by supplying safe and supported opportunities for meaningful social relationships between similar peers.
  • To increase camper’’s ability to challenge his/her perceptions and feelings about peer interactions and learn to identify those of others; the development of empathy.
  • To increase self-esteem through experiential education programming designed to help the camper feel challenged and successful.

Above all, these retreats provide campers with lasting memories of fun, social connection and success.  These are truly the building blocks of self-esteem and motivation to succeed!

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Upcoming Retreats

Winter Weekend Retreat at Mt. Gilead (Middle School, High School & VTC)
March 9-11, 2012
Friday 3:00pm – Sunday 3:00pm
$300 per student

All meals and transportation between campus and Mt. Gilead Camp are provided. The Mt. Gilead Camp & Conference Center property is rented to VFES for each of the retreats and no other groups are on site during these retreats.

To learn more about Mt. Gilead Camp & Conference Center’’s facilities, click here.


Sample Packing List and Menu

Sample Retreat Itinerary

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Spring Weekend Retreat at Camp HOPE for Kids (ages 10-21)
May 11-13, 2012
Friday 3:00pm – Sunday 3:00pm
$300 per student

Campers spend the weekend living together on Camp HOPE’s 90-acre property in Schwenksville, PA. Activities include: hiking, cooking, arts & crafts, sports, archery, campfire, canoeing and much more. Saturday activities will also include programming by Great Valley Nature Center and Center on Central.