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The Department of Recreation and Wellbeing (RecWell) completed a successful pilot year of the UMass Discovery Camp this summer, welcoming 70 campers over two sessions.

The camp was created to inspire curiosity, build confidence, instill respect for self and others, and foster genuine connections – all while using the extraordinary resources of a world-class university campus as its playground. Each day the campers, aged 7-13, experienced a blend of play, arts and crafts, exploration, outdoor adventure and hands-on discovery, supported by a combination of RecWell’s professional staff and eight UMass students hired and trained as camp counselors.

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Daily campus discovery field trips included Safety Day with UMPD, the NEST Challenge Course, the Institute for Applied Life Sciences’ robotics program, the Rockwell climbing center in the Fieldstone building, the Makerspace, sushi making with UMass Dining’s Living Lab, theatre camp with Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts, UMass Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm, the Digital Media Lab, and the UMass Permaculture Gardens.

Twenty-five campers also took advantage of an optional extended aftercare program that was offered to families.

The pilot year of the UMass Discovery Camp, which RecWell aims to bring back next summer, was made possible by partnerships with the Flexible Education Division, University Relations Marcom, Environmental Health and Safety, Conference Services, Campus Field Trips, Protection of Minors on Campus.