Aranu'tiq on the West Coast!

We are excited to announce the grand opening of Aranu'tiq in California. Camp Aranu'tiq West will take place from July 1 - July 7, 2012. It will be in addition to our third annual New England camp week in August 2012. We can't wait to serve more than twice as many youth as we have in the past.

Registration begins today, November 1, 2011. Please email Nick at nick@camparanutiq.org for an enrollment form and more details.

Spread the word. Thanks!

Another camp season in the books!

Dear Friends,

 Another Aranu'tiq summer season has come and gone, and again, lives have been changed!  

Our second season was August 21-27 and nearly 60 campers and 30 staff had the time of their lives. It was wonderful to see the returning campers ease into the week as though they had never left and at the same time welcome our first-timers. From canoeing to arts and crafts to an all-camp scavenger hunt and an incredible talent show, to say the week was a "success" would be a big understatement.

One thing we know about transgender and gender-variant kids is that many of them worry what their future will hold and if they will be able to lead a "normal" life. This is just one story of many that highlights the strength of the Aranu'tiq experience: A young female-to-male camper told his cabin counselor that he was feeling down. She sat with him and told him how lucky he was to have a place like Aranu'tiq where he could be himself because such a place didn't exist when she was a kid. He turned and said to her, "you're transgender?" When she nodded, he looked puzzled and said, "but you are married and have two kids!" She said "you bet!" Without any hesitation he promptly told her that he felt better and wanted to return to playing with his new friends.  

Aranu'tiq could not exist without the generosity of donors like all of you. A heartfelt thank you from the campers and staff. Camp could not have been what it was if not for our incredible volunteer counselors, so a huge thanks to them, and our stellar "A Team:" Morgan Darby, Julie Lipson, Melissa MacNish, and Marissa Peifer. 

Exciting things are happening at Aranu'tiq, so stay tuned.  

Nick

Aranu'tiq adds two new board members!

Hello Friends,

We are very excited to announce the addition of two new board members who will help in the development and advancement of our camp:

Bob Ditter, M.Ed., LCSW, is a well-known camp professional and child, adolescent and family therapist from Boston, Massachusetts. He is a nationally recognized trainer and consultant and works with organizations that work with young people. Sports Illustrated called him "...camping's most articulate spokesman" because of his work with children's summer camps since 1982. He has visited over 600 summer camps in the United States, has spoken about camp on many national television programs, and has authored four books for camp professionals and 14 brand new training DVDs. He is best known in camp circles as the author of the popular column, "In the Trenches," which has appeared regularly in Camping Magazine since 1987.  

Tori Gabriel, MBA-HA, has worked for over 20 years in the non-profit healthcare arena and is currently director of education & prevention for the Florida Heart Research Institute in Miami.  She brings experience in grant writing and public relations to the board.  As a camp mom, Tori is passionate about allowing transkids to live authentically and was thrilled with the confidence and self esteem her child gained while at Camp Aranu'tiq in its inaugural year.

Camp Aranu'tiq Gear

Check out our brand new gear site where you can order fun Aranu'tiq products: www.cafepress.com/camparanutiq

Dr. Norman Spack joins Aranu'tiq's Honorary Board

Dr. Norman Spack, a senior associate in pediatric endocrinology at Children's Hospital Boston and worldwide leader in the care of transgender children, has joined Camp Aranu'tiq's honorary board of directors. He is the co-director of the Hospital's GeMS (Gender Management Service) Clinic which services transgender youth as well as those born with disorders of sex development. He and his wife Ruth visited camp last year and were thrilled to see the positive impact that Aranu'tiq had on trans and gender-variant youth. He will be speaking at our fundraiser in Boston on May 11, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Please email nick@camparanutiq.org for more details on this fundraiser.

Radio Interviews

Safe Space Radio (aired on WMPG Portland Maine in March 2011): www.safespaceradio.com

Radio Boston (aired on WBUR/NPR Boston in May 2010): http://radioboston.wbur.org/2010/05/25/transgender-camp-2

Upcoming...

Hi Everyone,
Camp is a mere five months away! We are excited, as always.
Here are some upcoming events:
Fundraiser for Aranu'tiq on Wednesday, May 11 from 7-9 PM in Boston. Please email nick@camparanutiq.org if you are interested in attending.

We will be at:
Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference from Thursday, June 2 through Saturday, June 4. We will have an informational table as well as a meet-and-greet information session for interested parents and campers.

Gender Spectrum Family Conference in Berkeley, CA from Friday, July 29 through Sunday, August 1. We will be presenting a workshop, will have information available, and will have a meet-and-greet info session for interested parents and campers.

Please stop by if you are at these conferences to say hi!

Looking forward to snowmelt,
Nick