For 40 years, the City of Boulder’s Exciting Programs Adventures and New Dimensions (EXPAND) curriculum has helped Boulder County residents with developmental disabilities access recreational opportunities and build friendships and social skills along the way.
In summer, EXPAND holds two specialized summer camps for Boulder County kids with developmental disabilities: Camp Amico and Outdoor Adventure Camp.
Camp Amico is your classic summer camp. Open to kids ages 12-18, campers participate in a host of traditional activities like swimming, canoeing, rock climbing, field trips, art projects, science experiments and more. There are also four or five able-bodied peer mentors the same age of the campers on hand to help foster friendships and provide support and roll modeling, says Lori Goldman, recreation supervisor of therapeutic programs at Boulder Parks and Recreation.
“Most teens at that age are not going to traditional summer camp,” Goldman says. “This helps provide that service so they can still be working on social skills and having a good time in summer, and their parents can still work.”
Outdoor Adventure Camp, EXPAND’s other summer camp, offers about 15 kids with ADHD, ODD, anxiety disorders, PTSD and other diagnoses the chance to “have a fun, successful experience in the summer,” Goldman says.
A high staff-to-camper ratio (as much as 2:1 some years) creates a situation where every camper is adequately attended to and the staff is able to address each individual’s unique challenges and help boost self-perceptions.
“[These campers] maybe tried summer camps and kept getting kicked out so self-esteem is something we work on a lot in that camp,” Goldman says. “We tailor [activities] to each kid, and that’s something that the small staff groups and high ratios can help with. We come up with goals for each individual child and their parents.”
The benefits of the camps are obvious, Goldman says.
“A lot of kids are fighting their parents on getting up and going to school or camp because they have such bad histories and such with it,” she says. “I have a lot of parents tell me that their kid is excited to get up and go (to EXPAND camps), which is so fun to see.”
And the benefits are long-lasting. Friendships that otherwise would not have been cultivated are formed.
“Friendships are a big thing that often can develop in camp and of course [campers’] parents always say they’ve never had a friend before and they are now asking if they can have a play date,” Goldman says.
EXPAND serves about 350 people per year who participate in mutiple activities, Goldman says. The program is not limited to City of Boulder residents — about half come from outside Boulder. EXPAND also helps place hundreds of kids with developmental disabilities into traditional camps offered by the City, and offers support to ensure good outcomes.
Ultimately, these camps help kids with developmental disabilities build trust in their community and their peers, which has long-lasting, positive impacts.
“As they trust themselves and the staff they’re more willing to take on challenges and do more,” Goldman says.
