Summer Camp Options for Teens and Tweens
Parents know the tween and teen years won’t be easy. But how many of us anticipated that one of the more difficult tasks associated with parenting our kids through these years would be figuring out how they would spend their summers? Luckily, there are options for families in Southwest Florida, but they do take some investigating to find. So we have done the leg work for you, and tracked down a wide range of volunteer and summer camp opportunities for area teens and tweens. It’s worth nothing that several organizations offer both volunteer positions and summer camp for teens.An added benefit for high schoolers (including rising ninth graders) is that the they can earn volunteer hours that count toward scholarship requirements. Check with your school counselor to confirm.
Artis-Naples. Artis-Naples offers year-round volunteer opportunities for ages 15 and older. This summer, volunteers and counselors are being sought for ArtSmart Summer Camp from June 5-23, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteer schedules are more flexible and could vary depending on availability. Artis-Naples also offers music camps for up to age 18. Visit www.artisnaples.org.
Athletic Republic. Youth Sports Performance Summer Camps are available in 2023 for ages 7-14, and provide conditioning for all sports and skill levels. Visit www.naples.athleticrepublic.com.
Avow. Avow accepts volunteers ages 16 and older, and offers a variety of camps for all ages. Camp MendingHeart helps kids who have experienced grief to express their feelings at day and overnight grief camps. Avow also offers several events throughout the summer for all ages. Visit www.avowcares.org.
Bonita Springs YMCA. Teen Leadership and Travel camps are offered by the Bonita Y for ages 13-15 at Three Oaks Middle School in Fort Myers and the Bonita Springs Rec Center. Visit www.ymcaswfl.org.
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. Two locations, in East Naples and Immokalee, host summer camp for students up to 18 years old. Visit www.bgccc.com.
Camp Able. Students ages 15 and older may apply as volunteer counselors at this day camp for children with special needs at Wesley United Methodist Church in Marco Island. Staff training is scheduled for July 9-10 and camp will run July 11-15. Visit www.campable.org.
Camp Highlander. The five-week training program for rising high school seniors is designed to transition campers into their role as staff at this sleepaway camp in North Carolina. The program consists of a two-week education period, followed by three weeks of on-the-job training as an assistant counselor in a cabin, under the leadership and guidance of two older and more experienced counselors. Visit www.camphighlander.com.
Centers for the Arts of Bonita Springs. CFAB welcomes interns ages 15 and older. Fill out the Volunteer Intern form online or call 239-495-8989 for more information. After completing 30 hours of service, teens receive a free teen or adult multi-week class. CFAB also offers a wide range of camps for up to age 18. Visit www.artcenterbonita.org.
City of Naples Parks & Recreation. Kids up to 15 years old can find camps for sports, the arts, aquatics, and technology at 10 different locations through City of Naples Parks & Rec. Visit ww.naplesgov.com.
Children for the Arts. This theater arts camp is for kids up to age 15, and runs June 19-30, including a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on the final day. CFTA also welcomes ages 15 and older (with or without experience) to join the backstage crew and learn the fundamentals of running a production. Visit www.childrenforthearts.com.
Collier County Parks & Recreation. See article on page 30 for details. Visit www.collierparks.com.
Community School of Naples. CSN provides academic, sports, and specialty camps for students up to grade 12. These camps are open to both CSN and non-CSN students. Visit www.communityschoolnaples.org.
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples. The Teen Volunteer Program at C’mon is for ages 15-18. Volunteers may assist in a variety of areas during the summer and year round. Visit www.cmon.org.
Gulfshore Playhouse. Two performance camps are offered this summer at Gulfshore Playhouse. For ages 8-13, Finding Nemo Jr., and ages 13-18, The SpongeBob Musical. The camps culminate in performances. Visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org.
KidzAct Youth Theatre. There are two summer audition-based shows during summer for ages 9-14: Into the Woods Jr. and Beauty & the Beast Jr. KidzAct will be based at Naples United Church of Christ for summer 2023. Visit www.naplesplayers.org.
Naples Art Institute. High school students ages 14 and older are invited to apply at www.naplesart.org/volunteer. In addition, morning and afternoon summer camps are available for ages 9-12 and 13-17. Visit www.naplesart.org.
Naples Performing Arts Center. NPAC’s Triple Threat Summer Workshops are week-long intensives for ages 11-8. For ages 13-18, auditions for Mean Girls take place on May 23, with rehearsals from 5-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday (plus some bootcamp weekends) from June 5 to the performances on July 7-9. Visit www.naplesperformingartscenter.com.
Naples Zoo. Counselors-in-training (CIT) help guide summer campers ages 5-12 through the zoo, and assist with games, crafts, and activities, and gain valuable experience working with children. CIT and other volunteer opportunities are available for students age 16 and older. Visit www.napleszoo.org.
Naples Therapeutic Riding Center Summer Camp. Teens ages 14-18 can apply to volunteer for at least two weeks from
8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in June or July (as well as during the rest of the year). Volunteers must attend an orientation. Applications are available at www.ntrc.org.
Ocean Kids. This beachfront summer camp that runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is for kids ages 7-13, and also accepts student volunteers who are at least 14 years old and starting high school in the fall. Volunteer orientation for the summer camp is scheduled for May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at Lowdermilk Park in Naples. Register at www.oceankidscamp.com/volunteers-staff or call camp owner Aaron Weiny at 239-250-6508.
Scuba Outfitters. The PADI Open Water Camp allows kids ages 10-17 to receive their PADI Open Water certification, and then progress to Junior Adventure Diver Camp for ages 12-17. Visit www.scubaoutfittersnaples.com.
Wellfit Adventure Camp. For middle school girls, this camp is focused on leadership, fitness, and empowerment, and culminates in a five-day expedition in Georgia. Visit www.wellfitgirls.org.
YMCA of Collier County, Naples and Marco Island locations. Both YMCA locations – Naples and Marco Island – offer a wide range of specialty camps for kids up to ages 17. Visit www.ymcacollier.org.
Affordable Summer Camps for Teens and Tweens
By Andrea Stetson
Your tween or teen is now old enough to stay home alone. But leaving them at home all day, all summer might not be a great idea. Will they spend every day on their phones or computers? Will they get in trouble because they are so bored? That’s the dilemma facing many parents of older kids.
While there are specialty camps for activities such as sports, dance, music, theater, and nature, many of them are for only a week, or only for the morning, making it hard for working parents to shuttle their kids around. Parents spoke about spending hundreds of dollars a week for a morning program, only to have to leave work to bring their kids home halfway through the day. So we looked for low cost camps that fit a parent’s work schedule, and found the local parks had the best prices and longer hours.
Collier County Parks and Recreation’s summer camps aren’t just for little kids anymore. There is a huge menu of options for teens and tweens.
• Junior Leader Training is aimed at kids ages 13-18 and teaches them leadership traits such as accountability, confidence, dependability, and empathy. Those who complete the program are eligible for a junior leadership internship at the elementary and middle school camps.
• The junior lifeguard program doesn’t offer certification, but teaches the water safety skills needed to advance to lifeguard training.
• The 3D Game Design, Animation, App Design, Gaming, Graphic Design, Video Design, and Movie Makers camps range in price from $150 to $310 a week and teach a variety of technical skills.
• Wheels BMX Summer Camp is taught by a professional BMX rider and costs $125 per week.
• The county also offers half-day water ski and sailing camps.
• The least expensive camp for tweens is the Collier County Middle School Camp, which costs $600 for the entire summer. Campers take nature walks, play games, make arts and crafts, participate in different sports, swim, and take field trips.
Aaron Hopkins, regional manager for Collier Parks, said its programs are a safe place for teens and tweens to spend their summer, and the specialty camps are taught by experts. And he is happy to see the return of such a large menu of activities after the pandemic curtailed the county’s programs.
“COVID-19 put a stop to a lot, but now we are back up, and we want to offer as much as we can fit for the children and teens in Collier County,” he said.
For families who live closer to Lee County, its parks and recreation department also offers inexpensive programs for middle school kids. Camps are just $75 per week and give working parents flexibility with a 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule.
Lee County also offers specialty camps that feature nature themes. Those camps feature activities such as kayaking trips, learning about ecosystems and animal signs, and wildlife walks.
Contact Collier Parks at 239-252-4000 or visit www.collierparks.com. For Lee County, visit www.leeparks.org, call 239-533-7275, or email leeparks@leegov.com.