Campers have access to dozens of activities in: Sports / Water Sports / Nature Studies / Music, Woodworking, Crafts, Studio Art & Drama / and Hiking & Canoeing, with instruction from beginner to advanced levels. The depth within each program area invites a camper to develop high level and refined skills, especially over multiple summers. The breadth of activities inspires that same boy to discover interests and abilities beyond those that he has already developed. Boys who engage in both immersion and exploration don’t “outgrow” camp. Instead they return year after year and emerge as both skilled and well-rounded young men.

We know campers will experience some frustrations while at camp, but we try not to “fix” them for the boys. By training our counselors in Positive Counseling—a multi-step process that guides campers to identify what choices they have—we give our staff a mode of working with campers that not only helps the boys navigate an actual situation, but also awakens them to the tools they have to manage their future challenges at home, in school, and in relationships long after their summer at Pemi comes to a close.

As our mission states, Pemi offers support and guidance, sets clear policies, and communicates honestly and dependably with parents as they navigate the profound challenge of “letting go.” In other words, we don’t facilitate “hovering.” Instead, our communication with parents gets high marks for being informed and timely both pre-season and while your son is with us. We encourage you to think of time apart as “healthy separation”—an opportunity to connect in a new way with partners, friends, and younger children, and a chance to nurture yourself by pursuing personal goals and interests. When he describes his time at camp to you with authority and pride, you’ll understand why it was okay not to know what was happening every minute of his time away.