The Chewonki Foundation is dedicated to helping people grow individually and in community with others by providing educational experiences that foster an understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world and that emphasize the power of focused, collective effort.

The Chewonki Foundation's Girls Program offers a variety of unique opportunities for girls and young women to explore the natural world in a challenging, fun, and nurturing environment.

By camping and traveling in small groups, girls and young women experience many rich dimensions of wilderness living while gaining self-confidence, cultivating relationships with their peers and leaders, learning a wide variety of skills, and deepening their knowledge of the wild places. The length of journey increases as participants become more competent, discovering the joys, challenges, and opportunities for reflection      that lie within the woods and waters of Maine and beyond.

Chewonki's leaders support each participant in discovering her inborn capacity for courage, compassion, insight, and perseverance, allowing each girl to return home with heightened self-awareness, expanded horizons, and a renewed sense of wonder.

Goals and Outcomes for Camper Development

The following list details goals and outcomes for Camp Chewonki for Girls

To grow individually; to provide a safe setting for each camper to set goals and learn new skills while reflecting on their camp experience.

• Staff will provide the campers with positive comments and encouragement throughout their stay and focus the experience on the campers' needs.
• Each camper is asked to write a letter to the camp director at the end of the session, reflecting on her experience and plan for next summer.
• Each camper will participate in activities during the weeks that will personally challenge the camper, such as hiking, outdoor living skills, arts and crafts, watercraft activities, or group challenges.

To help each camper appreciate her natural surroundings and take an active role in the stewardship of our environment.

• Each camper will work toward the identification of the ten most common birds in the area in which they are living or traveling.
• Each camper will have the opportunity hear about the history and ecology of the area from our visiting resource women professionals.
• At the beginning of each session, the campers will discuss as a group the importance of taking care of their camp and the type of actions this involves, such as picking up litter, staying on trails, not picking flowers, recycling yurt/cabin waste, respecting property (no graffiti), and conserving water.
• Campers and staff will participate in composting and slopping food at meals, which in turn will nourish the animals and vegetables on Chewonki’s farm.
• On yurt/cabin and special wilderness trips, campers and staff will employ Leave No Trace practices.

To allow each child to experience the joys of living in a small community.

• Campers will participate in a yurt/cabin overnight and/or wilderness trip. They will have the opportunity to work in small groups during wilderness trips and overnights while they plan, prepare, and clean up after the meal as a group. Each camper will have the opportunity to take on the different roles and responsibilities.
• Campers will live in a group with other campers in cabins or yurts. Within each groups, campers will be part of community-making decisions and keeping the area clean.
• Each session of camp will have at least one all-camp activity that encourages the participation of all campers. Examples include Talent Show, Treasure Hunt, Carnival, Nature, and Scavenger Hunts.
• Campers will participate in meals served family-style.
• Campers will participate in all-camp campfires and other activities.