Teenagers from across the country who are living with military families are coming to New Hampshire this month to experience the great outdoors, whether it’s learning how to ski or skate, journey through the woods on the back of a dog sled, or tubing down snow-covered mountains.

UNH Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development program is holding its 2012 White Mountain Winter Adventure Camps for teens living in military families.

“Connecting geographically dispersed military teens is important to foster their ability to support one another. These camps let us take advantage of New Hampshire’s abundant natural resources for winter outdoor recreation,” says Charlotte Cross of UNH Cooperative Extension, director of UNH’s Operation Military Kids program. “We are also very excited to partner with UNH’s Northeast Passage to serve military families who have teens with special needs.”

Camping sessions will take youth, ages 14 to 18, to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center in Bretton Woods. The camps will be virtually identical in their offerings, allowing all teens, disabled or not, to share the same range of activities, customized to allow for maximum participation and enjoyment.

Funding

Grant funding for Military Teen Adventure Camps comes from a partnership between the Department of Defense, Office of Military Community and Family Policy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

There is a $20 fee to cover the cost of a camp memento (in this case a fleece hat and neck gater), but all the rest, food, lodging, lift tickets, equipment rentals and lessons, are covered by the grant. Transportation assistance is also available, including limited airfare funding for January sessions. All camps are open to military teens from throughout the United States.

“We are very excited to be one of 11 states chosen to offer these teen adventure camps across the nation,” said, the UNH Extension specialist heading the project. “We plan to take advantage of the natural resources available in New Hampshire for winter outdoor recreation- similar to previous sentence. These camps also provide a perfect avenue through which we can partner with Northeast Passage, a component of the UNH Recreation Management and Policy department, to serve military families who have teens with special needs.”

Northeast Passage

Northeast Passage is a nationally and internationally recognized therapeutic recreation therapy and adapted sports program. With over 100 years combined program experience, all Northeast Passage program staff are licensed Certified Recreation Therapists (CTRS/L), offering a wealth of knowledge and comprehensive planning experience.

Camp Features

The overnight camps will give military youth the chance to work together, socialize, play and experience new winter activities. The camps will feature sports, including Nordic and alpine skiing, dog sledding, ice skating, sled hockey, and tubing. Connecting geographically dispersed military teens is important to foster their ability to support one another.

Teens with special needs will have many opportunities in the January sessions to have fun and experience new activities. Personal care attendants are eligible to attend, as well, and limited travel funds are available.

Whether they have developmental and cognitive disabilities (i.e. autism spectrum, pervasive developmental disorder, Down syndrome) or physical disabilities (i.e. visual or orthopedic impairment, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, amputation, traumatic brain injury), military teens will enjoy adaptive sports with extensively trained professionals and get the chance to connect with their peers.

Operation Hat Trick

All youth attending these camps will receive a ball cap courtesy of Operation Hat Trick, a special project created by the Athletics Department at the University of New Hampshire in response to a radio segment heard in early 2008 that reported "the thing most wanted by those members of the military who have received head injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan is a baseball cap to cover their wounds, dressings and scars."

The camp week running from Jan. 20-23 is designed for teens with developmental or cognitive disabilities. The last two camps, Feb. 19-22 and 26-29, will target military family teens without disabilities. These camps take place during February school vacation weeks. All will give campers exclusive access winter sports and understanding staff and peers.

Visit www.nhomk.com for more information.

(The above photos were taken at the first winter camp, held earlier this month.)