Planting a tree at Camp Dogwood becomes a metaphor for the growth that occurs in every child.

Camp Dogwood has a unique approach to summer camp programming. In addition to traditional camp activities, we provide academic and leadership enrichment in all programming. It is our goal to ensure that while having fun, campers never stop learning about the splendor in themselves and the world around them.

• Academic Enrichment: Camp Dogwood offers a holistic approach to childhood development. Through a variety of fun-filled experiences designed specifically to enhance reading, math, grammar, computer, art, science discovery and conflict resolution skills, each camper will explore and develop a world of personal attributes unique to his/her own needs and desires.
• Sports and Games: The fun continues with activities designed to enhance the development of motor skills, physical and mental coordination, teamwork and social skills. Campers also experience a sense of healthy competition and enjoyment, while gaining an understanding of how to win and loose with grace and consideration of others.
• Swimming: And what would a summer camp be without swimming?  Campers have the chance to swim in the pool daily under the watchful eye of a licensed lifeguard. In addition to increasing swimming skills, our swimming program helps campers develop a comfort level in the water and an understanding of water safety.
• Field Trips and Guest Speakers: At least once each session campers take a field trip to a location in the greater Washington D.C. area to a destination that will broaden the camper’s knowledge of topics taught during the summer session. We also welcome Guest Speakers who come to Camp Dogwood to share stories of success and promise with all of our campers.

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Msafiri Rites of Passage (ROP) (Rising 10th and 11th Graders)

There is no better way to end your experience as a camper at Camp Dogwood than by completing the Msafiri Rites of Passage program. Designed as a twelve-day intensive outdoor, residential experience, this program is based on a curriculum centered on a series of challenges and tasks drawn from rites of passage rituals of a myriad of world cultures. Through the process of meeting these challenges, participants will complete a journey of self-discovery, where they will be encouraged to contemplate a greater sense of purpose for their lives, to discover who they are, what they are capable of achieving, and why it is important to live up to their greatest potential.

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Camp Counselors mentor S.T.E.P. participants in all areas of Camp Dogwood programming.

Staff Training Enrichment Program (S.T.E.P.) (Rising 11th and 12th Graders)

The S.T.E.P. program is Camp Dogwood’s counselor-in-training experience. The program is designed to help bridge the gap between camper and counselor.  S.T.E.P. participants shadow Camp Counselors and are mentored in all areas of Camp Dogwood programming. This program is available to three to four campers per session and is offered for two sessions of the summer.

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Partnering Program

Every summer Camp Dogwood welcomes campers from the Navajo and Pueblo Tribes in Arizona and New Mexico. This is another way the camping experience exposes young people to different worldviews by sharing cultural identities and customs with peers from different parts of the country.

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Transportation

Transportation will be provided to and from Camp Dogwood for campers living in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area.

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Scholarships