From Camp Joy to Classroom Ready: MetroWest YMCA Ends Summer on a High Note

Hopkinton, MA, August 23, 2024 – The MetroWest YMCA is celebrating its campers and their families after another successful year of summer camp!

Every year, the MetroWest YMCA welcomes hundreds of kids at our six summer camps across the MetroWest. They get an opportunity to learn new skills, make friends, be active and just have fun!

Our largest camp, held at our 122-acre Outdoor Center in Hopkinton, welcomed 1406 local youth to experience the joys of camp. We lucked out because there was plenty of sun shining in Hopkinton, allowing campers to spend time outdoors and learn new skills like swimming, archery, axe throwing, crawfishing, splatter art, pickleball, rock climbing and more.  

Along with adventure and play, summer camp is where kids can grow in numerous ways. With help from Framingham’s Learning Center for the Deaf, a group of campers from the Middler Unit learned American Sign Language (ASL) so they could communicate with the deaf children in their group. They even learned how to tell jokes in ASL that they could teach to other campers.  

"I am always impressed with the empathy young children show for each other in the social-emotional setting of camp,” expressed Stephan Lockney, Associate Executive Director Camping Services.

The theme of learning and connection continued in our Counselors-in-Training (CIT) program for youth entering grades nine and ten. This year, in collaboration with the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, our leaders trained 50 local teens in leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork. This joyful group learned valuable skills and provided over 6,000 hours of volunteer service to our community through camp.  

Another highlight this summer was our annual Banana Olympics where families pick a banana (yes, a banana!) to participate in all types of challenges like frisbee, archery and more. Counselors serve as referees and medics in case the banana gets injured. Over a hundred families were in attendance this year, and despite the pouring rain, everyone stayed until the end. It was truly a night to remember!

MetroWest YMCA summer camps give both youth and families so many opportunities to thrive. We will be riding the high of this year’s camp season for many months and are excited to carry this enthusiasm into a successful school year.