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Hi-
Thought this would be of interest to folks - please forward. I got this email today but don't know anything about the camp other than what is in the letter below. Check out website for more info - www.camparanutiq.org
April 2009
At some point in our lives, we all know what it feels like to be an outsider. But imagine feeling isolated, disrespected, and even ridiculed, by children and adults alike, on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this is the experience of many transgender and gender-variant youth. In a study focus group, one gender-variant child made a compelling statement: "I have no comfort or safety zones, and that puts me at risk for suicide."* The good news: we can help to change that.
Founded in 2009, Aranu'tiq (a-ra-NOO-tick) is on a mission to provide transgender and gender-variant youth with a safe, fun, and unique weeklong camp experience during which they are able to express gender however they are comfortable and connect with others in similar situations. Aranu'tiq is a Chugach (Yup'ik, Indigenous people of Alaska) word for a person who was thought to transcend traditional gender binary boundaries and was revered because of this. Campers will be in the care of knowledgeable and devoted adult volunteers throughout the week they are there. Additionally, we will help campers' families get to know one another in person and/or in cyberspace. We believe that family involvement is very important to the success of Aranu'tiq.
Our inaugural summer is in 2010 and we need your support to make it happen. We have already received several inquiries from prospective campers' families and from twice as many volunteers as we'll need! Our goal is to make camp cost-free for all campers. The camp and all of its operations are 100 percent volunteer-run. A week in the summer can make a lifetime of difference. "The group situation provides a forum…where there is no need for lies or false fronts…When [children] need to talk or want the company of someone who understands what they are going through, they now have people to reach out to."^
Please support us in any way you can. There are two ways to donate: on our website: www.camparanutiq.org (click "donate") or by check made out to Camp Aranutiq, Inc. and sent to the mailing address at the top of the page. The camp site itself will be in southern New England, about a 2-hour drive from both New York and Boston.
We thank you greatly for your generosity in ensuring a better quality of life for transgender and gender-variant youth.
All the best,
Nick M. Teich
Founder & President
*Quote from: Grossman & D'Augelli: "Transgender Youth: Invisible & Vulnerable."
^ Quote from: Brown & Rounsley: True Selves.
Board of Directors
Nick M. Teich, M.S.W. (May 2009) [email protected]
Founder & President
Emily J. Engler [email protected]
Vice President & Clerk
Morgan Darby, M.A., M.A.T.
Teacher, The Park School, Brookline, MA
Marissa Gold, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, Boston
Julie Lipson
Co-founder, The Shalem Project, Portland, OR
Melissa MacNish, M.A.
Mental Health Counselor
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, Boston
Alison Rosenberg, L..C.S.W.
Social Worker
Honorary Board of Directors
Gregory Fenton, M.D.
Family Physician/GLBT Health
Fenway Community Health & Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center
Ralph Vetters, M.D.
Pediatrician/Transgender Health
Medical Director
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center
Camp office:
P.O. Box 620141, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462
617.467.5830
www.camparanutiq.org
Thought this would be of interest to folks - please forward. I got this email today but don't know anything about the camp other than what is in the letter below. Check out website for more info - www.camparanutiq.org
April 2009
At some point in our lives, we all know what it feels like to be an outsider. But imagine feeling isolated, disrespected, and even ridiculed, by children and adults alike, on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this is the experience of many transgender and gender-variant youth. In a study focus group, one gender-variant child made a compelling statement: "I have no comfort or safety zones, and that puts me at risk for suicide."* The good news: we can help to change that.
Founded in 2009, Aranu'tiq (a-ra-NOO-tick) is on a mission to provide transgender and gender-variant youth with a safe, fun, and unique weeklong camp experience during which they are able to express gender however they are comfortable and connect with others in similar situations. Aranu'tiq is a Chugach (Yup'ik, Indigenous people of Alaska) word for a person who was thought to transcend traditional gender binary boundaries and was revered because of this. Campers will be in the care of knowledgeable and devoted adult volunteers throughout the week they are there. Additionally, we will help campers' families get to know one another in person and/or in cyberspace. We believe that family involvement is very important to the success of Aranu'tiq.
Our inaugural summer is in 2010 and we need your support to make it happen. We have already received several inquiries from prospective campers' families and from twice as many volunteers as we'll need! Our goal is to make camp cost-free for all campers. The camp and all of its operations are 100 percent volunteer-run. A week in the summer can make a lifetime of difference. "The group situation provides a forum…where there is no need for lies or false fronts…When [children] need to talk or want the company of someone who understands what they are going through, they now have people to reach out to."^
Please support us in any way you can. There are two ways to donate: on our website: www.camparanutiq.org (click "donate") or by check made out to Camp Aranutiq, Inc. and sent to the mailing address at the top of the page. The camp site itself will be in southern New England, about a 2-hour drive from both New York and Boston.
We thank you greatly for your generosity in ensuring a better quality of life for transgender and gender-variant youth.
All the best,
Nick M. Teich
Founder & President
*Quote from: Grossman & D'Augelli: "Transgender Youth: Invisible & Vulnerable."
^ Quote from: Brown & Rounsley: True Selves.
Board of Directors
Nick M. Teich, M.S.W. (May 2009) [email protected]
Founder & President
Emily J. Engler [email protected]
Vice President & Clerk
Morgan Darby, M.A., M.A.T.
Teacher, The Park School, Brookline, MA
Marissa Gold, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, Boston
Julie Lipson
Co-founder, The Shalem Project, Portland, OR
Melissa MacNish, M.A.
Mental Health Counselor
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, Boston
Alison Rosenberg, L..C.S.W.
Social Worker
Honorary Board of Directors
Gregory Fenton, M.D.
Family Physician/GLBT Health
Fenway Community Health & Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center
Ralph Vetters, M.D.
Pediatrician/Transgender Health
Medical Director
Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center
Camp office:
P.O. Box 620141, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462
617.467.5830
www.camparanutiq.org
