Buddies Intensive Camper Program
For adolescents with special needs, ages 12-15
$680/week
Important Notice! In an effort to keep the integrity and effectiveness of our special programs such as Special Needs Campers (40), Buddies Intensive (8), Junior Camp Counselors (12), and Yak Apprentice (12) there will be a cap for participants each week, noted in parentheses. Once the cap is reached, a wait list will be generated. Please don’t wait to register because these programs fill up fast!
Registration Opens April 17th at Noon
Buddies Intensive Camper Program
For adolescents with special needs, ages 12-15
$680/week
Important Notice! In an effort to keep the integrity and effectiveness of our special programs such as Special Needs Campers (40), Buddies Intensive (8), Junior Camp Counselors (12), and Yak Apprentice (12) there will be a cap for participants each week, noted in parentheses. Once the cap is reached, a wait list will be generated. Please don’t wait to register because these programs fill up fast!
Registration Opens April 17th at Noon
Teaching the Language of Friendship
Camp Yakety Yak is an inclusive social skills day camp supporting friendship development for children with special needs, ages 5-15, & social skills
in the workplace instruction for young adults ages 16-22.
CYY 2024 Location:
40 McNary Parkway
Lake Oswego
After enrollment you can access your dashboard
here!
Registration is Open!
ATTENTION: We have a new enrollment & registration system called CAMP SITE, and hope that your registration is smooth! In the event that there are some bugs we need to work out, or you have difficulty with your registration, please email Heather@CampYaketyYak.org.
We know that some programs fill up fast and we don't want any new system registration glitches to prevent you from registering. For the first few days of registration, while we are making sure everything is in working order, if you have completed all of your forms and then have difficulties with completing the final enrollment steps, email Heather we will use that as a time stamp for your registration. Please provide a phone number and some good times to call you!
Our 2024 Camp Dates
Week 1: July 8-12 - Cosmic Explorers
Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm
Join us as we blast into space for a week of out of this world fun! Throughout the week we will explore what makes us unique, try new things, and learn about each other through space themed activities, experiments, and art!
Week 2: July 15-19 - Animal Adventures
Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm
Join us for a week of animal fun! Our super special guests, the alpacas, will be back to visit along with some other mystery guests! Throughout the week we will learn about what makes animals so amazing, and what makes each of us amazing, while we learn about some really cool and unique animal traits and skills and collaborate together on animal themed activities, and art!
Week 3: July 22-26 - Around the World
Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm
Join us for an around the world adventure! We will start off by making passports to launch into a week of exploring the globe. Throughout the week we will learn about the earth, journey through distant lands, and learn about perspective taking and tolerance while we explore other cultures through fun activities and art projects.
Week 4: July 29-Aug 2 - We are all Superheroes
Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm
Join us for five days of fun while we explore what makes each of us a superhero! We will explore our "super powers" and become the heroes in our very own stories while we showcase what makes each of us special, collaborate in super fun activities, and use our creative skills to design our super cool costumes.
Good Things Happening at Camp Yakety Yak
Camp Yakety Yak is Unlike Any Other Camp in the State of Oregon!
Camp Yakety Yak (CYY) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help children with special needs (e.g., Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disability) grow socially and emotionally by improving their communication skills. The camp's educational mission is two-fold:
1) provide instruction in social & emotional skills to children with special needs & their siblings to support friendship development in a day camp setting;
2) provide an opportunity for future professionals in educational and therapeutic fields to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in working with children with special needs.
Eighty percent of our staff members are students from local universities and high schools who receive 10-30 hours of training and ongoing supervision by our professional faculty.
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We offer a high camper to staff/volunteer ratio and provide 1:1 support to campers that have higher needs.
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Intensive practice in social skills (5 hours a day, 5 days a week) with an emphasis on school, home, and community success.
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Multi-disciplinary team of professional supervisors and consultants from general & special education, speech pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior analysis, counseling, and nursing
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Highly trained college-level staff with university partnerships for speech pathology and occupational therapy. We are a "teaching camp" similar to a "teaching hospital." Mature teen volunteers round out our staff and bring the fun element.
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Service to the whole family in our "Reverse Inclusion" model featuring support of neurotypical siblings who attend right along with their brothers, sisters, and friends with special needs
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Weekly "Caregiver Connection" Parent Support Group Meetings facilitated by CYY Parent Advisory Board Members, with an active Facebook page fostering parent connection throughout the year!
