Teen Camp at Deer Park Monastery
Breathe and Shine – Five Days of Presence, Peace, and Play
The Monastic Sisters and Brothers of Deer Park Monastery are thrilled to be hosting Teen Camp, a unique opportunity for ages 13-18 to practice mindfulness in nature, surrounded by other young people who want to grow in understanding and love.
At Teen Camp we will learn the art of taking care of ourselves through the practices of mindful sitting, walking, and eating in noble silence. Other activities include:
- Guided meditations
- Hiking
- Games
- Circle sharing
This year’s theme is “Breathe and Shine – Five Days of Presence, Peace, and Play.”
Registration Details: Registration is now closed.
After filling out the registration form(s), please be sure to make the registration payment as it is required for confirmation (you may need to scroll down to do this).
Click on 'Make reservation' to create a registration for Teen Camp. Please fill out one form per person. To register multiple teenagers, fill out the form for one person and 'Add to cart'. Next, 'Continue shopping'. When all members of the group are in your cart, 'Proceed to checkout'. The arrival day for the Teen Camp is July 8.
At Teen Camp, we practice as a family to be truly alive, empowering the people around us to do the same. We learn skills to help us embrace and transform our feelings of fear, anger, and despair, and to be happy, healthy, and free. Most importantly, we have the opportunity to connect with old friends and make new ones, forging meaningful relationships to last a lifetime.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
6:00am Wake Up
6:30am Walking Meditation
6:45am Guided Sitting Meditation & Reading
7:45am Exercise or Movement Practice
8:15am Breakfast
9:15am Games & Joyful Service
10:45am Dharma Activity
12:30pm Lunch
2:00pm Deep Relaxation
3:30pm Dharma Sharing Groups
5:30pm Dinner
7:00pm Program Activity
9:00pm End of Day, start of Noble Silence until after breakfast
Hear from past participants
“I would return to teen camp because the phone cleanse is needed and I love being in the outdoors so that is already exciting enough. Making new friends there is also nice and that motivates me to come back.”
“I would love to return to Teen Camp because of many reasons. For one I love the practices and teachings being taught at Teen Camp. I also enjoy getting to meet new people and making friends. I really enjoy the environment that Deer Park creates, it feels safe and open. I want to come back to continue learning from the monastics and enjoying the lessons being taught. I also like all the activities that are prepared for the teens. I’m really excited to return next summer!”
“I really enjoyed getting to meet so many cool people and hanging out with them. I think the bhodisattva games were super fun and memorable. I also really enjoyed the hike and the view we reached.”
“The hike, the games, and all the team bonding that we had made teen camp so memorable. Even without the activities, the free time we had was great as we spent time getting to know each other more and more.”
“The most memorable part was probably the dharma talks with our dharma family because everyone showed the vulnerable side to themselves and they were accepted by everyone as they shared their story and let their heart out.”
“I really liked creating the skit with my dharma sharing group and the following dharma sharing. It allowed me to recognize my own and others struggles. My family was able to get very close and raw, allowing for connection between all of us.”
“I had an amazing time, and everyone there is so nice! I also want to see the friends I made again next year.”
