Camp Jewell YMCA
Camp Jewell YMCA

OUTDOOR EDUCATION & SCHOOL GROUPS

LEARNING COMES TO LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Give your students an experience they’ll remember long after they return to school.

Located in the beautiful hills of Northwest Connecticut, Camp Jewell YMCA provides outdoor education, day field trips, and overnight school experiences for elementary, middle, and high school students from across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and throughout New England.

At Camp Jewell YMCA, students learn by doing. Across our 560-acre campus in the beautiful hills of Northwest Connecticut, students can explore the natural world, challenge themselves, strengthen relationships, and discover what they’re capable of.

From single-day field trips to multi-day overnight experiences, our experienced staff will work with your school to create a program built around your students, your educational goals, and your schedule.

OUR FACILITIES
PLAN YOUR TRIP
GROUP LEADER PORTAL
GETTING TO CAMP

MORE THAN A FIELD TRIP

A trip to Camp Jewell is an opportunity for students to step outside their normal routine and experience learning in a completely different environment.

Our programs combine outdoor education, hands-on learning, adventure, recreation, and community building to create experiences that support the work already happening in your classroom.

Students might investigate a pond ecosystem, navigate through the woods using a map and compass, solve a challenge with their classmates, climb higher than they thought possible, or gather around a campfire at the end of the day.

Along the way, they build confidence, independence, curiosity, and stronger connections with one another.

BUILD THE EXPERIENCE THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Every school is different. That’s why we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all field trip.

Whether you’re bringing one grade for the day or your entire class for several nights, we’ll help you build an experience around your students and your goals.

OUTDOOR & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Our instructors make learning active, engaging, and memorable while supporting classroom learning and applicable educational standards.

Turn the outdoors into your classroom.

Students explore science and the natural world through active, hands-on experiences designed to encourage curiosity, observation, problem solving, and discovery. Programs may include: Pond Study Forest Ecology Orienteering Outdoor Living Skills Nature Exploration STEAM-Based Activities Seasonal Environmental Programs

TEAMBUILDING & LEADERSHIP

Activities can be adapted to your students' ages, abilities, and goals. The objective isn't simply completing the challenge. It's discovering what a group can accomplish when everyone works together.

Sometimes the biggest lessons aren't learned sitting at a desk.

Camp Jewell's team-building programs challenge students to communicate, collaborate, solve problems, take positive risks, and support one another. Programs can include: Low Ropes Challenges. Group Initiatives. High Ropes. Giant Swing. Climbing. Leadership Challenges. Cooperative Games.

ADVENTURE & RECREATION

For many students, these become the moments they talk about most when they get home.

School trips should be fun too.

Adventure and recreation give students opportunities to try something new, build confidence, spend time outdoors, and simply enjoy being together. Depending on the season and your group's program, activities may include: Archery Canoeing & Boating Climbing Hiking Outdoor Games Arts & Crafts Sports Campfires Evening Programs And More

FROM A DAY TRIP TO A MULTI-DAY ADVENTURE

You don’t have to fit your school into a predetermined Camp Jewell package. Choose an experience that works for your students, schedule, and budget.

DAY TRIPS

Perfect for schools looking to take learning outside the classroom without an overnight stay.

A typical day might include:

Arrival & Welcome Meet your Camp Jewell instructors and get ready for the day. Morning Programs Choose from environmental education, team building, adventure, and other hands-on activities. Lunch. Afternoon Programs Continue exploring, learning, and challenging your group. Closing & Departure

OVERNIGHT TRIPS

Staying overnight transforms a field trip into a shared experience. Students have more time to explore Camp Jewell, build relationships, try new activities, and experience the independence of being away from their normal routine.

Trips can range from a single overnight to multi-night experiences.

A 3-DAY CAMP JEWELL EXPERIENCE MIGHT LOOK LIKE: DAY ONE Arrive at Camp Jewell Welcome & Orientation Team-Building Activities Dinner Evening Program DAY TWO Breakfast Outdoor Education Programs Lunch Adventure & Recreation Dinner Campfire or Evening Program DAY THREE Breakfast Final Activity Sessions Group Reflection Lunch Departure

EVERYTHING YOU NEED — ALL IN ONE PLACE

Planning an overnight school trip can feel complicated. Our goal is to make it easier.

Our dining team provides meals throughout your stay and can accommodate most food allergies and special dietary needs with advance notice
Our trained Camp Jewell instructors facilitate activities so teachers and chaperones can participate alongside their students rather than having to run the entire experience themselves.
Students and chaperones stay in our camp cabins, creating a true residential outdoor education experience and allowing your school community to stay together throughout the trip.
Indoor and outdoor spaces are available for school meetings, reflections, presentations, and group gatherings.
Extend the experience beyond the school day with campfires, games, group programs, and other classic Camp Jewell traditions.

Let's Plan your trip

Let’s start planning your trip to Camp Jewell YMCA Outdoor Center!
CONTACT US

WHY SCHOOLS CHOOSE CAMP JEWELL

For generations, schools have brought students to Camp Jewell because outdoor experiences can teach things that are difficult to recreate inside a classroom.

For generations, schools have brought students to Camp Jewell because outdoor experiences can teach things that are difficult to recreate inside a classroom.

EXPERIENCED STAFF

Our instructors are focused on creating safe, engaging, age-appropriate experiences for students.

FLEXIBLE PROGRAMMING

Choose the combination of education, team building, adventure, and recreation that best supports your school.

A TRUE RESIDENTIAL CAMP EXPERIENCE

Students aren’t simply visiting an attraction. They’re living, learning, eating, exploring, and growing together at camp.

SPACE TO EXPLORE

Our 560-acre campus provides forests, trails, fields, activity areas, and lakefront environments where learning can happen naturally.

YMCA VALUES

Our programs encourage caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility while helping young people develop confidence and stronger relationships.

BRING YOUR CLASSROOM TO CAMP JEWELL

Whether you’re planning a one-day field trip, an overnight class experience, or a multi-day outdoor education program, our team can help you create a trip your students will remember for years.

Tell us your approximate group size, preferred dates, grade level, and what you’d like your students to experience.

We’ll help you take it from there.

LEARNING THAT STUDENTS REMEMBER

The best outdoor education experiences don’t end when the bus leaves Camp Jewell.

Students return to school having solved problems together, supported classmates, experienced the natural world firsthand, tried things they may never have attempted before, and discovered new confidence in themselves.

Those experiences can strengthen classroom relationships and create shared memories that continue throughout the school year.

Let's Plan your trip

Let’s start planning your trip to Camp Jewell YMCA Outdoor Center!
CONTACT US
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