10 Reasons LGBTQ+ Teens Find Their People at Brave Trails
Finding a place where you can be yourself can make all the difference. At Brave Trails, LGBTQ+ teens come together to build friendships, explore their passions, and discover how they want to lead. Along the way, there are costumes, camp traditions, new adventures, and plenty of moments you’ll wish you could relive. Whether you’re considering your first summer or counting down to your return, here are 10 reasons campers love Brave Trails.
#1 MEET PEOPLE WHO GET YOU
COME AS YOU ARE. FIND YOUR PEOPLE.
Coming to camp for the first time can feel exciting and a little intimidating, especially when you don’t know anyone yet. You don’t need to arrive with a friend or know exactly what to say. Shared activities, cabin conversations, and wonderfully silly camp moments give you ways to connect. Maybe it starts with a favorite show, a shared hobby, or laughing through an activity together. Before long, familiar faces become people you look forward to seeing each day.
#2 HAVE ROOM TO EXPLORE
YOU DON’T NEED ALL THE ANSWERS.
You deserve space to learn about yourself at your own pace. At Brave Trails, that might mean trying a different name, updating your pronouns, experimenting with your style, or sharing an interest you usually keep to yourself. It can also mean showing up exactly as you are today. There’s no expectation to have your identity figured out or share more than you want to. Camp gives you room to explore, express yourself, and get to know what feels right for you.
#3 DISCOVER YOUR WAY TO LEAD
YOUR VOICE HAS A PLACE HERE.
Camp gives you space to discover your leadership style. You might share an idea during a workshop, help a group make a decision, invite someone into an activity, or encourage a friend who feels nervous. Through hands-on experiences and conversations with your community, you’ll practice listening, speaking up, and supporting others. Whether you love taking the microphone or prefer contributing behind the scenes, you have something valuable to offer.
#4 LEARN FROM ADULT ROLE MODELS
MEET THE UNICORN CREW
The Unicorn Crew brings a whole lot of heart, creativity, and camp spirit. These LGBTQ+ adult role models lead activities, support campers, and share the interests and experiences that make them who they are. Getting to know queer adults with different backgrounds and paths can help you imagine possibilities for your own future. Sometimes a meaningful connection happens during a leadership workshop. Sometimes it happens while making a craft or talking between activities.
#5 TRY SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
Camp is a place to discover interests you haven’t had the chance to explore. You might make a puppet, join a theater activity, head outdoors, or try a creative project simply because it sounds fun. You don’t need experience to get involved, and you don’t have to be great at something to enjoy it. Trying something new alongside a supportive community can help you build confidence, find an unexpected passion, or leave with a story you can’t wait to tell.
#6 LEARN QUEER HISTORY YOU DESERVE TO KNOW
GET TO KNOW THE TRAILBLAZERS
LGBTQ+ history is filled with organizers, creatives, and everyday people who helped their communities move forward. Our campers explore stories that may be missing from their classrooms and connect them to their own lives. Who helped create the opportunities we have today? Whose stories still need to be heard? What do we want to change? These conversations help campers see themselves as part of a community with a history and a future.
#7 EXPERIENCE CAMP BEYOND THE GENDER BINARY
MORE ROOM TO FEEL COMFORTABLE
At Brave Trails, cabin groups are organized by age rather than gender. Campers aren’t expected to fit into “boys’ camp” or “girls’ camp” traditions, and they don’t need to share their gender identity to be part of the community. Names and pronouns are respected, with room for those to change. For families with questions about bunking, bathrooms, or privacy, our team can talk through the details of your session and help you understand what to expect before arrival.
#8 MAKE ROOM FOR SILLINESS AND QUEER JOY
YES, THERE WILL BE COSTUMES
Some camp memories are wonderfully hard to explain when you get home. A puppet with an elaborate backstory. A theme-day costume assembled with impressive commitment. An entire group getting very invested in something silly. Camp makes room for creativity, play, and the joy of sharing those moments with people who join in. You can go all out, contribute your own quiet humor, or enjoy watching the fun unfold. There are plenty of ways to be part of camp spirit.
#9 TURN A PASSION INTO ACTION
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE BETTER?
Your interests and experiences can be a starting point for making a difference. At Brave Trails, campers explore how to turn something they care about into action through leadership activities and Passion to Action projects. That means thinking about a community’s needs, sharing ideas, and identifying steps toward change. Camp gives you space to develop an idea and consider how you might carry it into your school or community. We can change the world by being brave!
#10 CARRY CAMP INTO THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
#MAKEITLIKECAMP
When a session ends, campers leave with experiences they can draw on long after summer. It might be the confidence to introduce yourself, a better understanding of your strengths, or an idea you want to bring to your school. It might be a friendship you continue nurturing or a memory that reminds you how good it felt to be celebrated. Through year-round opportunities like Brave Space meetups, there are also ways to keep connecting with the Brave Trails community.
