Camp Yakety Yak

10/03/2026

💚 TEEN VOYAGERS 💚

This summer, our Teen Voyagers spent their days making friends, sharing their interests, trying new things, and having fun at Camp.

With just 12 teens each week, Teen Voyagers is intentionally small—giving teens the space to really get to know one another. And this summer, a lot of connections were made and friendships grew. 💚

🎨 They created.
🎲 They played a LOT of games.
🍳 They cooked together.
💬 They shared their interests.
💚 And they had plenty of time to just hang out.

Our Teen Voyagers cohort included some fantastic Special Education Teachers and an incredible intern who created a space where teens could chill without the mask, relax, and be themselves. Along the way, teens built self-confidence, gained new skills, and had a safe place to practice them with their peers.

Because sometimes growth looks like learning something new. And sometimes it looks like feeling safe enough to just be yourself. 💚

10/02/2026

🦁 Be there for this spectacular Lion King performance with an epic backup dancer — that turns into a camp-wide sing-a-long! 🎶

Our talent show happens every day at camp, so everyone gets a chance to be part of it. Sing, dance, rap, tell a joke, share a special interest, or bring whatever talent feels like you.

Everyone gets cheered on. No one gets laughed at. Everyone gets to belong as themselves.

That’s the magic of camp. 💙

09/29/2026

“I went to camp!” 💙

Our Explorer was so proud of himself at the end of the day.

His mom, Liz, shared:

“Moments like that are so important, so special. Helping him feel accomplished and connected is priceless.”

She also shared what it meant for their whole family:

“That our kiddo was able to have a day camp experience and all that comes with it, and that we were able to have the respite for a week in a long summer, was invaluable.”

Sometimes something as simple as getting to say “I went to camp!” is a very big deal.

— Liz L., CYY Parent

09/28/2026

09/25/2026

Katy Burns and 2026 Volunteer Camp Counselor Elise A. are bringing the energy to the Central Catholic High School Volunteer Recruitment Fair! 💙

If you know Katy, you know she can hype up a crowd—she does it every day at the Camp Yakety Yak Talent Show! And Elise knows what it takes to be an outstanding Volunteer Camp Counselor because she is one. 🙌

Our high school Volunteer Camp Counselors are essential to the Voyagers program. Each counselor commits to 40 hours—one full week—supporting a camper experiencing disability as their one-to-one aide throughout the camp day.

And they show up. 💗

In 2026, 210 high school Volunteer Camp Counselors contributed an incredible 11,832 hours at Camp Yakety Yak! 🎉

We are deeply grateful for every hour they give and every connection they build—truly couldn’t do it without them. Our high school volunteers help make sure campers can access the individualized support they need to thrive—and that they experience the acceptance, friendship, and belonging of being welcomed by their peers. That peer acceptance is a powerful part of what makes camp transformational. Providing this level of one-to-one support through paid staff alone would make camp financially out of reach for nearly everyone.

That’s why we’re already recruiting for 2027! 📣

Cheers to Katy and Elise A. for doing the work, inspiring others, and helping build our next crew of incredible Camp Counselors. 💙

09/21/2026

Maybe you need to dance. 💗 💃🪩

When a camper was having a hard time, Mya from our Camper Support Team came over and watched.

Nearby, Elise was running Alien Freeze Dance.

Mya had an idea.

“Can you play her favorite song?”

Of course her favorite song was “Golden.” Because if you were at camp this summer, you know there was a LOT of KPop Demon Hunters. 😂

The song came on.

And she danced. 💃

That was it.

She danced it out. 💗

Sometimes helping a child regulate isn’t about pulling another strategy out of our toolbox.

Sometimes it’s about getting curious enough to notice what already works.

Music. 🎶
Movement. 💃
Space.
Connection. 💗
Something completely unexpected.

And then helping them notice it, too:

I had a really big feeling.

I found something that helped.

My body recovered.

I know myself a little better now.

That’s the skill we’re really trying to build.

Maybe a dance party will work for you, too. 💃🪩💗

09/06/2026

🌈 WHO IS THE CAMPER SUPPORT TEAM? 🌈

You may have heard us talk about the Camper Support Team—but who are they, and what do they actually do?

Our Camper Support Team is five highly experienced and skilled staff members who provide support and oversight across camp. And their work starts before campers ever arrive.

🌈 They review IEPs and information shared by families
🌈 Create individualized support plans and tools
🌈 Match 💙 volunteer counselors with campers and help build camper teams
🌈 Work alongside interns and volunteers throughout camp
🌈 Step in when a camper needs additional sensory or emotional support
🌈 Help adjust activities, environments and supports when something isn’t working

At Camp Yakety Yak, high school 💙 volunteer camp counselors provide much of the day-to-day, one-to-one support for campers—but they are never expected to do that work alone.

Our model is built on layers of trust. The 🌈 Camper Support Team gets to know our campers, builds relationships with them, and becomes another trusted layer of support when things get hard.

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 FIVE CHEERS FOR THE CAMPER SUPPORT TEAM!

One for each of the five incredible people who help make camp work.

09/01/2026

💙 CAMP YAKETY YAK 2026 — BY THE NUMBERS 💙

✨ 218 campers
☀️ 476 camper-weeks of camp

💙 54 staff members
🎓 31 licensed professionals
↳ 26 returning from the previous summer

🌟 16 interns
↳ 3,200 hours

🎓 36 graduate & professional students
↳ 3,240 hours

💗 210 high school volunteer camp counselors
↳ 11,832 hours

✨ 18,272 HOURS ✨
contributed by our interns, graduate & professional students, and high school volunteer camp counselors.

Hundreds of people. Thousands of hours. One incredible summer together.

That was Camp Yakety Yak 2026. 💙

09/01/2026

💙 THE CAMP REVIEWS ARE IN! 💙

“First: My son didn’t get kicked out of camp! Second: He talked about all the friends he made, and how he wanted to come back. He was so at ease in his body, and wasn’t anxious going to camp. Such a relief to know he would go to camp, have a great time, be supported! We can’t thank you enough!”

— Katie H., Camp Parent

Your child belongs here. 💙

08/30/2026

💙 THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 CAMP INTERNS! 💙

There is a tremendous amount of love and admiration for our Camp Yakety Yak interns—and we want you to know why.

This summer, 16 interns served across Voyagers, Explorers and Teen Voyagers, with most leading our Voyagers color teams.

Our interns are typically undergraduate college students, along with a few standout high school volunteer counselors from previous summers ready to step into a bigger role.

And it is a big role.

They work hand-in-hand with our professional staff. They get to know their campers—really know them—and learn what helps each camper participate, communicate, regulate and have a successful day at camp. They work closely with our Camper Support Team to carry out individualized supports.

At the same time, they lead and support our high school volunteer counselors, offering feedback, encouragement and support as they learn.

For five weeks, from move-in to move-out, our interns are all hands on deck.

This summer, 16 interns contributed approximately 3,000 hours in one month.

It’s fun. It’s exhausting. It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility.

And they do all of it for a $500 stipend.

So this post is really just to say: THANK YOU.

Thank you for knowing our campers. Thank you for supporting our volunteers. Thank you for showing up every day, doing the hard things and making camp work.

As our interns head back to schools and universities far and wide, we hope they take a little bit of Camp Yakety Yak with them—and know they leave a whole lot of themselves behind here with us. 💙

And, of course, we already have our eyes out for next year’s interns. 👀

Interested? Email [email protected].