FAQs

What should I bring to camp?

Take a look at the Packing List

What should I not bring to camp?

There are some items that are not permitted at camp, such as cell phones, other electronic devices, and pocket knives. Please take a look at the Packing List.

How do I get there?

Check out the Locations Page

How can I get in touch with the staff?

Staff are available through email up until three days before the Cadet Command Workshop. Please ask all last-minute questions by that time. After that, the staff have arrived at the campgrounds themselves and started to prepare for the arrival of campers and will have only limited access to email and phone.

Are there scholarships available?

We do our best to make Sun Camp as affordable as possible, but we understand that cost can still be significant. We want every child who is interested in Sun Camp to attend, so please contact us for payment plan or scholarship options if paying the full cost of camp is not possible for you.

What time is the final parade?

Colorado: 12:30 p.m., Nova Scotia: 1:00 p.m., France: Noon.

What do campers do all day?

Camp activities include sitting meditation, cooking meals, marching (drill practice), campfires, and team-building games. There is also free time during which campers simply enjoy the beautiful environment and hang out together.

What’s with all the marching?

At Sun Camp we use the discipline of marching as a kind of meditation action. Drill is practice in synchronizing our own bodies and minds, as well as with each other. Coordinating our steps, turns, spacing, and voices helps ground our awareness in the present moment, and makes it hard to be too distracted. Distraction is also not seen as a problem, but another opportunity to find our awareness suddenly back in the present moment when we run into the person next to us!

Is this camp only for Buddhist kids?

Anyone can come to camp! Although Sun Camp is inspired by and based upon Buddhist teachings and is specifically grounded Shambhala principles of inherent goodness and dignity of every human being, there is no requirement to be Buddhist, and many young people from outside the Shambhala community come to camp again and again.

Can anyone attend Sun Camp?

Sun Camp is open to any young person, 10-16 years of age. It is fundamental to the principles we cultivate at camp that it is a place where campers feel safe and included. Staff and participants work together to create a camp that welcomes gender- and neurodiversity and works cooperatively to recognize and address other issues of discrimination or exclusion when they arise. However, while camp includes staff with medical training, Sun Camp is not equipped to accommodate participants with significant physical or psychological challenges. Wondering if it might work for your child? Let’s talk about it!

Can campers make phone calls?

There is no phone available for campers to make calls to parents or vice versa. In case of an emergency, Sun Camp staff will contact the parents. If this is your child´s first time away from home, it is important to remind them that unless there is a real emergency, there will not be a phone from which they can call during camp.

What’s the weather like?

Check here for the weather in Nova Scotia, Colorado, and France.

Is Camp dangerous?

Sun Camp has the same risks that any outdoor camp has—exposure to a rugged physical environment with extreme weather and physical activities in the woods. It is important for all participants to drink plenty of water during the heat, have appropriate rain gear, and know their own physical limits.

Who is responsible for putting on three camps each year?

All three camps are run by the Sun Camp Leadership Group, a body of experienced staff who commit to making sure that camps happen every summer in France, Nova Scotia, and Colorado. If you have concerns regarding camp that you would like to bring to the Leadership Groups attention, please email us.