The HEART in Family HEART Camp stands for Harmony, Ease, Authenticity, Respect, and Trust; important family values that Nonviolent Communication supports us in living,
both at camp and in the wider world.
Come learn with us in a space where everyone’s needs matter!
Family HEART Camp
“Attention is the most basic form of love. By paying attention we let ourselves be touched by life , and our hearts naturally become more open and engaged.”
― Tara Brach
Engaging Conflict
We believe that conflict is a natural part of our human experience. NVC offers many practices to support us in relating to conflict with integrity and care as we try to understand the tension and restore connection and trust.
We Co-create a restorative system that will serve the camp community for the week, and learn tools for conflict resolution for all ages.
Meals
Our intention is to provide healthy, enjoyable meals that satisfy the dietary needs and preferences of a large variety of campers. We are usually able to accommodate omnivorous, vegetarian and vegan diets, with provisions for gluten free and dairy-free meals.
Lodging
Lodging varies at each of our venues and ranges from tent camping to hotel-like accommodations. Please check the specific program you are interested in to learn about the lodging options.
Why Family Heart Camp?
Families come to camp longing for more:
- Harmony in their family
- Skill in navigating challenges in relationships
- Strategies for staying connected as they grow and change
- Autonomy and choice as individuals
- Support in growing their skills in nonviolence
- Tools for navigating an ever more polarized world
Who Comes To Camp?
Our camp families come in all shapes and sizes, and have ranged in age from from 3 months to 80 years. Families at camp may span multiple generations or be a single person. What all of our families have in common is curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a longing for more connection and harmony, in their family, their community, and in the world.
Family HEART Camp is a family residential retreat, meaning only staff and registered families participate. Sessions are not open to members of the public who have not pre-registered for camp. We start and end the week together, without visitors, allowing for the creation of a clear community container to better support us in building trust, and a sense of belonging, that campers of all ages can lean into as they learn and practice.
Community Sourced Programing
Our camp sessions are structured using Community Sourced Programming (CSP), an adaptation of Open Space Technology (OST), which allows both staff and campers of any age, to make offerings for the day.
Sessions offered by our Program Team infuse the community with a rich experience of the values at the core of Family HEART Camp, while sharing the communication skills that help us all realize those values. Session offerings range from more structured teaching of NVC, to games, crafts, and other explorations grounded in NVC, that appeal to a wide range of ages and interests.
The great benefit of Community Sourced Programing is its flexibility to meet the needs of each camp community, recognizing that everyone — children included — contribute to the community.
Camp information
"What can I say? Perfect week... I only have positive thoughts and memories. Inspiring experience. So many powerful meaningful moments. Thank you so much everyone who helped make it happen. Looking forward to seeing you again next year..."
- Ori Alon
“Family Heart Camp is a time and place where the kids are completely safe to explore, have fun, push the edge all the while of being in a loving, caring environment created by kids and adults. Wow, its that same for parents. That’s why we come back year after year.”
- Renee Panetta
“Our family had a very enriching experience. The selection of sessions was great and allowed for intellectual as well as kinesthetic interactions. The facilitation team was compassionate, skilled and caring. Many thanks for this experience!”
- Caroline Altmann
“Between camps I started paying attention to my kids and also paying attention to my needs. When I was tired and hungry I had to figure out a way to handle the situation differently. That can be hard. But I was learning how to understand their needs and wants and learn mine as well. It takes a village to raise a family, not a kid, a family. People need to know that.”
- Karen Ezirim
