Belonging, Inclusion, & diversity

our neurodiverse community

  • About 1 in 6 campers at Med-o-lark identify with being neurodiverse.  Here, we are an inclusive and supportive community, but we are not a therapeutic or specialized program. We don’t believe in labeling kids. Instead, we focus on understanding what each camper needs to feel comfortable, confident, and successful in a camp setting.

    Families share helpful context with us through our health history form and through direct communication with our directors. When we share information with counselors, we do not diagnose or label campers. Instead, we pass along practical guidance such as a camper benefiting from reminders, extra transition support, or quiet breaks.

    All staff receive training during orientation on sensory sensitivities, emotional regulation, and supporting campers with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and related needs. This training is part of our core counselor preparation, not a separate or specialized track.

    In daily camp life, we build in flexibility and choice. Campers always have access to quieter spaces. For example, during high-energy evening programs like dance parties, we offer a calm alternative such as spending time in the art barn. Counselors are attentive to campers who may be feeling overwhelmed, struggling with transitions, or having difficulty finding their place in the group. They use tools like countdowns, reminders, and gentle scaffolding to help campers move through the day successfully.

    We see family partnership as essential. The more we understand how a camper functions best, the better we can support them. When appropriate, we are also open to collaborating with a camper’s outside provider, such as a therapist or medical professional, to ensure consistency and support. 

    We are transparent about our limits. Camp is a community environment, and we are not able to support behaviors that significantly disrupt the safety or functioning of the group. We also ask that campers who take medication during the school year continue that medication throughout the summer. Within those boundaries, we work with a wide range of kids and are committed to helping each camper feel seen, supported, and included.

our lgbtq+ community

  • Medolark is a gender-inclusive and LGBTQ+-affirming community. While this is not named as a standalone core value, it is deeply rooted in our guiding principles of kindness as a way of life and the freedom to be and to become. Our goal is for every camper to feel respected, safe, and able to show up as themselves within a caring community.

    All campers and staff are invited to share their preferred names and pronouns. If a camper would like to change their name or pronouns during the summer, they are welcome to do so, and we communicate thoughtfully with families when that happens. If someone makes a mistake around pronouns, we acknowledge it, apologize, and move on. We model respect without making it a bigger moment than it needs to be.

    Cabin placement is handled with care and in partnership with families. Trans and nonbinary campers and counselors may select whether they would like to be placed in a girls’ or boys’ cabin based on how they identify. At this time, we do not offer nonbinary cabins. We have found that being grouped with peers of a similar age is often more important for a camper’s social experience than creating separate housing categories.

    While cabins are organized in a binary way, camp life as a whole is not. We never split activities by gender, and campers choose from the same wide range of creative and recreational offerings. Our camp-wide bathrooms are gender-neutral.

    Select shower areas have privacy curtains—essentially a second curtain that creates a discrete changing space—so any camper (or counselor) can change privately if they prefer. We never require anyone to change in front of others, and we respect each person's comfort level.

    All staff receive training on respectful, inclusive language and are prepared to support campers through questions, curiosity, or moments of confusion among peers. 

    We are also careful to be transparent about what camp can and cannot promise. Because our housing is still organized as girls’ and boys’ cabins, we cannot guarantee that every nonbinary camper will feel completely at home at all times. That said, in practice, Medolark tends to be a place where gender expression is wide-ranging and accepted. You’ll see many forms of self-expression at Medolark, including artistic campers, kids who enjoy playing with style and creativity, and a community that is open to gender exploration without making identity the focus.


    Above all, we are committed to approaching each camper as an individual, working closely with families, and fostering a culture where kindness, respect, and belonging guide how we live together at camp.