Registration OPEN!

UU Summer Middle School Camp

Play, Connect, Belong

Sunday, July 12 through Saturday, July 18, 2026

Dean: Patrick Daley

Play, Connect, Belong
This summer at camp we’ll explore how fun, friendship, and community are all connected. Through big games, creative challenges, time in nature, campfires, and shared adventures, campers will discover how play helps us build meaningful connections with each other and the world around us. When we laugh together, solve problems as a team, and try new things, we create a community where everyone feels like they belong.
Our theme is inspired by the Unitarian Universalist Seventh Principle—the belief that we are all part of an interdependent web of life. At camp, we’ll explore what that means in real ways: supporting each other, caring for the natural world, and recognizing that every person brings something important to our community. By the end of the week, campers will see that when we play together, connect with one another, and make space for everyone, we build a stronger, kinder web that includes us all.

Throughout the week, you will engage in fun activities that promote teamwork, friendship, and personal growth. From hiking to Jenks Lake to creative workshops, our camp emphasizes the joy of coming together and forming new connections. You are invited to join us for a memorable week filled with laughter, friendship, and the spirit of community as we reunite and thrive together.

Middle School camp is for youth who have recently completed 6th thru 8th grade.  See below for information about our family camp program opportunity.

Camp de Benneville Pines has moved to a self-selecting sliding fee scale. Level 1 is our minimum cost, Level 2 is what it takes for us to meet our needs and Level 3 helps to offset costs and supports Camp’s scholarship fund.

Camper TypeLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Youth$769$839$879

Pricing includes lodging, all meals, activities, and supplies. A $75 per person non-refundable deposit is required to confirm registration. Full balance due one week before the start of camp. No refunds will be allowed after check-in begins on the first day of camp. Electronic invoices will be sent out periodically, allowing partial or full payment, until payment in full is received.

Discounts: 

Take advantage of our Early Bird Special! Register by June 10, 2026, and receive a $50 discount! (Discount only applies to independent youth camper fees.)

Middle School/Family Camp Program:

We are excited to again be able to offer this experience that we hope will help grow our UU camper and volunteer base over the coming years. This is a great option for those families with middle school-aged campers who aren’t quite ready for the full independent camper experience or are not yet secure enough to attend Middle School Camp on their own. Families participating in this option must have one accompanying adult who is willing to volunteer part of the day.

The Middle School Family Camp welcomes adults aged 25 or older and children who completed 6th-8th grades during the 24/25 school year, or who are younger.

For those campers not yet age-appropriate for middle school camp, a dedicated parent or trusted adult (caregiver), separate from the adult volunteer, must manage their care and safety during camp as there will be fewer program options for this age group. Depending on the level of response and the tag-a-long numbers, we will offer age-appropriate opportunities for these future independent campers.  We will be working out some of the details as we go along, in community. Space is limited to 5 families.

Families taking advantage of this option will stay in a cabin room with their own family members. middle school-aged youth will have the option of staying in their family room or being in the youth cabins. Pricing includes accommodations and meals: $540 per caregiver adult; $300 designated volunteer adult, $375 per tag-a-long youth, $150 toddlers aged 1-2, and under a year old are free. Middle school- aged campers will pay the regular youth camper fee listed above.

In order to participate in this program:

  • Identify one adult in the family to volunteer part-time in the youth camp program and actively participate in at least two workshops per day. There will be many options from which to choose that best matches abilities and interests. Volunteer will receive a $240 discount off the regular rate of $540.
  • Identify one adult, separate from the volunteer, to act as dedicated care giver for any tag-a-long youth in the family who are not yet old enough to participate in the middle school program. The care-taking adult will not be involved in the independent youth camper cabin activities, though are welcome in many workshops and other camp community activities.
  • Model respect for the counselors, youth, and adults, who will be leading the youth camper schedule and who serve the youth’s mentors and counselors day-to-day. Adults will defer to camp leadership regarding boundaries between independent youth camp and family camp to ensure our independent campers have an authentic youth camp experience.
  • Attend a mandatory zoom orientation session before camp.
  • For adult volunteers working with youth outside their own family: Complete a free 2-hour mandated reporter training and pass a Department of Justice Live Scan fingerprint screening.  Fees apply. Additional details to follow once registration is confirmed.

Please note that we will not be able to include youth who have completed 9th grade or above.

We hope you are as excited about this program as we are! By working together, we foster independence for our young people, nurture lifelong UU campers, and make our time together enjoyable for all. It is our hope that many adults trying this experience will be able to come back to volunteer again or even lead future camps!

To make camp affordable, you can even make payments!

A Note about Payments:

After registering, there will be three options to pay: Pay in full via PayPal, Pay a portion via PayPal, or pay by check. PayPal is our payment processor. Although you don’t need an account, our transactions do run through their platform.

To pay via PayPal without having an account, log out of any PayPal accounts and select the option “Pay with Debit/Credit Card,” which will be under the login button.

To submit payment by check, please make your check payable to: Camp de Benneville Pines and note the specific camp in the memo line. The mailing address for the check is:

Camp de Benneville Pines
Attn: Janet James
PO Box 82
Angelus Oaks, CA 92305

If you miss the payment step when registering, contact the registrar and request an invoice at  registrar@uucamp.org.

Programming: Laura Lunn, Camping Ministries Director, cmd@uucamp.org, 949-300-3645

Facilities or General Camp: Contact Janet James, Executive Director, director@uucamp.org, 909-435-6298

Registration: Contact Angela Andiorio, Camp Registrar, registrar@uucamp.org, 909-654-4769

HEALTH UPDATE:  Please stay home if you are ill and help keep others safe and healthy. Our Covid policy is under review. More details to follow closer to the event. Click here to read the updated policy in full. 

Camp de Benneville Pines may sometimes need to make the difficult decision to cancel camp due to a variety of factors including but not limited to the following: severe weather conditions, road closures, Covid and other contagious outbreaks, camp volunteer and site staff shortages, etc. Should the camp have to cancel, refunds will be issued.

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