Camp Junior

For parents and guardians across New York City, especially those in the Bronx, finding a safe, enriching, and engaging environment for children during the summer months is a top priority. While the city offers countless opportunities, there’s an undeniable benefit to allowing kids to escape the urban landscape and experience the wonders of nature. This is where Camp Junior, nestled in the scenic expanse of Harriman State Park in Southfields, NY, emerges as a truly special and impactful destination.

Camp Junior is not just another summer camp; it is a profound initiative born from a tragedy, created to honor the memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz and to provide at-risk youth from the Bronx with a transformative experience. Operated in partnership with The Fresh Air Fund and New York State Parks, this camp offers a crucial “home away from home” where children can explore, learn, and grow in a supportive outdoor setting. It stands as a testament to the power of community collaboration, offering a vital opportunity for young New Yorkers to simply be kids, have fun, and build positive relationships outside the confines of city life.

Camp Junior is located in Southfields, NY 10975, USA, specifically within the vast and beautiful Harriman State Park. Harriman State Park, covering nearly 47,500 acres across Rockland and Orange Counties, is one of New York's largest and most magnificent state parks. Its sprawling wilderness, complete with lakes, mountains, and extensive trail systems, provides an idyllic backdrop for a summer camp focused on outdoor immersion.

A key aspect of Camp Junior's location is its strategic accessibility for its primary beneficiaries: youth from New York City, particularly the Bronx. Despite being situated in a seemingly remote natural environment, Harriman State Park is remarkably only about 30 minutes from the Bronx by bus. This relatively short travel time is crucial for facilitating the participation of children from urban neighborhoods, making a nature-based summer camp experience highly accessible to them.

The camp is housed at the "Top of the Pines" location on Lake Tiorati within Harriman State Park. Lake Tiorati itself is a serene body of water that enhances the camp experience, offering opportunities for swimming and boating. The surrounding park provides a wealth of natural resources for various outdoor activities, ensuring that campers are fully immersed in a rich natural environment. This blend of wild beauty and practical proximity to New York City makes Camp Junior's location uniquely suitable for its mission.

Camp Junior provides a comprehensive range of services centered around creating a safe, engaging, and developmental summer camp experience for children. These services are carefully designed to cater to the needs of young campers from diverse backgrounds, ensuring a holistic approach to their summer education and enjoyment.

• Structured Summer Camp Program: The core service is a multi-week summer camp program for boys and girls, typically aged 8 to 15, offering a balance of structured and choice activities.
• Accommodations: Campers live in rustic cabins, which are equipped with electricity. Bathrooms with indoor plumbing and electricity are located a short walk from the cabins, providing essential comforts.
• Daily Swim Instruction: A significant emphasis is placed on water safety and skill development, with qualified instructors providing daily swimming lessons.
• Meals Provided: All meals are provided for campers during their stay, ensuring they are well-nourished and energized for activities.
• Supervised Activities: Children are supervised by trained counselors and staff throughout their stay, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all activities. Counselors include former campers and international staff.
• Anti-Violence and Anti-Gang Lessons: A unique and crucial aspect of the program, Camp Junior integrates anti-violence and anti-gang lessons and skill-building workshops, aiming to offer young people alternatives to negative influences and promote positive behavior.
• Leadership and Skill-Building Workshops: Beyond academic or purely recreational activities, the camp focuses on developing critical life skills, self-confidence, and leadership qualities.
• Transportation: For many participants from New York City, especially the Bronx, transportation to and from the camp is a key service provided, making attendance possible.
• Year-Round Programs (The Fresh Air Fund): While Camp Junior is a summer program, it is part of The Fresh Air Fund's broader initiatives, which often include year-round programs providing resources and support systems for campers and their families beyond the summer.

Camp Junior is distinguished by several unique features and highlights that contribute to its profound impact on the lives of New York City youth, making it far more than a typical summer camp.

• Tribute to Lesandro “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz: The camp's most poignant feature is its dedication to the memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz. This profound purpose imbues the camp with a special mission to provide a safe haven and positive alternatives for at-risk youth.
• Focus on Bronx Youth: Specifically serving children from targeted neighborhoods in the Bronx, the camp addresses a critical need for safe and enriching summer experiences outside the city, offering a “home away from home.”
• Safe and Supportive Environment: Reviewers emphasize that it's a "great place for kids to have fun outside of New York City," and campers describe it as "a safe place where we can all talk to each other and express our feelings without being judged. We can be ourselves."
• Extensive Outdoor Activities: Campers engage in a wide array of outdoor activities, including kayaking, swimming, hiking, sports (basketball, soccer), archery, and outdoor adventure courses (including high ropes). The natural setting of Harriman State Park provides the perfect playground.
• Educational Components: Beyond physical activities, the camp offers music, art, and dance classes, as well as chess instruction, allowing campers to explore diverse interests and develop new skills.
• Life Skills and Character Development: The program actively promotes positive behavior, social activities, and teaches crucial skills to help young people resist negative peer pressure and make positive life choices.
• Beautiful Natural Setting: Located on 40 acres in Harriman State Park with views of Lake Tiorati, the camp offers an immersive experience in nature, a stark contrast to urban environments.
• Experienced and Caring Staff: The camp benefits from dedicated counselors, many of whom are former campers themselves, creating a strong sense of community and mentorship.

As a program primarily supported by philanthropic efforts and partnerships, Camp Junior's "promotions" are not based on commercial discounts but rather on its unique accessibility and comprehensive, impactful programming for its target demographic. The "special offers" are inherent in the value it provides to the children it serves.

• Free for Participating Children: The most significant "offer" is that the camp experience, including accommodations, meals, activities, and transportation, is provided at no cost to the children selected to attend. This removes financial barriers for families from underserved communities.
• Targeted Outreach: The program actively reaches out to and selects children from Bronx neighborhoods identified as at-risk for gang activity, ensuring that the camp serves those who can benefit most from its protective and developmental environment.
• Partnership Support: The collaboration between The Fresh Air Fund, New York State Parks, and the Bronx Borough President's Office ensures substantial funding and resources, allowing for high-quality programming and facilities to be offered without direct cost to families.
• Long-Term Impact: While not a short-term promotion, the camp's focus on anti-violence education, leadership skills, and positive behavioral development offers an invaluable long-term benefit to campers, contributing to their future success and well-being.
• Year-Round Support (through Fresh Air Fund): As part of The Fresh Air Fund's broader mission, campers may have access to continued support and resources beyond the summer camp session, providing ongoing engagement.

Families cannot typically "book" a spot at Camp Junior like a commercial camp. Instead, children are selected through partnerships with community organizations and Fresh Air Fund officials from specific neighborhoods in the Bronx. Those interested in learning more about eligibility or how to support Camp Junior can find information through The Fresh Air Fund or the Bronx Borough President's Office.

For New York residents interested in Camp Junior, it's important to understand that direct public enrollment is not the primary model. Camp Junior operates in partnership with The Fresh Air Fund, which manages the selection and programming for the children who attend. Therefore, inquiries about Camp Junior are best directed to The Fresh Air Fund.

Camp Junior Address (within Harriman State Park): Southfields, NY 10975, USA

Primary Contact (The Fresh Air Fund):

• General Inquiries: 1.800.367.0003
• Headquarters Address: 633 Third Avenue, 14th Fl, New York, NY 10017

For parents in the Bronx whose children might be eligible for programs like Camp Junior, reaching out to community organizations that partner with The Fresh Air Fund, or directly contacting The Fresh Air Fund, would be the appropriate steps to learn about the application process and eligibility criteria. Support for Camp Junior can also be provided through donations to The Fresh Air Fund, which helps sustain its vital work.

For New York City locals, particularly families in the Bronx, Camp Junior in Southfields, NY, represents an incredibly suitable and profoundly important opportunity. Its existence as a memorial to Lesandro “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz imbues it with a unique and powerful mission: to provide a safe, enriching, and transformative summer experience for youth who might otherwise lack access to such vital outdoor and developmental programs.

The camp's strategic location within Harriman State Park, just a short and convenient bus ride from the Bronx, makes the vast natural world accessible to urban children. This proximity allows them to escape the concrete jungle and immerse themselves in a serene environment, fostering a deeper connection with nature that many city kids rarely experience. The beautiful setting on Lake Tiorati and the extensive trails of Harriman State Park provide an ideal playground for adventure and exploration, from kayaking and swimming to hiking and sports.

What truly sets Camp Junior apart for local New Yorkers is its comprehensive and purpose-driven programming. Beyond the fun and traditional camp activities, the integration of anti-violence and anti-gang lessons, along with leadership and skill-building workshops, offers invaluable life tools. This holistic approach ensures that campers not only have an unforgettable summer but also return home with increased confidence, positive coping mechanisms, and a renewed sense of purpose. The heartfelt testimonials from campers about feeling safe, being themselves, and forming a "big family" underscore the profound impact this camp has on their lives.

Camp Junior is more than just a place for summer fun; it is a beacon of hope and opportunity, offering a transformative experience that helps shape young New Yorkers into confident, resilient, and positively engaged individuals. For the communities it serves, it is an invaluable local resource, providing a critical pathway to outdoor education, personal growth, and a brighter future.

Camp Junior

Southfields, NY 10975, USA