Summer Camps made for Neurodivergent youth

Our summer program is similar to the school year club without the weekly commitment. This allows families the flexibility to travel and attend other summer camps to expand their child's social circles. D&D camp has a max of 6 participants and Play.Mod.Make has a max of 8-10 participants to increase the likelihood of connections being formed.

Game On Youth is a safe space for participants to:

• Build connections with other like-minded youth
• Practice social advocacy skills such as "reading the room," considering others' thoughts/feelings, self-advocating in a group, and cooperative problem solving
• Have fun in a relaxed, casual setting without feeling judged for things such as stimming, hyperfocus on singular topics, or overstimulation

While we do not require a diagnosis to participate in this non-therapeutic group, most of our participants are neurodivergent and have diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, and/or social anxiety.

Game On will be most appropriate for kids who are able to independently function in a classroom, but might need moderate support in socializing with others. While they can carry on a conversation, the topics may be narrow or their interactions may seem "odd" to people who are neurotypical. Your child should be able to follow most directions independently and learn new games with demonstration, visuals, or verbal assistance.

• Camps will be held at Zulu's Board Game Cafe in Bothell

For Tabletop Games: Play, Mod, Make

• Opening - participants gather and engage in casual conversations as everyone arrives. If they made a new game the previous day they can share it with the group
• New Games Time - participants learn 1-2 new board games a day. These include both competitive and cooperative games such as 7 Wonders, CodeNames, Cascadia, Azul, The Mind, Unstable Unicorns and SpaceTeam. Check out all the games we've played!
• Mod Time- participants work together to modify a game we played by changing a rule and seeing how game play changes
• Closing - participants provide feedback on what they liked or didn't like about the games they played. This feedback is taken into account when the following week's games are chosen. Time permitting, this is also a great time to continue casual conversations and other age appropriate activities (such as trading Pokemon cards and Minecraft/Roblox screen names!)

For D&D Camps

• Opening - participants gather and engage in casual conversations as everyone arrives. We recap what happened in the story the previous day
• Game Play - The first day much of this time will be engaging in character development and an overview of the basics of what D&D is all about and how to play. All other days this time is used for progressing through the campaign by battling monsters, solving problems, and completing quests
• Closing - we wrap up by providing compliments on what went well, constructive feedback on what could have gone better, and future thinking by sharing what we're looking forward to.

Check out our D&D Group Page for more information about our approach to teaching social advocacy via Role Playing games

For Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon Camps

• Opening - participants gather and engage in casual conversations as everyone arrives. Some participants choose to share their decks or trade cards to this time
• Game Play - The first day we spend time ensuring everyone understands the basic rules and mechanics of MTG or Pokemon TCG. Beginner Boxes and Battle Academy are used as tools to teach those who aren't familiar with the game. Subsequent days are spent learning about new game mechanics and modifying/building decks for those who are interested.
• Closing - we wrap a few minutes early to answer any questions as well as encourage everyone to trade/share cards. Sometimes the group is even treated to a booster opening party!

All of our groups are currently facilitated by Brandi, a former special education teacher, licensed behavior analyst (both at the national and state level), and tabletop game aficionado. You can read more about her on the About Us page.

Our half-day camps cost $375 with exception to our last week of camp which is 4 days and costs $300