Camp Tyler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
Camp Tyler, located five miles southwest of Tyler, Texas (100 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas), is one of the United States oldest and most well-known outdoor education facilities. In 1949, the 400-acre camp was founded by the Camp Tyler Foundation along the shore of Lake Tyler West, within the great piney woods of East Texas. During a typical year, Camp Tyler will provide unique outdoor experiences to thousands of youths, adding to the hundreds of thousands of youths served since the camps inception. Annually, Camp Tyler has campers on the property 340 days out of the calendar year.
Contents |
[edit] Camp Tyler Foundation
The Camp Tyler Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, provides camp facilities, organizes volunteers, creates educational programs, and oversees funding of Camp Tyler. In partnership with the Tyler Independent School District (TISD), the TISD provides maintenance and oversight, but does not supply operational funding. Camp Tyler’s funding is largely supplied by philanthropic contributions, and receives no state funding.
[edit] Facilities and Activities
Many Camp Tyler facilities are modeled after structures of the 1800s, which includes a dining lodge, library, clinic, classrooms, five dormitories, bathhouse, amphitheater, farmhouse, and a replica schoolhouse and blacksmith shop. Campers can enjoy numerous activities during their stay, like horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and the exhilarating experience of Camp Tyler’s Adventure Challenge Area, which includes elements like wall climbing and zip lining.
[edit] Overview
Camp Tyler provides a nourishing environment to foster the growth and development of young people through established and experimental learning techniques, delivered by professional instructors and mentors. At Camp Tyler, youths are thought the camp’s core values of respect, understanding, integrity, and stewardship, both in relation to interaction with nature and people. Camp Tyler is perfect for children who have limited opportunities to experience the outdoors and families who want to learn together.
Throughout each year, Camp Tyler delivers unique, interactive programs to provide youths with premier outdoor learning experiences. The Camp Tyler Foundation partners with and trains other organizations, including public and private schools, to deliver programs designed by Camp Tyler staff. Programs are designed to bring young people closer to nature, and give them greater understanding of the past and the future.
Programs include weeklong residence camping, which serves 5th graders from eight different school districts, and various day programs for pre-5th grade students. Day programs include aquatic biology, birding hikes, nature photography, outdoor theater, team building, and many others. These hands-on, experimental activity programs are designed to meet the education standards of science and social studies, set forth by the state of Texas.
Various youth groups also enjoy Camp Tyler, including Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and church groups. Often during the summer months, agencies, in association with the Camp Tyler Foundation, institute programs designed for special needs children, like Asthma Camp, Diabetes Camp, Camp Heyday (for mentally and physically challenged persons), Camp Quality (for youth with cancer and their siblings), E=mc2 (for the gifted), and Summer Adventure Program (for at risk students).
