Groundbreaking CAMP OUR TIME Starts Next Week In Upstate NY

Imagine being the kid not picked to be on the baseball team, not asked to dance, shunned as being different, simply because it takes you a bit longer than others to get a sentence out. For millions of kids who stutter, summertime offers no reprieve from the shame they feel interacting with others.

That was before CAMP OUR TIME.

CAMP OUR TIME begins next week in upstate New York. It's the first program of its kind: a performing arts sleepaway camp, where kids who stutter can feel like part of the crowd, instead of alone within it.

Our Time is a non-profit organization centered on a one-of-a-kind Arts program that provides children who stutter with an environment of unconditional acceptance...a creative forum, where they can express themselves through art, music, writing and theater, slowly and without risk of being ridiculed. It is the only such organization in America. Founded by Taro Alexander, a person who has stuttered since the age of five, Our Time brings sensitivity and compassion to a group of youngsters who are often consumed by shame, or, worse, ignored. NY-1 TV recently honored Alexander as ‘NEW YORKER OF THE WEEK' for his work with the Our Time kids: http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=101422

At Camp Our Time, kids from all over America, and even abroad, now have a safe and dignified destination - a place to kick back, have fun, and spend their summer break on a beautiful, outdoor campsite in The catskill Mountains.

At Camp, kids fill their days with a mixture of traditional camp activities, including sports, swimming, crafts, and more. Each day is also filled with performing arts activities, as the children write, prepare and rehearse a theatrical production for closing night. Soon to be featured in The Associated Press, Camp Our Time helps kids who stutter develop self-esteem, while at the same time, providing them with a place where they can simply relax...

The following is a personal story about one boy's experience at Camp Our Time: In 2006, Peter (name changed to protect anonymity,) a quiet boy with a pronounced stutter, joined Our Time. Over the past 3 years, he has become a courageous, self-assured young man who now shares his vibrant personality and keen sense of humor with others, particularly when he senses an accepting environment like the one Our Time fosters. In fact, Peter had grown so comfortable and confident at Our Time that he hosted the organization's gala event in 2008 in front of an audience of over 500 people.

While he has grown more confident and extroverted, Peter still has moments of social phobia due to his stutter. Most notably, he has a difficult time returning to school in the fall because he fears judgment and ridicule that may result from encounters with new kids. In the summer of 2008, he attended Camp Our Time where he met many new friends. According to his mother, when it was time for him to return to school after camp was over, he was still filled with social confidence from camp and actually looked forward to beginning the school year rather than dreading it as he had in the past. Peter and his mother attribute camp with helping him to overcome his anxieties of meeting new people, even in less familiar environments. Peter continues to grow in self-esteem, allowing him to thrive in his school environment.

More about Camp Our Time:

Camp Our Time takes place August 9-16, 2009 at Iroquois Springs, an American Camp Association-accredited camp in Rock Hill, NY, 90 minutes north of New York City. It is open to children who stutter, their young family members, and friends, ages 8-18. Although the theatre-arts are integral to Camp Our Time, no performing experience is required to enroll and no auditions are held.

Camp Our Time offers affordable tuition, and financial aid to all youth in need. No one is turned away. Camp Our Time welcomes children from all over the world.

The following is a personal story about one girl's experience at Camp Our Time:

An incredibly introverted girl before Camp Our Time, Emily (name changed for anonymity) seemed to transform immediately as she met other campers while boarding the bus to the Iroquois Springs
campground. She easily befriended others, and even shared headphones with another camper only minutes after meeting him. Throughout the week, Emily thrived in an environment where she felt welcomed and accepted. Her mother attended camp's closing performance and was moved to tears by her daughter's beaming confidence and happiness. Emily had such an affirming, transformational experience at Camp Our Time that she now travels 6 hours each weekend to participate in Our Time's NYC-based programming.

The following e-mail was sent to Taro Alexander by the mother of a camper who received a need-based scholarship to attend Camp Our Time last summer:

"The gratitude that my husband and I have for what you all have done with our son is beyond words. Giving him this opportunity through your scholarship process was a blessing. We were unaware of the vision and artistic capabilities that he possessed and demonstrated at the camp on that beautiful Saturday afternoon. With the guidance, support and love that was so very evident, we watched and listened to him show a side of himself that we did not know he was capable of expressing. I am crying now as I write this because it is still so moving to me just to think about it.

Thank you, thank you for allowing him to have an experience that will be of benefit to his self-esteem and growth for years to come. We surely will not forget what we saw and we are sure that he will not forget that week at Camp Our Time."

After his Camp Our Time experience, this young man joined Our Time's free, NYC-based programming.

For more information or to register for Camp Our Time, visit www.ourtimetheatre.org/camp