Community Partners Are Investing in Chiloquin's Future
When people think about summer camp, they often picture fun activities, new friendships, and time spent outdoors.
The Chiloquin Teen Adventure Camp (CTAC) certainly offers all of those things, but it is designed to be much more than a traditional summer camp.
CTAC was created to give local teenagers opportunities they simply don't have access to in many rural communities. Throughout six weeks, participants explore new careers, discover the outdoors, develop leadership skills, learn practical life skills, serve their community, and gain confidence through hands-on experiences. Every week introduces a new theme, from outdoor adventure and bike skills to transportation, art, recreation, and water sports. Each activity is intentionally designed to help teens build skills they can use long after summer ends.
Meeting a Rural Need
Rural communities like Chiloquin face unique challenges.
Many families must travel 25 miles or more to reach larger communities where youth programs, museums, recreation facilities, colleges, and career exploration opportunities are more common. For many families, transportation, cost, and distance can make those experiences difficult to access.
The Chiloquin Teen Adventure Camp was created to help remove those barriers. Thanks to transportation provided by the Klamath County School District, participants can travel throughout Klamath County and beyond to experience educational, recreational, and career-focused activities that would otherwise be out of reach for many local teens.
Each week, participants visit community organizations, businesses, colleges, public agencies, museums, parks, and outdoor recreation areas while also welcoming local experts and partners who share their knowledge here in Chiloquin. This combination allows teens to experience both the opportunities within their own community and the many resources available throughout the region.
The result is a program that broadens horizons by exposing participants to potential careers, introducing them to local businesses and organizations, exploring the region's remarkable natural resources, and helping them discover new interests while building confidence, friendships, and connections that can last a lifetime.
As one of our community partners noted during the planning of CTAC, programs like this give young people the opportunity to "discover new passions, develop valuable skills, and form lasting connections with peers and mentors."
Powered by Partnerships
Programs like CTAC simply would not exist without partnerships.
Our primary funding comes from the Roundhouse Foundation and the Klamath County School District, whose investment makes it possible to offer the program at no cost to participating youth.
We are also incredibly grateful for our Community Partners who have stepped forward to invest directly in the success of local teens.
Community Sponsor
Squibb Counseling Services
Youth Champion Sponsors
KLA-MO-YA Casino
Margot Durand, Fisher Nicholson Realty
Their generosity helps support everything from program supplies and transportation to meals, equipment, and educational activities throughout the summer.
The Challenge for Small Rural Nonprofits
For organizations like Chiloquin Visions in Progress, funding youth programs is both rewarding and challenging.
Unlike larger communities, rural nonprofits often operate with small staffs, limited fundraising capacity, and fewer local funding opportunities. Grants help launch innovative programs like CTAC, but grants rarely cover every expense or provide long-term sustainability.
That is why local businesses, organizations, and individuals play such an important role.
Every sponsorship helps ensure that local youth continue to have access to meaningful educational opportunities without creating a financial burden for families. Every partnership strengthens the program and demonstrates that our community believes in its young people.
Looking Ahead
CTAC is more than a summer program. It is an investment in the next generation of leaders, workers, volunteers, artists, entrepreneurs, and community members.
As Klamath Outdoor Science School noted in its letter of support, programs like CTAC fill a critical gap by providing engaging, creative, experiential learning opportunities that encourage youth to become active participants in their communities and explore future career paths.
With continued support, CTAC can continue growing, offering new experiences, reaching more teens, and creating lasting impacts throughout the Chiloquin community.
Become a CTAC Community Partner
Would your business, organization, or family like to help shape the future of Chiloquin?
By becoming a CTAC Community Partner, you'll help provide local teens with opportunities to learn, explore, build confidence, and discover what's possible.
Whether through financial sponsorship, volunteering, providing activities, or donating equipment or services, every contribution helps make a difference.
If you're interested in supporting CTAC, we'd love to visit with you about partnership opportunities.
