Vermont Humanities

Humanities Camps

Teacher reading a book while seated on a cooler in the woods at a Humanities Camp
Humanities Camps

With funding support from Vermont Humanities, educators around the state develop immersive, collaborative, project-based Humanities Camps that directly meet the needs of young people in their communities.

The camps aim to center student interests, empower their voices, and offer non-traditional ways to engage with the humanities as a broad and always-expanding discipline.

The summer of 2025 marked the 25th year of the Chelsea Funnery running a two-week summer program for 13 to 18-year-olds.
The organization works with 20-30 students to create a supportive community, expand the capabilities of their bodies, voices, minds, and hearts, and put on a full Shakespeare production in only two weeks!

Photo by Rory Stein.

Middle school students in costume on stage during Shakespeare play

Humanities Camp specifics

Vermont Humanities sponsored 16 camps in 2025. These camps included:

  • Five camps held at schools
  • Five camps held at libraries
  • Six camps hosted by established community partners (such as the Old Stone House Museum.)

Vermont Humanities provides a grant of about $4,500 for the operation of each camp. These funds cover two staffers who design the camp curriculum and lead the day camp, as well as supplies, field trips, guest speakers, and books.

The camps are free to students.

Sample Humanities Camp budget

  • Camp directors’ stipend: $3000 (split between two directors)
  • Field trips and/or guest speakers: $750
  • Supplies: $450
  • Books: $300
Image of Humanities Campers on ropes course.

Camp was amazing and it’s so hard to describe in words – you just have to be there – and it will change your life!


Humanities Camper

Questions?

Contact Leanne Porter at lporter@vermonthumanities.org

Vermont Humanities*** December 6, 2021

A woman with gray hair wearing a blue shirt reads from a music stand in front of a seated crowd in a state park

Our seasonal “Words in the Woods” program allows Vermonters and visitors to enjoy our state’s natural beauty while listening to and reading literature in the outdoors.

Middle school students in costume on stage during Shakespeare play

Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.

Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin with students in front of a schoolbus

We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”

African man in dark pants and shirt leading a group of children in a dance in a school gymnasium

We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.

Woman raising her hand during a public event

Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.