Welcome To Heritage Camps For Adoptive Families!
2024 Theme-HCAF is Forever!
Welcome To Heritage Camps For Adoptive Families!
Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families
Since 1992, Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families has been supporting the healthy development of families formed by adoption. We promote the successful transition of adopted children into healthy, confident, well-grounded adults who are proud of themselves, their families, and their heritage.
Whether your child was adopted internationally or domestically, HCAF helps adoptive families become part of a larger community “just like themselves,” with shared experiences, challenges, and opportunities.
More Than An Annual Vacation!
Current research in adoption supports HCAF’s approach to social integration and self-esteem building. More than just an annual vacation, HCAF fosters meaningful connections with other adoptive families and cultural communities.
Family members of all ages benefit from the expertise of professionals in the fields of identity development, complex trauma, art therapy, and more, balanced with fun and engaging activities that support relationship building. Many of our workshop presenters are adoptees who bridge their professional expertise with their personal experiences.
Bridging Culture and Community
While all of our camps include programming about adoption in general, our Heritage Camps have a focus of supporting transcultural/transracial adoptive families. We connect adoptive families with authentic cultural experiences, providing positive representations that affirm the inherent worth of a child’s birth culture through fun, age-appropriate, interactive activities, and cultural/racial “mirrors” — camp counselors and presenters from adoptees’ birth cultures.
What is most valuable to our family about Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families is being able to connect with others who travel the same path in life as our family. There is a sense of wholeness that comes from being a part of the camp experience. Through camp, our child has found a place and community that completely understands and accepts her 100% for who she is. There is a sense of belonging and understanding that doesn’t come from any other community of which we are a part.
I honestly can’t imagine where we’d be without our fellow camp friends, and all the guidance we’ve received from adoption professionals and our cultural community. When we have questions or experience challenges, we have a community we can turn to. Our kids habe been clear from the beginning that camp needs to be a priority for us. It makes that much of a difference.
Learn how you can support Heritage Camps through corporate sponsorship, our annual gala, and more.
Our Camps
African / Caribbean Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: June 5-8, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Estes Park Center
Chinese Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: August 29- September 1, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch
Chinese Heritage Camp II
Camp Dates: July 24-27, 2025
Registration opens January 15 2025!
Location: Front Range Community College Campus
Domestic Adoption Camp
Camp Dates: July 17-20, 2025
Registration opens January 15 2025!
Location: YMCA Estes Park Center
Indian/Nepalese Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: July 10-13, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch
Korean Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: June 12-15. 2025
Registration opens in January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch
Latin American Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: June 19-22, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch
Russian / Eastern European / Central Asian Heritage Camp
Camp Dates: June 26-29, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: Front Range Community College Campus
Southeast Asian Heritage Camp / Pacific Islander Heritage Camp
Camp Dates; July 31-August 3, 2025
Registration opens January 15, 2025!
Location: YMCA Estes Park Center
Domestic Adoption Camp
We welcome families built by domestic adoption, foster care, and kinship. Camp programming is designed to respond to the specific experiences of domestic adoptive/foster families, covering topics such as relationships with birth families, attachment, and trauma.
If your child was adopted domestically but their cultural heritage identifies with one of our other camps, you may choose to attend Domestic Adoption Camp or the camp that corresponds to their ethnic identity.
Heritage Camps
While all of our camps include programming about adoption in general, our Heritage Camps have a focus of supporting transcultural/transracial adoptive families. We connect adoptive families with authentic cultural experiences, providing positive representations that affirm the inherent worth of a child’s birth culture through fun, age-appropriate, interactive activities, and cultural/racial “mirrors” — camp counselors and presenters from adoptees’ birth cultures.
What Is Your Child’s Culture Of Birth?
Volunteer
We believe that parental and community involvement creates meaningful bonds. We strive to have each kids workshop led by a member of that particular cultural community. Find out more about how you can get involved.
Join Our Mailing List
We send out camp registration information in February/March, periodic e-mail newsletters and other pertinent information.