Our
Philosophy
Camp Onaway provides girls the time, space, and guidance to develop the physical and spiritual strengths necessary to meet the challenges of today’s world with honesty, sensitivity, and courage.
Founded in 1911, Camp Onaway is a technology-free, traditional summer camp for girls in Hebron, New Hampshire, on the shores of crystal clear Newfound Lake. Our small, nurturing community is committed to the individual development of our up to 90 campers, ages 9 through 15.
Through creating opportunities for each girl to realize her full potential, not in comparison or competition with others, but through aiming consistently toward high standards, an Onaway camper comes to know her own strengths, her own values, and her own goodness.
The small size of Onaway not only means a close community of campers and counselors, but also guarantees each girl will get the maximum amount of individual attention from our 6 - 9 aides (counselors-in-training) and over 20 counselors . Each summer over two-thirds of the campers and counselors return to carry on the Camp traditions and values with loyalty and commitment.
Our daily program offers a high level of instruction in traditional camp activities accompanied by strong arts offerings. Onaway’s structured day ensures each camper the chance to try new things, helping her to build self-confidence and gain new skills.
The Power of 7 Weeks
Camp Onaway is unique among summer camps for holding fast to the offering of one seven week session. We are proud of that distinction and believe fervently in the advantages of a longer summer program.
It takes at least three weeks to create a habit and another three to fully incorporate it. Our longer session allows girls to create and incorporate new habits around values such as forming deeper relationships, reaching out to others, giving back to the community, and challenging oneself to reach new heights.
Building Relationships
At Onaway, everyone belongs. Girls are housed in cabins by age group and form close friendships with their peers as the summer progresses. Campers also have ample opportunities to build relationships with both older and younger campers. Campers dine together, participate in all-camp activities, and even perform together on stage. Our 7-week session shines in being able to build a true community that spans ages and interests. Close friendships have a chance to develop naturally and stand the test of time. The magical bond between campers and counselors, where counselors can have a major impact on their lives, deepens throughout the summer.
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Building Community
Living communally means that campers support one another, and contribute meaningfully on a daily basis to the operations of camp. Over seven weeks girls learn to take responsibility for their own spaces through daily inspection and for the whole camp through camp duties. Caring for the environment and becoming stewards of the lake is also a long-term project.
The campers practice philanthropy by raising money in various ways, and they decide collectively how to prioritize opportunities for giving. They learn to work together to put on major musical and dance productions. Traditions and rituals repeat over the weeks at camp, becoming part of the fabric of the summer
Developing Skills
Many of our activities have skill levels, and campers can set goals at the beginning of the summer and see concrete progress by the end. Campers are encouraged to reach the highest level of one or two activities over the course of several summers and the steady, consistent teaching they receive over the seven weeks allows them to do so. A camper has time to master a skill before moving on to the next level. Arts projects also benefit from the longer stay. In woodworking there is time to build a piece of furniture rather than a simple peg board. In ceramics there is time to design, create, fire and finish several projects on the wheel to improve skills.
Our girls come back to us over and over again to tell us that, “No one knows how to canoe the way we do!” or “My coach couldn’t believe how strong I was after training to swim the length of the lake (7 miles!).”
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A Tech-Free Summer
At Onaway, campers leave behind cell phones, social media, television, and the internet entirely, and what fills that space is extraordinary. Real conversation. Independent thinking. Creative problem solving. Deep, distraction-free friendship. When girls are not performing for an audience or seeking validation online, they begin to find it in themselves, in the challenge conquered, the skill learned, the friend made hiking a mountain. The confidence and self-awareness that grow out of seven weeks of simple, technology-free living are qualities that follow a girl long after she leaves Onaway. We think that is worth seven weeks of being “offline” (and don’t worry, writing and receiving letters is a big part of a camper’s day!).
Parent Testimonials
“It’s clear to me why seven weeks is required. She speaks of the people she met and the physical environment with great fondness and love. Since she’s been home, she has a glow that comes form within and a serenity she carries with her.”
Parent Testimonials
“I sincerely believe that Camp Onaway played a huge role in my daughters’ lives at a very critical time. The lessons they learned there- and the love and support they received – helped to shape them and guide them. As a friend said, 'kids need positive influences outside the family' and that’s exactly what they got from Onaway.”
Parent Testimonials
“As my daughter prepares herself both physically and mentally for her first day of sixth grade, I am reminded of how much she has grown this summer at Onaway. She is more responsible, helpful in a kinder way, and as always elated with her experiences this year.”
Parent Testimonials
“Our daughter has had eleven wonderful years at Camp Onaway. She has learned so much about life, nature and growing. She always talks in her own animated way about all her 'sisters' at camp.”
Parent Testimonials
“Onaway is such a wonderful respite from our hurried world, and it offers the opportunity to our daughters to stop and appreciate the finer values in life.”
Parent Testimonials
“We are grateful for the love and support you and your counselors gave to her. We think she has so much potential and feel that Onaway provided a wonderful environment for her to reach that potential.”
Parent Testimonials
“Onaway has reinforced the values that we try to teach our children, but it is so difficult in the environment we live in. Onaway makes the difference.”
Want to learn more about our 7-week summer camp?
Watch this video to hear from campers, parents, and alumnae about their transformative 7-week summer experience. Explore our website to learn more about a summer at Camp Onaway. Or, reach out to Camp Director, Barrie Pendergast, to see if a 7-week summer is right for your child.