Welcome to Songadeewin!

Nestled in the heart of Vermont, where the Green Mountains meet the peaceful shores of Lake Dunmore, Songadeewin, or “Songa” as it’s known to our campers and staff, is a very special place where girls from 2nd to 9th grade come to feed their spirits and learn to be strong of heart.

Unique among summer programs in the East, the Songadeewin experience combines all of the excitement of a full in-camp program with overnight wilderness journeys for every camper—by foot and canoe—that take campers out into nature to seek adventure and discover themselves.

From the first excited hello to the last tearful goodbye, Songa campers spend their days forging lifelong friendships, learning new skills, and achieving independence, all while having more fun than they ever thought could fit into a single season. This near century old tradition of play and personal exploration makes Songadeewin more than a camp. It’s a second summer home and everyone who comes to know it takes a piece of it with them when they go.

Eva had the best summer of her life. She made new friends, acquired a love for the outdoors, and grew in confidence and self esteem. The Songa community greeted her with open arms, and she learned invaluable lessons about leadership and teamwork. -Songa Parent

Mission & Philosophy

The Songadeewin Approach to Summer

In Vermont, summer is the season of expanding horizons, a time when warm winds and a generous sun bring the freedom to more fully explore ourselves and our world. It’s also the perfect time to have some serious fun!

At Songadeewin, we merge these two sides of summer into a single experience. As educators, we look at the whole child and their individual development over time. With the understanding that this process unfolds differently for every child, our counselors use our unique “coup” achievement system to encourage each camper to both develop new talents and acquire expertise in her existing interests. Progressive goals assure that returning campers build upon previous seasons’ efforts to go farther than they ever thought they could. This work is about more than simply teaching skills and promoting independence. It’s about building character, creating self-confidence, and discovering how to be strong of heart.

Most important of all, we’re stewards of childhood, that precious time when life is filled with infinite possibility and dreams can be real. Now more than ever, we believe kids need space to be kids, to explore and to take risks in a safe environment, and to experience a summer tech-free. That’s our mission: to liberate girls from the pressures of school and ordinary life, and give their minds, bodies, and spirits a place to run free.

Keewaydin Foundation Land Acknowledgment

The Keewaydin Foundation acknowledges that our organization and camp programs are based on the traditional territories of the Western Abenaki and the Teme-Augama Anishinabai. We respect their past, present, and future generations, the land, and their traditions. We are grateful for the opportunity to gather, learn, and travel on these lands and waterways.

You can learn more about the Vermont Abenaki here and more about Temagami First Nation here.