Camp Indigo Point will bring LGBTQ youth together this summer

Last fall, a group of St. Louisans came up with the idea to start a summer camp for LGBTQ youth. They thought their weeklong camp in Makanda, Illinois, would attract around 15 kids — but now, they have 90 from all over the country signed up and a waiting list.

“We have really been blown away by the response,” said Dan Grabel, one of the camp’s founders, “not only from the St. Louis community, but really nationwide.”

Grabel has been running summer camps with his business partner for 25 years, and now he’s taking on Camp Indigo Point. He and his team of five other leaders have spent the past few months planning for the camp’s debut. They’ll welcome kids between second and 11th grades and have classic camp activities like archery, swimming and kayaking. But they’ll also provide a space for LGBTQ youth to get closer to their community.

Grabel said on St. Louis on the Air that he was inspired to create this camp after working with a local organization called TransParent, which brings together parents of transgender kids. But, there was another personal connection, too.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2022-03-24/camp-indigo-point-will-bring-lgbtq-youth-together-this-summer