Harbor Camps was the first-ever summer camp established for transgender and non-binary/gender-nonconforming youth.

Harbor Camps was founded in 2009 by Nick M. Teich, PhD, LCSW, as a nonprofit organization. Formerly known as “Camp Aranu’tiq,” a weeklong program in 2010 at a rented site with 40 campers, and has grown to serve over 900 campers each summer at its very own home in New Hampshire.

Nick became Director Emeritus during Summer 2022, and handed the reins over to Umut Dursun, current Executive Director and Camp Director. Umut works full-time, year-round on Harbor Camps along with Director of Development & Family Outreach Ruth Lindner, Director of Staffing Danni Pirtle, and Facilities Manager Steve Jaeger. The campers and staff are Harbor Camps’ only focus and passion 365 days a year!

Harbor Camps serves transgender & non-binary youth, and the organization also has two other one-week camps: Camp Seneb for kids with skeletal dysplasia and Camp Reflections for kids with craniofacial differences.

Mission and Values

Harbor Camps’ mission is to build confidence, resilience, and community for transgender & non-binary youth and their families through camp experiences.

We have up to 140 campers and 20 CITs per session. We have campers from 42 states and six countries!

We value holding a space where kids can be kids and many of the worries of everyday life are gone. We are not a therapeutic camp; our camp is purposely “just camp” where our kids can be themselves and enjoy each other and the activities without a requirement of discussing or defending why they are the gender they are.

We build confidence, resilience, and community for our campers by way of our campers:

• Living communally in a bunk with others
• Having face-to-face relationships with one another (no electronics!)
• Participating in fun and challenging outdoor activities in a noncompetitive atmosphere
• Learning that they are strong and have unlimited possibilities as trans/gender-nonconforming people
• Learning to be independent and to step outside their comfort zone
• Making lifelong friendships

The director and leadership team are hands-on every day at camp, communicating with campers, counselors, and parents. Our camp counselors are in the bunks and the activities with the campers. Many of our staff members are trans and non-binary/nonconforming, and all serve as great role models. We keep a 4:1 camper to counselor ratio.

Our staff work in all different sectors in their everyday lives. They must have experience with and a passion for working with kids first and foremost, and each of them has a personal connection to the trans community in some way. Please see the staff page  for more information on our counselor requirements.

Board of Directors

• Nick M. Teich, PhD, LCSW
• Julie Lipson, MT-PC
• Melissa MacNish Nishman, LMHC
• Umut Dursun, MM