Yunasa Summer Camp for the Gifted

• Overview
• Faculty
• Program Cost
• Parent Participation
• Application Information
• Nomination
• Sponsorships

Overview

Yunasa, the Lakota word meaning balance, is a weeklong camp experience for highly gifted youth. The mission of Camp Yunasa is to teach campers techniques and skills for integrating the intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and physical aspects of their lives. Yunasa is devoted to reminding bright young people that they are more than just intellect. The Institute for Educational Advancement’s (IEA) trained staff provide campers with a physically and emotionally safe environment where each camper gains new confidence and skills and is challenged to achieve their personal best while making new friends and having fun!

Yunasa campers are highly gifted individuals between the ages of 10 and 14 who are performing at the middle school level or above, are ready to explore the natural environment, gain new confidence and skills, meet new friends, and be challenged to achieve their personal best while having fun!

Yunasa will take place from July 27 - August 3, 2008 at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, Michigan.

Camp Copneconic provides the ideal setting for Yunasa. It is an all-inclusive camp, complete with swimming, canoeing, campfires, archery, ropes courses, arts & crafts and much more. In addition to its wide variety of traditional camp activities, the peaceful lakeside setting at Camp Copneconic serves as the perfect backdrop to guided imagery sessions and small group workshops led by Yunasa's esteemed faculty.

Faculty

Yunasa faculty includes the IEA's Senior Fellows, all of whom are nationally known experts in the field of gifted education.

Patricia Gatto-Walden: Dr. Gatto-Walden is a licensed clinical psychologist. For 25 years she has maintained a private counseling and educational consulting practice working with gifted individuals of all ages. Her personal and professional orientation towards life is holistic.

Elizabeth Meckstroth: Ms. Meckstroth earned a Masters in Education and a Masters in Social Work. She has worked in the field of gifted education since 1979, serving families and their social/emotional and educational issues. She has published numerous articles and is a co-author of Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom and Guiding the Gifted Child. Her work focuses primarily on self-development and the highly gifted.

Michael M. Piechowski: Dr. Piechowski has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology as well as Counseling Psychology. He served as a faculty member at four universities before retiring in 1999. He has studied and written extensively on the developmental potential of the gifted and most recently has extended his study to spiritual giftedness.

Elizabeth Jones Stork: Ms. Stork is the Founder and President of the Institute for Educational Advancement. Prior to assuming her current position, she served for 10 years as the Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Western Region. Ms. Stork consults on a regular basis with individual students and families, counseling them on the best learning environments and educational resources for each student.

Stephanie Tolan: Ms. Tolan is widely recognized as the author of many superb novels for young adults. She was recently given the Newbery Honor Award and was recognized on the New York Times Bestseller List for Children's Chapter Books for her book Surviving the Applewhites. She is a well-known lecturer and advocate for highly gifted young people. She is also the co-author of an adult best-seller, Guiding the Gifted Child.

Program Cost

The tuition for those who apply before April 14, 2008 is $1050. The tuition for those applying after April 13, 2008 is $1,150. This includes housing, food, activity fees and supplies. There is a $50 non-refundable Application Fee that will be applied towards the cost of tuition.

A limited number of scholarships are available. For more information, please email the Program Coordinator, and indicate "Yunasa Scholarship Inquiry" in the subject line.

Parent Participation

Participation in Yunasa also includes an opportunity for parents to gather with Yunasa faculty members to discuss the unique challenges of raising a gifted child and to develop the skills necessary to meet his/her needs. This year's parent night will be held at Camp Copneconic on Saturday, August 2, 2008.

Application Information

• Applicant Information
• Essay-style Questions
• Academic History (includes GPA or progress report, standardized test scores, etc.)
• Letters of Support
• Signatures

If you know a student who would benefit from participating in Yunasa, you can nominate the student by sending an email to Yunasa Nomination . Please be sure to include contact information for the student in your email.

Final Deadline

Applications will be accepted through June 2, 2008.