Pinckney, MI
One week of Camp SkyWild at Camps Kenwood & Evergreen is $2,000. Our team strives to ensure that money is not a barrier in campers attending our program. These need-based scholarships are assessed on honor system reporting and are provided on a first come first served basis, so early application (before March 15) is encouraged.
Explore on the camp’s website ↗We believe that all kids shine brighter when they build lasting friendships and feel like they belong to a community that sees them as more than the challenges they face. At Camp SkyWild, our focus is on fun and connection. Our staff are skilled in facilitating relationship building, and they support and encourage kids while they try new things. The underbelly of everything we do at camp is centered around friendship and togetherness.
Camp SkyWild is a sleepaway camp designed for autistic children and adults and their neurotypical siblings in Michigan. Our camp is hosted at Camps Kenwood & Evergreen.
Campers rotate to four traditional camp activity areas with their cabins every day. In each area, they will have lots of choice in how they'd like to engage. We spend 2 periods each day at the lake, where campers can splash and swim in the free swim zone, play on the Aqua Toys, paddle board, canoe, frolic in the sand, and more! In the Makers Space, they can choose from lots of art mediums including paint, drawing, coloring, jewelry making, ceramics, woodshop and more! In the Adventure Zone, kids can climb the rock wall, try out the ropes course, shoot archery, play pickleball or go on a fun nature hike! Our daily schedule is highly structured and predictable to ease camper anxiety around what's coming next, but remains adaptable in a 'challenge by choice' nature so that campers can engage in the ways that feel best for them.
Campers who attend any Camp SkyWild will be independent with toileting and showering. We can verbally prompt campers through a bathroom and shower routine, and we remind campers to use the restroom, but our staff do not physically wipe or bathe campers. Campers should be able to eat solid food and physically move around camp with a group. We serve most of the autism spectrum. Campers can be highly independent or have higher support needs; speaking and non speaking campers are all welcome. Our primary area of focused support is in helping campers connect with one another and access personal joy and meaningful recreation.
Our leadership team at camp includes behavior analysts, teachers, nurses, doctors, and youth development professionals. Our large director and coordinator team brings a diverse set of skills, background, and expertise, allowing for more individualized attention in each cabin group, and next-level support and training for all staff.
2026-11-08 – 2026-11-14
1 weeks · $799
Overnight camp
For camp professionals and educators. Scholarships available. Hosted at North Star Reach in Pinckney, MI. All-inclusive (meals, lodging, materials). Participants must be 18+.
Dates, rates & eligibility ↗We have layers of accessibility in every activity so that kids can opt-into whatever layer suits them best. We have planned several variations or alternatives at each activity, and we modify the way we explain what is happening. At each activity zone, we have opt-out options for campers who'd rather swing in a hammock, read, build lego creations, race to stack the most cups, make a friendship bracelet, color, or challenge their counselors in a board game.
Explore on the camp’s website ↗Camp SkyWild is changing camp to support campers instead of changing kids to fit camp. We believe the world should adapt to kids—not the other way around. Camp SkyWild creates overnight camps and year-round programs where neurodivergent people are free to be themselves, access the same opportunities as their peers, and thrive with the supports they deserve.
Explore on the camp’s website ↗We bunk campers into small groups of 4-7 campers per cabin, typically categorized by age, gender, and information collected from the camper profiles. We aim to have a 1:2 staff to camper ratio, so there will also be 3-6 adults in each cabin, depending on the size. The cabins are quintessential summer camp cabins, with bunk beds and cubbies. We give every cabin box fans for white noise, night lights for dim lighting, headphones and earplugs for light sleepers, and it's not uncommon for counselors to play soothing music before lights out.
Read more on the camp’s website ↗It is our mission to build a world that lets all kids experience camp. We won't let finances be the reason your camper doesn't. Built into the camper application is a short application for our no-questions-asked financial aid. Scholarships from Camp SkyWild are entirely fundraised by our team, so they are on a first come, first served basis. We also partner with other organizations — including Michigan Community Mental Health (CMH) respite funding, Michigan Elks grants, and MDHHS awards of up to $500 per child — to help families find additional funding. Contact us before March 31 for guidance in these processes.
Read more on the camp’s website ↗Our host facility and counselor staff are prepared to accommodate camper allergies and dietary restrictions including gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegetarian and vegan.
Read more on the camp’s website ↗We are intentional with our language, we speak clearly, allow time for processing information, and sometimes don't speak at all if visually communicating is the better choice. We have information posted everywhere, so that schedules and expectations and how-to's are all readily available in the places they're needed. At SkyWild, we put our counselors through an intensive staff training and make sure they're equipped with visuals, whiteboards, timers, and other resources that make camp as accessible as possible.
Read more on the camp’s website ↗