The group leader was hired 6 months before camp started. No personal touch. No one cares.

Both of our boys are neurodivergent and the staff has been so supportive and professional in making sure they were supported, included, and had fun! They've participated in Camp Blue and Gymnastics at least two years in a row and each time it's been a success. We love Camp Youth Camps and we will definitely come back next year. read more

That my child has improved more in her 4 weeks at Cal Skateboarding than in over a year of afterschool skateboarding at Harrison Park is a testimony to the Cal coaches ability to recognize a child's strengths and weaknesses and cater their program to bring out each child's true potential. It is the most supportive sports environment we have encountered. Both kids and the coaches are there to encourage each other. It is truly like a family of skateboarders! The skatepark itself is designed to accommodate newbies to those looking for some seriously hard skill. There is something for everyone- front he absolute beginner to very advanced skateboarders. Highly recommend that you try out the program! read more

This is my sons 2nd Sunmer doing the Skate Camp & he really enjoys it. He always has a lot of positive things to say on our 1hr drive home from camp. The counselors are very attentive to the campers & make it a very fun one. My son got hurt by a lil cut on his chin last summer doing a trick he don't usually do. I was at ease when I got there & noticed the care he was given by one of the counselors & how calm my son was even though he was bleeding. I took my son to urgent care & stitches were not needed. In skateboarding & in any sport, you will get hurt but knowing the attentiveness & care they had with my son, there is no doubt that they're main concern is the safety of all campers. The Skatecamp are great for beginners and also to those who wants to progress more in their skating. They group the kids according to their skill levels. I noticed all the couselors & campers encouraging each other. It's a great environment for your child to be for a whole week. My son is already looking forward to the next one. read more

This camp is great. It's way better than berkeley skate park camp. the kids are enthusiastic to skate. this place is a great place to have your kids learn to skate. read more

My daughter has participated in Cal Youth Camps for years, and she has always enjoyed the experience. She started going to the Explorer camps, and then graduated to the Blue camps. But the last two years, she has attended the Science and Sports (S2) camps, and she *loves* it. At S2, kids start off with a fun class at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), and then they get transported to either Strawberry Canyon or the Golden Bear Rec Center for an afternoon of physical activity. It's a perfect combo. The quality of the instructors at LHS is very high. When I picked her up, she could barely wait to tell me about the things she learned that day. My daughter was particularly happy with Yolanda, the geology instructor. Unsolicited, she noted that there were three types of rock: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. She declared that obsidian was her favorite rock. And she described the differences between the P and S waves of an earthquake. She was learning, and it felt effortless. My daughter also enjoyed the space/astronomy class taught by Jeff. It was fantastic timing since Pluto and Kepler 452b were making headlines. For the sports program, the coordinators seem to realize that older kids have enough of an attention span to spend longer periods of time on fewer activities. Starting in 4th grade, the kids participate in 3 sports over a two-week period. The session my daughter attended included frisbee, lacrosse and, of course, swimming. My daughter said that she liked this better because she had more time to practice and develop her skills. Overall, I feel like S2 camp is well-thought out with a great mix of activities. We plan to attend again next year! read more

Both our boys spent every free week they had this summer at Cal Skate camp. Sean has put together an unbelievable team of instructors and the supportive, and fun vibe is inspiring for the kids. Our 14 year old helped out with the youngsters and it made his summer to be invited back as an instructor next year. Our youngest was in the "hotdoggers" group and had a BLAST. We want to thank Zack, Aiden, Elliot, Orion, Alex, Tai, and Sean for everything they did for us this summer. We love this camp and we love this community! read more

My son just completed his second Cal Camp and once again the experience is rather disappointing. I will focus in on just the most recent camp - the two week Skate Camp. Firstly, ask any camp counselor or camp representative any question and be prepared for a blank stare and a shrug in response. Secondly, on the final day of camp the camp 'lead' came out with a handful of free goodies and declared that not everyone will be getting free stuff. So out of a group of about 25 young skaters, he proceeded to randomly select 4-5 boys (the girls were ignored) to give them swag, while the other kids were just waiting around watching. One poor kid was in tears. My son thought very poorly of the whole camp close. And i was disgusted at the camp counselors appalling treatment of these kids. Apart from this, the camp itself was fine. read more

This camp is ruined. It is too expensive and the services are too little. My child got an infection, because the counselors let him step on a dirty needle on the ground. The counselors always looked drunk or high, yet I completely understand the need to escape that horrible camp. I found several dead rats in the pool and the workers refused to clean it out, therefore making the children swim with dead rats in the water. Also the camp director, Jenn Selke, has very obvious hygiene issues. read more

My two kids spent years at Cal Camp as campers and then graduated to junior counselors - they were junior counselors for a total of four years. We've watched it go from wonderful to horrendous in that time. My children have seen behind the scenes and they (and other jr counselors) tell me that the senior counselors are cliquey, neglectful to the campers and the jr. counselors, bullies, and just mean. The "director" Jenn Selke is a complete mess. She strongly advocates a self improvement program called "Gallup StrengthsFinder" (TM), and applies it to all of the counselors (they all have to take the test). She declares your strengths (and weaknesses) at the beginning of the sessions and judges counselors constantly based on her strengths finder assessment. Apparently this evaluation is written in stone and she bases her every decision on it. She also has quite a few other ventures based on Gallup StrengthsFinder and appears to profit from them. Don't just listen to me, google her name with Gallup strengthsfinder and you will see a lot of sketchy-looking websites offering weird online training at very high prices. Her pushing it so hard at camp seems like a clear conflict of interest. She also employs a lot of Irish students on J1 work/study visas. Last year I heard that she had committed to too many and ended up not paying them on time and reducing their hours, leaving many of them in financial trouble. Unable to purchase food or pay rent. She also picks some of the senior counselors as "favorites" and you see her socializing with them outside of camp, tweeting about trips and activities and posting it on Instagram (jennselke). The favored counselors also get special privileges at camp and are promoted higher and earlier. Finally, the camp is just disorganized. Her counselor training prior to camp is haphazard, occurs at weird times (during school hours), starts late or not at all, is scheduled for hours on end. The paperwork is endless but she is constantly losing it and not keeping track of what gets turned in and what doesn't. I'd be very interested in seeing a financial accounting for the camp, because it seems like a lot of money flows in to the camp, but it seems like it's always on the verge of financial failure. In general, the way the camp is currently run should be an embarrassment to UC Berkeley and it deserves a deep look into the management and finances. Until it gets a clean bill of health from UC Berkeley I would stay far, far away. They are one incident away from a disaster. read more

My kid went to Explorer Camp for two summers - at age 5 and 6 - and had a great experience. Wonderful counselors, a variety of activities (chess, rugby, basketball, soccer, dance to name a few) and a great location (Strawberry Canyon Rec Center). The two week session includes swim lessons, too. My camper was engaged, felt safe, learned a lot of new skills and had tons of fun. The overall drop-off and pick-up system works well. All the counselors were caring, attentive, and good role models for the kids. I was very impressed with Remi Miziuri, the camp director. Her professionalism and superb organizational skills make Cal shine. read more

This was our son's first year at the camp, and he's finished his first 2 weeks here today. He's had a wonderful, wonderful time here. I highly recommend this camp to everyone. There's a wide variety of activities to choose from. His schedule this week was swimming, archery, dodgeball, chess, drama, and badminton. Next week, we've changed it up a bit to add ping pong and soccer. Everyday my son is excited to go to camp, and has declared he will not attend any other camp next year. He's very happy here and he's a child who sometimes finds it hard to make friends. I'm thrilled that he's happy and enthusiastic every day. He also is physically exhausted every day, which also thrills me. He's definitely getting plenty of exercise in! I also love the smell of all the Eucalyptus trees at pick up and drop off. The minty smell is so delicious, and to think our children are up there in the hills, breathing this fresh air and exercising! Other things that others may want to know: Kids bring their own lunches to camp, and get about an hour to eat. My son said it was plenty of time to eat. Swimming is a 30 minute? lesson and you get to choose this as an option if your child signs up for 2 weeks of camp or full day weeks (I can't remember which). Parents can attend the 2nd Thursday of the 2nd week of camp, though I went and embarrassed my son, and learned that next time "momma should stay at home." There is an orientation parents can attend, and it was very helpful for us first time campers. I will not attend the next one, but for our first experience here, it was very informative and helped ease my mind. No mosquitoes, but kids should wear a hat, and bring their sunscreen. Staff are young kids in their highschool-college years, and are very enthusiastic. Some were from Irelandais, and their enthusiasm cannot be beat. Friendly, positive role models. This camp did a fantastic job of recruiting. If you sign up for 2 weeks, there's a 50.00?? discount. It's definitely worth it. Next year, we plan to do 1.5 months of this camp. Sign your kids up for this camp! Fresh air, plenty of exercise, and great older role models to be around. read more

Our son loved the skate camp. We had originally planned to send him for just a week, but had such a great time that we cancelled his other camp plans and he spent all summer skating there. Sean is great and all the councilors did a wonderful job of balancing instructions and fun. 5 stars for sure. read more

If your child has the skate bug then this is the camp for them. They work hard to create an environment where the kids are supportive and enthusiastic about each other's hard won accomplishments. Skating is a frustrating sport to learn, and my son had lots of opportunities to challenge himself. They have a safety protocol about when a child can try more risky tricks, and this was frustrating to my son at first, but he ultimately came to understand that the counselors were trying to protect him. He will definitely be back next summer. read more

We love this camp. Remi does a great job and all the teachers are super ! It is also a great camp for getting the kids some exercise ! I think the key is to send your kids there after they are 6. 5 and under is probably too young. But at 6 they are ready to go ! read more

My son just completed a week at the Skate Camp and like another reviewer had a pretty disappointing time. Monday started out okay--but by Friday that week--I couldn't even get him to attend. The main counselor is downright mean and has no business running a kids camp especially with novice skaters. The camp used to be two sessions (9-12PM and 1-4pm) and you could choose to attend either morning or afternoon or both. Now it's just a long day (9-3pm) and it seems that the counselors have a hard time filling the entire day. My son came home complaining that there was a lot of "down time". For example, during lunch for at least 1-2 hours the "elite skaters" got to skate the ramps while all the other kids stood around and had nothing to do. REALLY? We all paid the same amount of money. Why the special preference? If you have elite skaters then you should designate weeks of the camps for those kids and have weeks for novice so they are not competing for ramp time. In addition, a kid cut his chin after falling and while I agree that there needs to be some protocol for first aid--my son said they stood around for what seemed to be hours while the counselors dealt with the one kid. It turns out he got one stitch--not a major injury. Why not let the other kids continue to skate? How many counselors does it take to handle a cut chin? I will have a hard time recommending this camp to others. read more