Camp’s History

Camp Indigo Point is a residential summer camp in the midwest for LGBTQ+ youth

Nestled in the quiet midwest surrounded by water (a lake) and woods, camp offers a summer experience rich in friendship, fun, exploring outdoors, and adventure.

  • Campers range in age from rising 2nd graders to rising 11th graders.
  • Our staff-in-training program is for rising 12th graders
  • Camp is staffed by LGBTQ+ adults, ages 18+
  • Camp is run by our leadership team comprising a director, assistant directors, community care director, and unit heads.

Camp Indigo Point was founded in 2021 by Camp Manitowa (Dan Grabel & Andy Brown), Daniel Bogard, and Shira Berkowitz as a dream for a premier summer camp experience for LGBTQ+ youth and their staff. In a little over 7 months Camp Indigo Point was born and its leadership team planned, staffed, and operated a life changing week-long summer camp program for 100 campers and 40 staff in 2022. After that first summer, Camp Indigo Point established an advisory committee led by Queer and Trans nonprofit professionals, alongside the original founders, and is currently run by a summer camp administrative team. Camp Indigo Point serves up to 140 campers for a 2-week summer experience, with over 50 staff.

Camp Indigo Point is fiscally sponsored by the Ashrei Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, who’s work is to move our community forward on the path towards abolishing all systems of economic exclusion and oppression, to a future where all people may live with dignity, justice and freedom. 

Camp Indigo Point was a great eye opening experience and I felt the most home I have ever felt!
Camp gave me a chance to have the summer camp experience with folks who were like me. I could both enjoy the great outdoors and be unabashedly queer at the same time.
To me being able to come to Camp Indigo Point meant having access to do things like any other camp, but in a space with people like me.
Camper 2023
Camper 2023
Camper 2023

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 are LGBTQ+ 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.