Down East Teen Leadership Camp
July 21-25, 2025
Cobscook Institute, Trescott, Maine
Down East Teen Leadership Camp (DETLC) is Healthy Acadia’s annual residential summer camp program for teens entering grades 7 through 9. Held in late July on the beautiful campus of Cobscook Institute in Trescott, Maine, DETLC offers five action-packed days filled with games and team-building activities, amazing motivational speakers, and daily workshops focused on social issues that matter to teens.
The vision of Down East Teen Leadership Camp is to empower teens with social, communication, and leadership skills to support emotional resiliency and to deter misuse of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. DETLC is deeply impactful for the youth who participate.
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Camp Registration is Open for DETLC 2025!
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Click here to complete your Camper Registration Application for DETLC 2025.
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We're hiring! We have Camp Staff positions available for Down East Teen Leadership Camp 2025.
About DETLC
For Teens
Hey there! Are you ready for an epic summer adventure? Get ready to join us at the Down East Teen Leadership Camp (DETLC) for five days packed with excitement and fun!
At DETLC, you'll experience action-packed games and team-building activities that will help you develop strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership skills. Plus, you'll have the chance to connect with old friends and make new ones as you embark on this journey together.
There’s more! Our motivational speakers aim to ignite your drive, helping you uncover your inspirations, and passions, and chart a course for success. You'll also have daily opportunities to join in highly interactive workshop activities that focus on social issues that matter most to you, like tackling peer pressure, substance use, embracing diversity, and more.
And of course, what's summer camp without a pizza party, s'mores, and bonfires? You'll get to enjoy all of these classic camp experiences with your new friends!
By participating in DETLC, you'll gain confidence and self-esteem and a deeper understanding of the risks associated with substance use. You'll fill your toolbox with positive alternatives and explore opportunities to continue building your leadership skills throughout the coming year.
So what are you waiting for? Join us at DETLC and take your next step in becoming a strong, confident leader who is ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way!
Information For Parents
Our dynamic immersive program and enthusiastic staff team create a positive summer experience with opportunities for teens to build their knowledge and tools to help them make healthy choices, strengthen emotional resilience, and hone leadership skills. Campers can build on their DETLC experience with our ongoing school-based programming and/or by participating in Healthy Acadia’s regional DownEast Youth Action Team (DEYAT), which assists with DETLC planning throughout the year.
Team building activities engage campers in fun and games with teams and “camp family” groups. Daily Workshops engage campers in interactive discussions around social issues that are important to them, such as dealing with peer pressure, steering clear of substance use, embracing diversity, and more. Guest And of course, there will be plenty of time for some Maine summer favorites, like hiking, canoeing, campfire talks, and more.
This unforgettable and incredibly impactful experience provides teens with social, communication, and leadership skills that support emotional resiliency and help to deter misuse of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Many campers attend for multiple years and return as staff as high school and college students.
Healthy Acadia’s Down East Teen Leadership Camp program supports the following outcomes for youth who participate:
Improved positive self-esteem;
A better understanding of individual motivations, passions, and goals;
Development of problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership skills
Increased understanding of substance use issues and knowledge of positive alternatives;
Reduced likelihood of using/misusing tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in the future;
Continued development of leadership skills throughout the coming year.
DETLC Empowers and Inspires Teens
“DETLC gives me a place to learn more about getting involved in my community, a place to make new friends, and a place to develop important life skills, as well as a place to really be myself. I can easily say I’ve met some of the most incredible people during my experiences at camp. DETLC has never failed to be entertaining, inspiring, and educational in the best way possible.”
Since 2000, DETLC has empowered more than 500 teens from rural Washington County, Maine, and beyond to live substance-free and serve as positive role models and inspiring civic leaders in their schools and communities. Many campers who attend DETLC return as campers in subsequent years and again to serve as junior staff as high school and undergraduate students.
Tuition includes five days of programs and activities, as well as meals, snacks, and overnight accommodations. DETLC offers need-based scholarships to help cover tuition costs. Priority is given to students from Washington County, Maine, and Passamaquoddy Territory. Students from outside these regions will be accepted as space allows.
Inspiring Future Leaders in our Community
Since 2000, DETLC has empowered more than 500 teens from rural Washington County, Maine, and beyond to live substance-free and serve as positive role models and inspiring civic leaders in their schools and communities. Many campers who attend DETLC return as campers in subsequent years and again to serve as junior staff as high school and undergraduate students. In recent years, DETLC has hosted nearly 60 campers per session.
Down East Teen Leadership Camp is deeply impactful for the youth who participate. The program and staff combine a positive summer experience with opportunities for teens to build their knowledge and tools to help them make healthy choices, strengthen their emotional resilience, and enhance their leadership skills.
Teens can build on their Camp experience through our ongoing school-based programming, and by participating in Healthy Acadia’s regional Down East Youth Action Team (DEYAT), which assists with youth program planning for Camp and in our communities throughout the year.
Down East Teen Leadership Camp supports positive social development and lifelong resilience by challenging teens to learn and grow in self-awareness. Throughout their week at DETLC, teens experience the value of communicating and collaborating with peers and others to solve problems and accomplish shared objectives while expanding on their leadership skills and gaining insight into personal responsibility for themselves and the community. While growing and learning, Camp participants are gaining valuable skills, making strong peer connections, and achieving independence essential in making the transition to adulthood.
You Can Help a Teen Attend DETLC
Help Us Celebrate 25 Years of Empowering Youth at DETLC!
Can you help make the 25th year of the Down East Teen Leadership Camp (DETLC) our best one yet?
DETLC is more than just a summer camp—it's a life-changing experience for teens entering grades 7 through 9. Each summer, young people from across our region come together for five incredible days of learning, connection, and growth. Through workshops, team-building activities, and guided mentorship, campers develop essential skills in communication, leadership, and emotional resiliency—tools that help them navigate life’s challenges and stand strong against the pressures of substance use.
As we gear up to celebrate DETLC’s 25th anniversary, we remain firmly committed to a guiding principle: no camper is ever turned away because of financial need. This promise is possible thanks to the generosity of sponsors like you.
Tuition, which includes meals, snacks, overnight accommodation, and five days packed with programs and activities, is set at $295 per camper for the full week, but nearly half of our participants rely on full or partial financial assistance to attend. Your support can help cover the cost for a camper who otherwise couldn’t join us—and in doing so, you’ll be giving them a chance to build confidence, make lasting friendships, and step into their leadership potential.
Be part of something powerful. Sponsor a camper. Support a future leader. Help us make this milestone year at DETLC one to remember.
Consider a sponsorship at one of the following levels.
Full week camper sponsorship (includes all activities, food, and lodging for the week): $295
24-hour camper sponsorship (includes all activities, food, and lodging for a 24-hour time period/day): $60
12-hour camper sponsorship (includes all activities, food, and lodging for a 12-hour time period/1/2 a day): $30
Or choose to give whatever amount feels like a fit for you. Even gifts of $5 or more make a big difference.
All contributors including businesses will be recognized on our upcoming DETLC Luncheon (Save the Date for Friday, May 16th) materials (if sponsorship is pledged by May 3rd) and in DETLC materials and promotion (if received during the Luncheon or leading up to camp).
Together we can make sure that our youth have a meaningful camp experience. Your support makes this possible. Your donation in any amount helps like never before.
For more information about Down East Teen Leadership Camp, contact Corrie Hunkler at (207) 255-3741 or corrie.hunkler@healthyacadia.org; or Sara McConnell at (207) 255-3741 or sara@healthyacadia.org.
For more ways to support the program or other Healthy Acadia initiatives, contact Shoshona Smith at 207-667-7171 Ext. 210 or Development@HealthyAcadia.org.
updated April 9, 2025