2024 Chinmayam Summer Camp
The Chinmayam 2024 Summer Camp offers children a summer filled with excitement and learning led by Swami Dheerananda. Activities include listening to inspiring stories from the scriptures and their significance and Bhagavad Gita chanting.
Registration is now open! Please click here!
Important Notes to Parents!
Registration system is not compatible with mobile devices. To register, please use a laptop or desktop computer.
For rising 1st to 8th graders as of Sep 2024
Theme: Devī Māhātmyam
The Chinmayam Summer Immersion Camp (SC) offers children a summertime filled with fun and learning led by a strong team of vedanta teachers from all over the world. Some of the activities the children enjoy during the Summer Camp are chanting shlokas and bhajans, inspiring stories from the scriptures, indoor games, dance, outdoor sports, and much more.
June 24, 2024- July 19, 2024
Registration system is not compatible with mobile devices. To register, please use a laptop or desktop computer.
Stories and their Significance
CMWRC Geeta Chanting Competition Preparation with Swami Dheerananada
Dance & Art
Athletics & Outdoor Sports
Indoor Games with Youth Volunteers
Conducted by
Swami Dheerananda
Swami Dheerananda is an ardent devotee and disciple of Swami Chinmayananda. He was placed as the Resident Vedanta Teacher in Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center (CMWRC) by Swami Chinmayananda in the year 1989. Swami Dheerananda is the last disciple directly initiated into Sannyasa by Swami Chinmayananda, receiving Sannyasa Diksha on May 23, 1993. Today, he oversees and guides the activities of CMWRC.
Camp Location
Chinmayam, 46 Norwood Road, Silver Spring, MD 20905.
Camp Dates and Timings
June 24, 2024 -July 19, 2024
8:45 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.
Drop off time: 8:30 AM to 8:45 AM.
Pick up time: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Children must be picked up promptly.
A late fee will be assessed if children are not picked up in a timely manner.
Camp Finale
There will be a camp finale on the last Friday of the camp.
Camp Procedure for absences, late drop-off, and early pick-up
Please remember to sign your child in and out daily.
Occasionally you may find it necessary to pick up your child from camp before the end of the regular camp day. On such days you must send an email to mdsummercamp@chinmayadc.org for the camp sevaks to make arrangements for your child to be let out of their respective activities.
PLEASE NOTE: Chanting with Swamiji begins at 4:30 PM. Once in, your child will not be pulled out of the chanting session until it is complete. Please contact the camp sevaks to arrange for early pickup before 4:30 PM.
Absences : Email mdsummercamp@chinmayadc.org
Dress Code
- Shorts and skirts must be longer and come up to the knees.
- Leggings must be worn underneath skirts.
- Closed toed shoes must be worn during sports.
What to bring to Camp
- Yoga Towel: A towel with the name of the child must be brought on the first day of camp for yoga. This towel will be stored at the school for the duration of the camp.
- Spout Water Bottle: All children must bring a water bottle with a spout to camp. This is especially important as the children will spend time outdoors. All bottles must be labeled with the child’s name.
- Lunch and snacks: Please see food policy/restrictions below. Please label all your child’s belongings including lunch bags and containers with their name.
- Extra clothing for Grade 1 and 2 camp students: Please send a change of clothes in a Ziploc bag with their name on the bag and each individual item.
What not to bring to Camp
- Due to storage/space constraints please do not send any additional bags/backpacks to camp.
- Camp students are not permitted to carry/use cell phones and mobile communication devices. Use of such devices is restricted and any violation will result in the confiscation of the device.
Food policy/restrictions
- Prayer before Meal: Children will be asked to pray before lunch. Parents are advised to follow the same practice at home before each meal.
- Each child will bring his/her own nut-free, egg-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian lunch, which does not require any heating.
- Two nut-free, egg-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian snacks must also be brought from home.
- All beverages including water in a bottle with a spout must be provided.
- Lunch and snacks will be provided on Fridays
Hygiene, Behavior Expectations and Responsibility
- CMWRC has established procedures for proper hand washing and these procedures will be implemented during the camp. Additional COVID-19 related policies will be shared prior to camp
- Camp students are responsible for their actions.
- Respect: Camp students must respect themselves, other camp students, youth volunteers and adults. They must also be respectful of camp equipment, facilities, and the environment.
- Caring and Cooperation: Camp students will show kindness to their fellow camp students and adults and abide by camp rules.
- Honesty: Honesty will be the basis of all camp interactions.
Camp Fees, Installment Plan & Deposit
- Early Bird Registration Until April 14, 2024 at 6 PM: $1400.00
- Sibling Discount : $100.00
- Regular Registration Until June 17, 2024 : $1600.00
- Sibling Discount : $100.00
- Parent Time Contribution Deposit : $250.00
- Note: Summer camp could be considered for Child Care Credit Form 2441. Please consult your tax adviser for eligibility.
Payment Method
- E-check (ACH) with no additional processing fees.
- Pay by credit card with a processing fee of 3% of the total due amount that will be charged to the member.
Registration and Cancellation Policy
All applications for the summer camp should be submitted online. The date on which you complete your registration online, including authorization of the first installation will be considered your date of registration.
Refund Policy
- Withdrawal on or before April 14th, 2024: A refund of the Paid Amount minus a $100 administrative fee per child will be issued
- Withdrawal between April 15th, 2024 and June 17th, 2024: 50% of the camp fee will be refunded.
- No refund on or after June 17th, 2024.
- There is no refund on suspension from Camp due to a violation of any of the camp policies.
- Any refund request which does not fall under the above category will be dealt on a case by case basis.
- In the event of any modified policies/dates by the summer camp organizer, a refund of the paid amount will be issued.
Parent Time Contribution
The summer camp is run entirely by volunteers. To aid the volunteers, each family is required to contribute time on one day.
Volunteer sign-up slots are for a total of 8 hours. Slots can be exchanged till June 17th, 2024.
1. At the time of registration, several dates will be given to choose from. The registration form will not be complete without a selection. We will try our best to accommodate the first choice provided by the parents.
2. As part of the registration process, a Parent Time Contribution Deposit will be authorized. This deposit will be activated for payment ONLY if the time contribution is not fulfilled. Once charged this fee is non-refundable.
3. If a parent cannot provide the time contribution, an advance payment can be authorized at the time of registration. This fee is non-refundable even if, at a later date, the parent would like to contribute time on a Friday.
This deposit will be activated for payment in the following situations, and will be non-refundable:
- If a parent signs up for recurring time slots, they must complete all assignments to fulfill their time contribution.
- If a parent signed up for a time contribution slot during registration and there is a change in plans, and the parent is unable to fulfill their volunteer time contribution requirement.
Admissions
Register early! We only admit full-time (four weeks) participants. Chinmaya Mission reserves the right to accept or reject admission requests based on certain established internal criteria. Admission decisions will be finalized and communicated via email. No further appeals will be entertained on admission decisions.
Camp T-Shirts
Camp students are required to wear their camp t-shirt on Fridays. Each student will receive three t-shirts. Please use this sizing guide to select the right T-shirt size at the time of registration.
| Sizes | Width | Length (in) | Sleeve Center Back (in) |
| Youth-XS | 16 | 20.5 | 13.5 |
| Youth-S | 17 | 22 | 14.5 |
| Youth-M | 18 | 23.5 | 15.5 |
| Youth-L | 19 | 25 | 16.5 |
| Youth-XL | 20 | 26.5 | 17.5 |
| Adult-S | 18 | 28 | 15.63 |
| Adult-M | 20 | 29 | 17 |
| Adult-L | 22 | 30 | 18.5 |
| Adult-XL | 24 | 31 | 20 |
Picture Guidelines
Uploading a picture of your child is required to complete the Summer Camp registration. The purpose of the picture is to help Swamiji, and the camp teachers associate your child’s name and face during the camp
Please find below some guidelines to help you upload the picture.
- Format: JPG, GIF, or PNG format
- Picture Size: At Least 200 x 200 pixels. The picture size should not exceed 1MB.
- Clarity: The picture must show your child’s face clearly. Pictures that have other people, are blurry/unclear, do not have enough lighting or are too close are not acceptable.
Camp Student Health Information
- All the Health, Allergy, Insurance and Doctor Information must be provided for each child enrolled at the Summer Camp during the time of registration. All known allergies should be disclosed and the necessary medications provided to the camp coordinator.
- Campers must submit their Health Immunization Records and Covid Vaccination Records
- If the child or a member of the child’s family is exposed to COVID, please report such exposures to the camp coordinator immediately.
- Parents must indemnify CMWRC from all liabilities resulting from non-disclosure of medical condition and allergies of the child and/or not providing the necessary medication to the camp coordinator. The online registration process requires parents to confirm all of the above details.
Camper Rules and Waiver Policy Form
Waiver policy form and camp student rules form will be made available at the time of registration.
Medication Authorization Form
A completed Medication Authorization Form must be submitted for each medication that is stored on campus during the camp. The medication must be provided to the camp coordinator on the orientation day and/or the first day of camp.
Conducted by
Swami Dheerananda
Swami Dheerananda is an ardent devotee and disciple of Swami Chinmayananda. He was placed as the Resident Vedanta Teacher in Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center (CMWRC) by Swami Chinmayananda in the year 1989. Swami Dheerananda is the last disciple directly initiated into Sannyasa by Swami Chinmayananda, receiving Sannyasa Diksha on May 23, 1993. Today, he oversees and guides the activities of CMWRC.
The Google Form for YV registration is open between
April 6-April 14, 11:59 PM!
Hari Om!
Volunteering as a Youth Counselor at the Chinmaya Mission Summer Camp is a fun and rewarding experience involving a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities. If you are a rising 9th – 12th grade Balavihar student, we would love to have you as a Youth Volunteer for our Chinmayam Summer Camp!
In the form, all applicants are expected to write one 162-216-word essay based on the following topic. These essays will be distributed to all of CMWRC via the Chinmaya Smrithi Newsletter, AS SUBMITTED! Applicants are required to proofread essays before submission.
Essays must be submitted with this application. Otherwise, the applicant will not be considered.
Selection Criteria
- This program is applicable only open to applicants who are currently enrolled in a Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar Program.
- Age Requirement: Applicants must be rising 9th graders or above.
- Application Submission: Every applicant is required to submit a completed Youth Volunteer Application before TBD.
- Application Decision: When the decision of selection is made, the applicants will receive an email notification from the Chinmayam Summer Camp Team. The selected applicants will then sign the Volunteer Agreement and Code of Conduct. The volunteer then must attend the mandatory Youth Volunteer training session. Failure to attend the session will result in the forfeiture of the position to another wait-listed applicant.
*The decision of the Mission is final and no further appeals will be entertained.*
Mandatory Training Sessions
- Must attend one
- Parents will be required to attend for 30 minutes
- Date: TBD
Required qualifications and conditions for Youth Counselors Expectations
- Exemplify the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.
- Ability to act as a good role model for all the Camp children.
- Honor the dates once they have been committed to and accepted.
- Be punctual.
- Dress appropriately to set an example for the children.
- Wear the volunteer uniform that will be provided.
- Serve other children before serving oneself.
- Follow instructions from teachers and other senior volunteers.
- Outside private calls and Internet use are not permitted.
- Ability to accept challenges.
- Be friendly and helpful.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Exhibit leadership qualities.
- Must Attend one mandatory Youth Volunteer training
Duties for Youth Counselors
- Class assistant—help class for the whole day.
- Act as counselor and mentor for students whenever required.
- Solve disputes between children to the extent you can handle. Cases that require the intervention of teachers/coordinator/director should be brought to their attention.
- Responsible for the safety of the childrens’ group allotted to you throughout the day.
- Supervise children during lunch time and supervise their cleaning of the area after lunch.
- Serve snacks to children.
- Help organize games and other sports for children.
- Telephone and front desk coverage.
- Promote a fun, positive, and inspiring camp experience for all.
The general camp day is from 8:30 am-5:00 pm (or 9:00 am – 5:30 pm), five days a week for four weeks. Please direct any questions to mdsummercamp@chinmayadc.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
2022 Summer Camp Binder details and other resources will be updated here in this section soon!
Past years resources
About Bhiksha:
Bhiksha simply means alms. Our Scriptures state that Brahmacharins and Sannyasins seek Bhiksha from Devotees and Householders. They do not cook for themselves. Thus it becomes our Dharma to provide Bhiksha. Merely the presence of Brahmacharins and Sannyasins sanctifies our very Being. The attitude with which we provide Bhiksha is of utmost importance. While we provide food to sustain the body of the Sannyasins, we ask for the Jnana Bhiksha (Alms of Spiritual Knowledge, Devotion, and Dispassion) from them.
Families generally sign-up in pairs to provide lunch on their designated day. Bhiksha lunch quantity should be sufficient for 12-14 people. The family is welcome and encouraged to stay for lunch with Swamiji and other Vedanta teachers, but is not required to. Many families drop the food off mid-morning.
Swamiji’s Bhiksha Guidelines
Camp families can offer Bhiksha to Swamiji during the course of the camp. Please CONTACT US for more information
NOTE: Bhiksha offering to Swamiji is NOT A MANDATORY requirement for your child to attend the camp.