YPI Summer Camp Encourages Creativity

Living by the motto, “It's not a place, It's a state of mind,” Suffield's YPI summer camp encourages the creativity of its campers as artists across many types of media.

YPI summer camp, held at Suffield Academy, is a co-educational, two-week camp for the creative arts. Campers from age 10 to age 17 dorm together and bring their own diverse experiences together in one place.

YPI, formerly known as Young People's Institute, was started as a camp solely for writers, but now aims to provide a diverse group of students with professionals in their given field. Classes take place in studios and classrooms as students practice disciplines ranging from writing to studio arts.

“It started at the University of Connecticut in 1981, and it started with writers,” said Jeff Ostroff, the director of the camp and president of YPI. “We had 100 writers, as we got excited about it transformed into more than just writing.”

The goal of the camp is “to provide an enriching experience in writing and the visual and performing arts; to work with professionals to explore the best they can be in that discipline,” Ostroff said.

Ostroff said the camp will not offer any new programs this year but current offerings continue to be modified.

“What's new is every year we try to keep it fresh. Every year we keep the old traditions but we mix it in with something fresh,” Ostroff said. “Last year our song writing class evolved into a jam band class.”

The camp will be held this year between July 31 and August 13 with classes being held at Suffield Academy's Tremaine Art Center, Seaverns Performing Arts Center, music center and Centurion Hall.

“This new facility has become the best facility because it has all we need in the classroom,” Ostroff said. “They live in the dorms and they get to know what that is like as a future college student, or kids who may want to go to private school.”

At the end of each week students are allowed to share their work during a time called We Jazz, which takes place during lunch. Their goal for this weekly exhibition is to promote the idea that everything is a work in progress, and through these sessions the artists can get input and future ideas for their creative expressions.

“There are no cant's and wont's, we push kids really hard,” Ostroff said. “They only have four and a half days to create a finished piece, they really need to be kicking jams to get it done.”

The camp offers a chance for students, who only have so much time in school for their interests and abilities in the arts, to have a common meeting place once a year to share their experiences and work with professional artists, who help the children hone their skills and give them advice about their future in the arts.

Costs to attend the camp are $1,250 for one week, or a discounted rate of $2,200 for two weeks. The camp offers a discount of $100 if a camper refers a friend or brings a sibling.

Enrollment is open until certain programs are filled, and as long as there are openings they will continue to admit children, according to Ostroff.

“What we want you to do at the end of the experiences is to take what you felt inside you and learned and bring it with you,” Ostroff said. “You can go anywhere and have that YPI feel.”