Dear Friends of Dechen Chöling,
We would like to take this opportunity to tell you about Shambhala Sun Summer Camp, a program that was established by students of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. It first took place in the United States in 1984 and was established in Europe in the year 2000. For over two decades Sun Camp in Europe has taken place at Dechen Chöling, with volunteers and staff on both sides helping to facilitate the program. Many participants of Sun Camp came to DCL every summer of their childhood and continued to return to partake in other programs or to help as MIAs. Basically, the two Mandalas are intertwined. So if you have not heard about Sun Camp – or you have but you would like to know more – then please read on.
Sun Camp is an outdoor, offline, sleep-away camp for children aged 10 to 16. Founded and run on the Buddhist principles of genuineness and compassion, we invite campers to reconnect with the beauty of living in the present moment and to explore their relationship with the natural world.
Our mission is to create an environment of basic goodness and warriorship open to participants of any background by combining the power of living outdoors with the wisdom teachings from the Shambhala, Kasung, and Buddhist lineages.
During our program, a camp community is created in which every camper is encouraged to extend care and support, thereby fostering a nurturing environment where everyone looks out for one another.
We offer a mix of fun, physical activity, teamwork, and mindfulness practices. The intent is to provide young people with a space to be themselves, discover who they are, make friends, and build deep connections in a supportive and playful environment.
Sun Camp embraces a philosophy rooted in Shambhala Buddhist teachings which are both simple and profound. At its core lies the belief in the inherent goodness within everyone. If you think your child might be interested in our program, we ask you to please fill in the interest form below, as it is important for us to gauge the number of applicants for the summer of 2027. We will be in a better position to ensure camp can go ahead, if we can confirm a critical number of participants for camp by the end of the year. Therefore, please share information about Sun Camp with other Families in your network whom you think may be interested to attend.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the address mentioned below, and see the provided links for more information.
Best wishes,
Max Schlage, on behalf of The Sun Camp Leadership Group of Europe
Our E-Mail address: [email protected]
Interest Form: www.cognitoforms.com/ShambhalaSunCamp1/UpdatedEuropeCampInterestForm2027
Official Sun Camp website: https://www.shambhalasuncamp.org/about-1
Dechen Chöling blog post about Sun Camp: https://www.dechencholing.org/suncamp/