Youth & Teens Summer Camps at Culture of Safety
In addition to ongoing karate classes for kids and adults and No-School Day camps for public holidays and other days when Chicago Public Schools is closed, Culture of Safety offers Spring Break Day Camps and Summer Camps! Your child will grow more confident and learn discipline, focus, agility, balance, and more in our special Self-Defense and Karate camps! We specialize in supporting LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent youth and teens. No experience is required for any of our camps. Students with prior experience will be supported in exploring more advanced material in sessions. Our Summer Camp sessions are are timed to fill the gaps between Chicago Public Schools summer break and Chicago Park District Camps. Register Today!
Summer Camp Schedule & Rates for 2025
Each camp has different age ranges. Teens aged 12-14 who attend Sessions 1 or 3 will be treated as Junior counselors and mentored in leadership opportunities.
Each camp session runs for 1 week, Monday through Friday, 9am -3pm. Drop off starts 8:45. Late pick-up available through 4:15pm for additional fee.
- Session 1: Mon, June 23-Fri June 27: Ninja Turtle Basics (ages 6-14)
- Session 2: Mon, Aug 4-Fri Aug 8: Youth & Teen Empowerment Camp* (ages 10-16)
- Session 3: Mon Aug 11-Fri Aug 15: Karate Basics and Board Breaking (ages 6-14)
*Empowerment Camp this year is open to all, but is focused on supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth and Teens. We will prioritize spots for trans, non-binary and gender-nonconforming youth and teens. The camp is open to youth and Teens aged 10-16 of all genders and identities.
Our camps are offered on a Sliding scale or Tiered pricing system. We have three tiers: Supporter (Pay-It-Forward), Standard, and Reduced. We ask that you choose the highest tier that works for your household. Reduced Rate slots and financial aid are limited per session. The Pay-It-Forward Rate sponsors a child to attend at the Reduced Rate or supports financial aid offerings. Pricing is based on a full week’s session. Because each Camp session is organized around a theme and we teach skills that build over the week, we don’t currently allow drop-ins. Closer to each camp, we may choose to allow a small number of drop-in slots for kids with prior martial arts experience. All prices include snacks and all materials or supplies needed for the camp session, but do not include lunch.
Cost per child per session (1 week): Supporter (Pay-It-Forward): $425 / Standard: $350/ Reduced $275
We have some limited financial aid available for folks for whom even the Reduced Tier isn’t accessible. Email info@cultureofsafetychi.com for more information.
All of our classes and camps are neurodivergent-friendly, LGBTQIA-affirming, trauma-informed, and empowerment-focused. We teach from a strengths-based perspective. Camps are lead by Led by 4th degree black belt and social worker Sensei Amy LE Jones (she/her) and 3d degree black belt and mindfulness/meditation expert Senpai Kyren Epperson (they/them). Learn more about Senpai Kyren & Sensei Amy.
Session Themes for 2025
Ninja Turtle Basics (Monday June 23-Friday June 27)
Open to youth aged 6-14. Does your kid make homemade “swords” out of paper towel rolls or whatever they find in the house? Do you find them tumbling around your living room? Is
your kid’s favorite Ninja Turtle Donatello or Michelangelo? In this special camp, your child will explore ninja-themed karate movement basics such as falling and rolling and explore safe rubberized versions of traditional Okinawan weapons nunchaku (popularized by Donatello) and bo staff (popularized by Michelangelo). We will teach basic karate footwork and agility challenges, including jumping, running, ducking, and rolling as well as basic techniques with nunchucks and bo staff.
Each day, we will build on techniques and skills from the previous day and create a group kata (form).
On the final day, we will have a final performance which will be videoed for families to enjoy later. Each kid will have the opportunity to perform techniques or a form in either individual or group performances. Kids aged 12+ will be allowed to use the wooden bo staff (instead of rubberized foam). In addition to the video of the group performance, at the end of the camp, each kid will be allowed to take home a pair of foam nunchaku as a camp souvenir. For an extra $20, they can instead take home a foam bo staff). Student with prior experience will be supported in learning more advanced techniques. Led by 4th degree black belt and social worker Amy LE Jones, LSW and 3rd degree black belt and mindfulness/meditation expert Kyren Epperson.
Youth & Teen Empowerment Camp (Monday August 4-Friday August 8)
Open to youth and teens ages 10-16. While all of our camps are led by trans/genderqueer staff and are LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent-friendly, this week’s camp is explicitly welcoming to LGBTQIA+ youth and teens, especially trans, non-binary and/or gender non-conforming youth. Youth & Teens of all genders and identities are welcome and encouraged to register.
Our youth empowerment camp is active and fun – our camp helps young people respond 
to bullying behavior and harassment, teaches them how to stand up for themselves and others, how to get help from safe adults in their life, and gives them skills to protect themselves and get to safety in an emergency situation. Our classes are highly interactive and collaborative, focused on supporting team-building and group tasks. To practice verbal skills, youth will explore role plays, creating skits (short plays), and more. We help each youth find ways to feel more strong and confident. We work to support youth and teens who struggle with emotional regulation learn to keep themselves safe and respect the boundaries of others.
Each day, we’ll explore new fun and useful physical skills: such as running away and strikes and kicks. We’ll also explore verbal skills, such as standing up for themselves and others, managing conflict with their peers, and practice emotional regulation strategies, such as age-appropriate mindfulness and meditation exercises. Led by 4th degree black belt and social worker Amy LE Jones, LSW and 3rd degree black belt and mindfulness/meditation expert Kyren Epperson.
Karate Basics and Board Breaking (Monday August 11-Friday August 15)
Open to ages 6-14. In this session, we will teach the basic techniques of karate (or refine techniques for kids with prior experience). Our focus for this camp will be helping each child find the balance of the physical skills and mental and emotional skills they need to feel confident safely breaking a wooden board. We know that physical skills, such as power, agility, and coordination are important for all sports and active movement. We also know that mental and emotional skills, such as focusing the mind and regulating the emotions are equally important. Every morning session will focus on physical skills practice. We will teach and give age-appropriate feedback on common karate strikes and kicks. In the afternoon, we will focus on more of the mental and emotional skills needed for board breaking (and for success in life!). Afternoon sessions will include age-appropriate meditation and mindfulness exercises, emotional regulation exercises, and more. Kids will learn healthy ways of responding when the board doesn’t break, which is a powerful metaphor for life not going the way we wat it to! Kids will also practice supporting and encouraging each other. At the end of each day, students will practice with a re-breakable (plastic) board.
On the final day of the camp, all students will receive one-on-one coaching until they break at least 2 boards. We will take video of all breaks to send to families. Kids will then have the opportunity to decorate their broken boards (paint, markers, colored pencils) and will bring home a colorful souvenir of their empowering week!