The Excel Program is GDS' year-round program designed to help the teens of Camp Excel bring back to their communities what they learned at Camp. The main components of the Excel Program include: teen and family support, crisis intervention, advocacy, mentoring, reunions, topic groups, caretaker groups and an after-school program.

The Excel Program is innovative and comprehensive and includes:

  • Teen and Family Support. Home-visits and monthly phone contact by GDS staff provide support, guidance and encouragement to teens and their families.
  • Crisis Intervention. In addition to ongoing teen and family support, in times of crisis, GDS staff provides support, counseling and referrals to mental health and/or social service agencies if necessary.
  • Advocacy. GDS staff helps its families access other social service, mental health, educational and legal aid services and maintains ongoing communication with these professionals to provide comprehensive and effective care.
  • Mentoring Program. Volunteer camp counselors from Camp Excel maintain weekly, supervised phone contact with a teen whom they bonded with at Camp. If appropriate, mentor days are arranged for the teen and volunteer.
  • Reunions. Every three months, all of the campers, staff and volunteers gather in a nearby community to reinforce the bonding, support and learning that was experienced during the Camp week.
  • After-School Program. The GDS staff facilitates weekly peer groups for teens that attended Camp Excel. These groups are held within the teens' communities.
  • Topic Groups. In order to address specific adolescent issues in a peer setting, the GDS staff holds topic groups for teens who attended Camp Excel.
  • Caretaker Groups. The GDS staff leads caretaker support groups for the parents and foster parents of the teens who attended Camp Excel.


"I like Camp Excel because it helps not just one week but throughout the whole year with the follow-up program [The Excel Program]."
--A GDS Teen
See more testimonials.
Site Design by