Brothers Evan and Bradley Bailyn, creators of the popular tween website Cartoon Doll Emporium, have recently begun scouting properties in upstate New York as the site for their new summer sleepaway “dream” camp.
The idea behind the “dream camp” is to allow kids ages 8 to 12 to have the simulated experience of working in their dream careers. Campers will be able to enroll in two week sessions in which top professionals will teach them about their field through interactive classes and hands-on projects. At the end of each session, campers will spend their final day taking part in presentations from each group illustrating what they’ve learned.
“Once it’s up and running, this camp will be totally unlike anything else out there,” says Brad. “There is no other program that literally allows kids to live their dreams for two weeks, and, on top of that, creates the potential for them to get a jump on their futures at a very young age. It’s a unique concept.”
As of now, the brothers are planning to offer sessions in twelve different fields ranging in focus from cooking to journalism to video game design. Though the sessions will last only two weeks, campers will have the option of enrolling for up to two months to experience as many as four different occupations.
The brothers also intend to create a scholarship fund for promising kids who are interested in attending the camp but can’t afford the cost of enrollment.
“We’re really enthusiastic about this project, and we want to make it as widely available as possible,” says Evan. “It’s such a cool opportunity, we don’t want to alienate anyone just because they don’t have the money to pay for it. That’s not what this camp is about.”
The brothers plan to begin construction on the camp by this coming spring and hope to open by Summer 2009.
