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Capstone Program

What is expected of a Capstone Camper?

What is expected of a Capstone Project Advisor?

What is the Capstone Program?

A THOUSAND SUMMERS is committed to empowering the young people we serve to be agents of change and create opportunities to do good in their communities.

The Capstone Program is a one year service-learning project for ATS campers who have attended at least one summer at camp and are 15 years old or older. Campers identify a need within their community, design a service project to meet the need, implement the project in their community, and present their completed projects. This is done with the support and guidance of a variety of volunteers and ATS staff.

Do I qualify?

The ideal Capstone candidate would be:

A returning A THOUSAND SUMMERS camper
15 years old at the time of camp
Willing to complete a service project in their community

Why should I participate?

Choosing to participate in the Capstone program will:

strengthen your community and provide an opportunity to give back
promote your personal growth and civic responsibility
give you experience in your chosen area
provide you the opportunity to test out a potential career
bring what you have learned at camp into the real world

Capstone service hours accrued may count towards your school community service requirements.

Capstone service project outcomes and accomplishments are shared with your camp to enhance your leadership program application whether it be the CILT, CIT, Junior Counselor, or Pathfinding program.

What is expected of a Capstone Camper?

Campers who have previously received an A Thousand Summers Campership and are now 15 years old must complete a Capstone Project to maintain their campership for the upcoming summer. This project is a chance to give back to their communities during the school year and to connect what they’ve learned at camp to real-world impact. It requires a meaningful time commitment in the spring to plan, implement, and present their project. Capstone campers are expected to be responsive, attend all Capstone meetings, and follow through reliably on their project work.

A Capstone Project Advisor will support the camper throughout the project, including helping the camper problem solve, plan, and implement their project. Project Advisors are often trusted adults from the camper’s community, but if you do not have a Project Advisor in mind, A Thousand Summers will match you with one. Additional details for the Capstone Project Advisor volunteer position can be found here.

The Capstone Student Workbook provides the structure of the program and is to be completed as part of the program requirements.

Required virtual meeting dates are as follows:

Capstone Meetings Sundays at 2:00pm MST / 1:00pm PST / 4:00pm EST

Dec 7, 2025
Jan 11, 2026
Feb 1, 2026
Mar 8, 2026
April 26, 2026

What is expected of a Capstone Project Advisor?

The Capstone Project Advisor will support the camper with service project development, implementation, reflections, and presentation. Please refer to the Volunteer Page for details on the Capstone Project Advisor role. The Capstone Program Guide is available as a resource to support the Capstone Project Advisor through the program.