About Us
Our mission is to provide transgender and gender-variant youth with a safe, fun, and unique camp experience during which they are able to express gender however they are comfortable and connect with others in similar situations.
Camp Aranu'tiq is a federally recognized, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. It is 100 percent volunteer-run. It was born out of the idea that transgender and gender-variant youth needed a safe place to relate to others like them, away from home, in a beautiful rural setting where they can concentrate on what every camper loves: having fun.
Camp is located in Southern New England, a 2-hour drive from both New York & Boston. Due to the sensitive nature of our program, the exact location of Aranu'tiq can be obtained by interested parents and campers by contacting us.
Board of Directors
Nick Teich, LCSW, Founder and President, has a combined 13 summers in camping experience as a camper, counselor, and member of camp leadership at a private camp in Maine. He is a social worker who has worked with a diverse group of youth. He has a deep personal interest in working toward transgender rights.
Morgan Darby, M.A., M.A.T., teaches middle school English and social studies and coaches basketball at a school in the Boston area. Morgan has also served on the board of directors of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN Boston).
Emily Engler works in information systems for a non-profit oncology group. She is an active volunteer with leadership roles in the nonprofit world. A member of the GLBT community, she is committed to working toward a world where gender is not a barrier in love or self-identity.
Marissa Gold, Psy.D., is excited to be a part of Camp Aranu'tiq and combine her love of the outdoors with her passion for working with the transgender and gender-variant population. She has her doctorate in clinical psychology and is currently doing part of her postdoctoral training working primarily with young adults.
Julie Lipson believes deeply in the profound ways that camps affect youth. A product of a camp-filled upbringing, Julie is excited to be involved in another summer-empowerment-endeavor. She co-founded an organization that works to combat homophobia and transphobia in Jewish youth groups. Julie still finds time to teach rhythm and movement classes to grades K-5 in Portland, OR.
Melissa MacNish, LMHC, is a mental health counselor at the Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center in Boston. She sees the bulk of the clinic's transgender and gender-variant clients, and she is very interested in being a part of safe spaces for youth of all genders. She has long been involved in the LGBT community in Boston.
Alison Rosenberg, LCSW, is a social worker at Children's Hospital Boston. She comes to us with experience working in other nonprofit charitable programs. She has a special interest in the positive effects that summer camp can have on youth.
What does the name "Aranu'tiq" mean?
Aranu'tiq is a Chugach (Yup'ik, an Indigenous people of Alaska) word for a person who was thought to embody both the male and female spirit. Aranu'tiq people were often revered and thought to be very lucky because their existence transcended traditional gender boundaries.
Honorary Board Members
Chaz Bono is an activist, author, and is the transgender son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono. He lives in West Hollywood, California.
Gregory Fenton, M.D., is a family physician splitting his time between Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, Fenway Community Health Center, and the Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, all in Boston.
Ralph Vetters, M.D., is a pediatrician who serves as the medical director at the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center. Dr. Vetters specializes in working with transgender and gender-variant adolescents.