An Extraordinary Day Camp for Children and Teens Who Stutter
Camp T.A.L.K.S. (Talking and Learning with Kids who Stutter) offers a transformative week-long day camp experience where children and teens who stutter (ages 8-16) can build confidence, connect with peers, and celebrate their unique voices. For over a decade, Camp TALKS has been held in Nashville, TN by Vanderbilt’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences during the first full week in June. This year’s camp will be held on June 2-6, 2025.
Enrollment in camp includes a t-shirt and lunch/snacks daily. Camp ends in a Friday afternoon celebration that includes a short presentation and pizza party for family and guests. Full cost of camp is $500 for the week, with scholarships available based on financial need.
Traditions of Building Community and Confidence
Camp TALKS aims to create something that is vitally important for people who stutter: community. Through group activities like team-building games, creative workshops, and group discussions, campers form meaningful connections with peers who understand their experiences. At Camp TALKS, we believe that stuttering is okay, period. We focus on helping campers recognize the strengths they already have and create a space where they can shine and share their gifts with others. The camp environment is not about "fixing" but about fostering acceptance, self-expression, and joy. Year after year, campers return to Camp TALKS to grow their confidence and participate in their favorite camp traditions, from daily shout-outs to our end-of-camp celebration of creativity and fun.
Amazing Counselors and Staff
The counselors at Camp TALKS are second-year Master’s students in Vanderbilt’s world-class Speech-Language Pathology program. Our counselors bring their unique talents and skills to camp to lead activities and connect with campers, while using their clinical skills to support each child’s unique education and growth. Leadership staff includes veteran speech-language pathologists with rich experience helping children who stutter and their families at Vanderbilt and beyond. We also include older campers and alumni in leadership roles and as special camp guests to keep our camp traditions alive.
Parent and Family Involvement
At Camp TALKS, we believe that the child’s closest family members are important allies in building confidence and communication skills. Parents and family are invited to meet as a group on Monday morning and Friday afternoon during the week of camp. These sessions include discussions about stuttering, opportunities to share personal stories, and practical guidance on supporting their children’s journey. Parents often share that they benefit from these aspects of camp just as much as their children benefit from camp overall.
Our Mission
Camp TALKS empowers children and teens who stutter to become confident communicators by fostering understanding, acceptance, and self-advocacy skills in a supportive and interactive summer camp setting. We celebrate the belief that people who stutter can be successful, confident, and joyful communicators regardless of their level of disfluency. Our ultimate goal is to help children and teens who stutter become more confident communicators as they grow, one special summer at a time.
To learn more, visit us ONLINE.
