Camp Laurel - A Camp for Children Living with HIV and AIDS

Camp Laurel’s LEAF (Life Enhancement and Fellowship) Mentorship Program is designed to empower youth ages 10-24 living with HIV/AIDS by providing them with a mentor who can help guide and support them through difficult life challenges, decisions and experiences. Camp Laurel also hosts bi-monthly workshops to help mentees develop the skills needed to create a successful life path.

In February 2009, the LEAF Mentorship Program hosted its first workshop of the year. With a focus on exploring career options, the workshop was led by Daisy Swan, an experienced career coach. She began by asking mentors to share their own personal stories about how they chose their career. Mentees were surprised to learn that early career goals shifted and grew as mentors learned more about themselves and gained life experience. In fact, several of the mentors described how their initial career plans changed dramatically. With a broadened perspective of the possibilities, mentees then took the Myers-Brigg personality test, which is a well-known measurement used in career counseling to help individuals discover their personality type and what careers might be an appropriate fit. While already contemplated careers appeared in their results, mentees were also presented with surprising options they never had before considered.

With even more excitement surrounding their futures, mentees learned how to conduct basic online research into their possible career options. While they have the added challenge of living with HIV/AIDS, the youth in the LEAF Mentorship Program now have the knowledge, excitement and the support of their mentors to succeed in whatever career they choose.

If you are between the ages of 10 and 24 and would like to become a Camp Laurel mentee, click here.

If you are 21 years of age or older and would like to volunteer your time as a Camp Laurel mentor, click here.

Camp Laurel Mentee

The LEAF program is designed to help you explore and achieve your personal goals, which might include: applying to college or vocational school, building a career path and/or applying for the job of your dreams, building a resume and developing other job skills, opening a bank account and building a personal finance plan, creating a personal health plan, or other areas that you would like to learn about, explore, and develop a plan to accomplish.

In the program, you will be paired with a mentor. A mentor is an adult friend and role model who will be there to spend time with you, to do activities that you both choose, like going to the movies or playing basketball. A mentor listens to you, supports you, and will be a resource and a guide as you explore and develop a plan for reaching your personal goals. We ask that you be available to spend at least 4 hours a month with your mentor, which will be a schedule that you and your mentor will work out together. You will also talk by phone or e-mail to keep in contact each week.

To download a LEAF Program Mentee application, click here.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call our office at (626) 683-0800.

Camp Laurel Mentor

Thank you for your interest in mentoring in Camp Laurel's LEAF program. We appreciate the time you are taking out of your busy schedule to learn more about our organization and this new program.

The LEAF program is designed to help youth between the ages of 10-24 infected/affected by HIV/AIDS achieve their personal goals, which might include: applying to college or vocational school, building a career path and/or applying for the job of your dreams, building a resume and developing other job skills, opening a bank account and building a personal finance plan, and creating a personal health plan.

Mentors are asked to commit a minimum of 4 hours a month to work with their paired mentee. As a role model and support person for your mentee, you will also help them set and accomplish goals (be that how to apply to college, write a resume, open a bank account, etc.). Prior to acceptance into the program, each mentor will submit an application, participate in an individual interview, and attend a six-hour training.

Thank you for taking the first step towards becoming a Camp Laurel mentor. We truly appreciate your interest in serving youth living with HIV and AIDS.

To download a LEAF Program Mentor Application, click here.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call our office at (626) 683-0800.