Family Week 2025_Omega Catalog

OMEGA

FAMILY WEEK 2025

Family Week

Leave behind the daily hustle and immerse yourselves in quality family time—filled with laughter, new friendships, and lasting memories, all while surrounded by Omega's beautiful 250-acre campus.

adult workshops

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

YOGA & MINDFUL MOVEMENT

A Recharge & Reset

Retreat

Pilin Anice

Course 3405-936/Tuition $415 ($370 Members)

Join Pilin Anice for a breath-centered, rhythmic yoga practice that flows in sequences to stretch and strengthen the body, reduce stress, and activate joy. With live drumming and music, the class is a moving meditation, a dance party, and an inner journey.

Pilin is a beloved yoga and wellness guide trained in vinyasa, Kripalu, meditation, dance, and more. Soothe your nervous system with pranayama, Ayurveda, and restorative practices that encourage self-inquiry and body awareness. Return home with a toolkit of self-care practices to support your wellbeing long term.

Pilin Anice is a yoga, dance, and meditation instructor, health coach, and model who has been featured on Good Morning America, TODAY, and in the New York Times pilinanice.com

How to Register: Adults choose one workshop. Kids choose one camp. Adults with children too young for a camp can register for a R&R Getaway Retreat. Call 1.800.944.1001 to register.

Adult Workshops: Adult workshops meet Monday through Wednesday from 9:30 a.m.-noon and 2:30-5:00 p.m. On Thursday afternoons, adults can take time o to relax, visit Omega's Wellness Center, or enjoy informal classes led by workshop teachers and special guests. In the evening, everyone gathers for family entertainment.

Kids and Teens Camps: Kids meet every morning from 9:00 a.m.-noon and afternoons from 2:30-5:00 p.m. Omega has a 10:00 p.m. noise curfew and all children and teens are expected to be with their families after 11:00 p.m.

Registration: Camps fill quickly; register early. If you don't have children, you may still participate in Family Week, but be advised that services and schedules are geared for children and families. Schedules and registration information di er this week from other weeks at Omega.

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

SINGING IN THE STREAM

Songs of Joy & Healing for the Times

Maggie Wheeler and Arnaé Batson Course 3405-933/Tuition $425 ($380 Members)

Experience the deep, healing power of the voice as we learn and sing ancient and contemporary songs of joy and healing. Together, we embark on a vocal journey to investigate the vibrational power of song— from chants and spirituals to protest and original music.

Learn songs by call-and-response, a technique accessible to beginners and experienced singers alike. Magic happens when we are bathed in the vibrations of beautiful songs and combined voices. Singing this way relieves tension and creates a sense of well-being that resonates in our bodies far beyond the moment.

Maggie Wheeler is an actor, singer, songwriter, and codirector of the Golden Bridge Community Choir in Hollywood. goldenbridgechoir.com

Arnaé Batson is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and song leader who uses music to create spiritual pathways for health and wholeness.

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

KICKSTART YOUR NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR PERSONAL ESSAY

Mapping Your Transformation

Ruthie Ackerman

Course 3405-938/Tuition $455 ($410 Members)

Joan Didion wrote, “we are welladvised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be,” and in this workshop, we do just that. We explore past selves and allow them to collide on the page with the people we are today. We reacquaint ourselves with fires we’ve walked through and how we’ve come to the other side.

Whether you are new to writing or have a manuscript to bring, magic happens under Ruthie Ackerman’s guidance.  Through generative exercises, readings, and writing, we unlock our creative brains and dig into the heart of our stories. We leave with the nuts and bolts of a draft and a sustainable writing flow.

Ruthie Ackerman’s award-winning journalism has taken her around the world. Her popular piece for the New York Times Modern Love column inspired her memoir and shifted her focus to writing personal stories. ruthieackerman.com

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

WALKING WELL

Experience Comfort, Vitality & Inspiration in Every Step

Michael J. Gelb and Caren Bayer Course 3405-945/Tuition $435 ($390 Members) Hippocrates referred to walking as humanity’s best medicine. In this workshop, you learn how to receive greater benefits in every step.

Discover how to walk in a way that positively changes you physically, mentally, and spiritually. Experience more comfort, ease, and vitality as you learn to:

• Connect with your animal body and walk in accordance with your natural design

• Release unnecessary tension and discover how to be simultaneously soft and strong, relaxed and ready, calm and alert

• Practice walking methods to fuel imagination and creativity

Leave with practical skills to improve your gait in a way that enlivens your consciousness, coordinates your breathing, and connects you more deeply to the earth.

Michael J. Gelb is a master teacher of the Alexander Technique, aikido, tai chi, and qigong. He is the author of 18 books, including Walking Well, coauthored with Bruce Fertman. michaelgelb.com

Caren Bayer is the founder of the Manhattan Center for the Alexander Technique. carenbayer.com

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

PICKLEBALL SKILLS, DRILLS & PLAY

Francis Comesanas Course 3405-024/Tuition $440 ($395 Members) SS, LE

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

FIBER ART WORKSHOP

Woodland Wool Doodling

Martha Belardo Course 3405-012/Tuition $415 ($370 Members)

Pickleball—considered a combination of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong—is the fastest growing sport in the US. It’s easy to learn, fun, and supports physical fitness and community connection. Join Francis Comesanas on the court and practice essential pickleball skills and drills. Explore how incorporating mindfulness, setting realistic goals, and fostering a positive mindset can enhance the mental and emotional experience of playing pickleball—making it not just a sport, but also a rewarding outlet for personal growth.

Each session opens with a gentle yoga stretch and grounding practice. This workshop is appropriate for those new to the game as well as beginner and intermediate level, including tennis players who want to learn a new racquet sport.

Francis Comesanas is an advanced pickleball player with more than

area.

Enter a magical world of creativity, where you daydream, imagine, and craft beautiful felt creatures and keepsakes. No experience is required— you quickly develop skills under the guidance of celebrated fiber artist and playful instructor, Martha Belardo. Martha says the tactile, sculptural, and design work involved throughout the process of needle felting “stimulates the mind and mood in all the best ways.”

This week, we focus on creating woodland scenes that reflect the natural splendor of our surroundings. Wee forest friends, whimsical fairies, mushrooms, owls, and rabbits (oh my!) will spring from your needle as you learn to layer textures and color. Using fibers grown in the Hudson Valley, we fall in love with this forgiving medium which allows for delightful adjustments as our felt sculptures come to life.

Martha Belardo is a fiber artist living and creating in the Hudson Valley, using local fiber from women farmers, dyers, processors, and hand stitchers across the Northeast. hudsonvalleyfiberarts.com

kids camps

Kids camps are open only to children accompanied by a parent enrolled in a workshop.

For kids ages 3-5

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

LITTLE LIGHT PLAY CAMP

Janice Zito

Course 3405-934/Tuition $210 LE

Let your child’s imagination soar in Little Light Play Camp as they join in creative expression, play, and mindfulness. This camp, for children ages 3 through 5 (must be potty trained), is led by Janice Zito, a Montessori elementary school teacher and a health and fitness instructor. The program is focused on joyful play, nature exploration, musical expression, creative arts, and child-centered mindfulness.

Janice Zito is a Montessori elementary school teacher and a health and fitness instructor.

For kids ages 5-10

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

LITTLE FOREST PEOPLE

Kesse Humphreys and The Ranger Staff

Course 3405-935/Tuition $295 LE

The woods surrounding Omega are filled with magical groves, fun, fantasy, and little newts. The Rangers are looking for campers to help create woodland structures and fairy houses, and drum, sing, climb fallen trees, and cook up a hearty batch of bread-on-a-stick and s’mores. Half the program is spent in the Omega woods; the other half is spent boating, spotting painted turtles, and exploring the natural (and supernatural) wonders of Omega’s Long Pond Lake. The Ranger Sta  is a team with extensive experience running youth programs that nurture and challenge children in safe environments. The team includes Kesse Humphreys, artist and educator; and other Ranger Sta .

For kids ages 8-12

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

Ellen Riley and Kino Calderon

Course 3405-937/Tuition $350

This multi-sport camp—for boys and girls of all skill levels—is led by veteran Family Week coaches Ellen and Kino. Many sports and games are played, including basketball, baseball, flag football, kickball, and Wi e ball. The emphasis is on fun, skills, fitness, injury prevention, and mental focus. Yoga and stretching are introduced as a foundation for fitness and injury

For kids ages 8-12

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

VISUAL STORYTELLING

Create Your Own Comics, Graphic Novel & Cartoons

Chris O’Neal

Course 3405-011/Tuition $375 LE

Want to share your story in a creative way? Do you love comics, graphic novels, cartoons, and other forms of sequential art?

Using a combination of researched storytelling methods and artistic experiments, students explore what makes the art of cartooning unique and work together to translate our stories into real-life comic books.

Students will be encouraged to stretch themselves creatively while still learning the technical basics needed to create a professional comic book. Each student will work on their own comic book and the class will present their creations on Thursday at the evening showcase to the whole Family Week community.

Chris O’Neal is an artist who has worked with kids in a wide range of media, from drawing to poster and website design, and loves helping students feel safe and excited expressing themselves. chrisoneal.com

prevention. Campers enjoy stories from the big leagues, music, prizes, friendly competition, and opportunities to dive deeper into particular sports in breakout sessions.

$20 materials fee; include when you register.

Ellen Riley is a veteran of the Omega basketball camp for grownups, taught by NBA coach Phil Jackson and CBA coach Charley Rosen.

Kino Calderon is a certified personal trainer who specializes in strength and conditioning, as well as working with young teens in sports conditioning.

For kids ages 12-17

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

TEEN MUSIC CAMP

Edmund Bagnell and Miles Taylour Sweeny

Course 3405-033/Tuition $395

Join a lively, collaborative community space, where teens receive instrument voice lessons, engage in jam sessions a band, and dive into the creative process of self-expression through music.

Together, we explore various songwriting and improvisation techniques, from brainstorming and storytelling to developing melodies and chord progressions. Whether you're a teen just starting out or already have experience, this workshop is designed to help you build confidence in your performance and songwriting skills.

By the end of the week, you'll have made new friends in a supportive environment, and grown as both a writer and a performer. On Thursday evening, we share our creative o erings with the whole Omega community.

For kids ages 12-18

JULY 27–AUGUST 1

THE WAYFINDER EXPERIENCE

A Role-Playing Adventure for Teens

Joshua Smith and Wayfinder Staff

Course 3405-050/Tuition $375 SS, LE

A drum set, bass and electric guitars with amps, and keyboards with amps will be provided. Please bring any of your own instruments you would like to use.

Edmund Bagnell performs as a soloist and also as first violinist in the classical/pop string quartet Well Strung. He tours across the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Russia, and has conducted master classes internationally. edmund-bagnell.com

Miles Taylour Sweeny began playing rock and blues guitar at the age of 10 and has appeared in bands across the Hudson Valley. He holds a bachelor's degree in music from Bard College, and recently released Passenger Side, by Zak & Miles. milestayloursweeny.com

The Wayfinder Experience is a live-action, role-playing camp that combines improvisational theater, athletics, and play to give teens a safe environment to build community.

Camp activities include theater games, capture the flag, and “play-safe” swordplay, all building toward the centerpiece of the week: the Adventure Game. The game is an immersive adventure similar to popular fantasy books and movies, played out on the Omega campus over two days. Donning costumes and equipped with foam weapons, campers play characters whose choices determine how the story plays out.

Through playing di erent roles and forging supportive relationships, participants are given a chance to try on new parts of themselves, developing confidence and self-esteem that last far beyond the workshop’s end.

Joshua Smith is a social worker who specializes in using rap, R&B, and pop music to help teens reflect on their experiences and gain insight into their emotions. Before pursuing a career in social work, he worked as a museum educator and as a workshop leader for teens in schools around the Northeast.

$25 materials fee; include when you register.

For young adults ages 19-25 JULY 27–AUGUST 1

THE WAYFINDER EXPERIENCE Apprenticeship Academy

Rebecca Bowe-Kingston Course 3405-051/Tuition $375 ($335 Members) SS

Announcing the WFE Apprenticeship Academy! This program is an opportunity for young adults to step up into leadership. Apprentices learn teaching skills and serve supportive roles in workshop facilitation and the creation of the Adventure Game, culminating in a training certificate of completion.

The program is held in tandem with the camp, and is for anyone who has ever considered teaching, working with young people, or simply loves the Wayfinder Experience.

Rebecca Bowe-Kingston, DSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and adjunct professor, specializing in adolescents and young adults. She has been a theater teacher for the Wayfinder Experience for more than a decade.