Paly hopes to expand enrollment and participation in Camp Everytown, an extended weekend retreat for high school students where they learn to break stereotypes, according to Living Skills teacher Letitia Burton and Allison Davies-Mullins, director of student activities.

At this year’s Camp Everytown, Burton and Davies-Mullins hope to brainstorm ways to fundraise for the program.

“We do not require payment [to attend Camp Everytown] because many students cannot afford it,” Davies-Mullins said.

Paly encourages students to make a donation of $215 per student toward the program, rather than a required payment.

Until now, Camp Everytown has depended on grant money from Site Council and the Kiwanis (Key) Club. These programs pay for the transportation to camp, substitute teachers for the teachers who attend the camp, and compensation for staff members who attend camp as counselors.

Burton hopes that students from the club or those who attended Camp Everytown will take charge in fundraising for the program.

“Fundraising should be student-driven,” Burton said. “[It] could be anything from car washes or something bigger.”

In addition to raising money for the program, Burton and Davies-Mullins also hope to bring more Camp Everytown activities onto school campus. According to Davies-Mullins, there has been a Camp Everytown club at Paly in past years, and as part of its efforts, the club has sold pies to raise money.

Burton hopes to spread Camp Everytown’s influence to more students on Paly campus. The students who are unable to attend Camp should still be able to participate in Camp activities, according to Burton.

“More students always want to go than we can take,” Burton said. “It would be great to have monthly activities on [Paly] campus.”

In the future, Burton and Davies-Mullins hope to take students to Camp Everytown twice a year, rather than only annually. Currently, Gunn attends Camp Everytown biannually, however, its students are required to pay the $250 payment. According to Burton, going twice a year would allow space for all the students who wanted to go. The issue with Paly attending biannually is raising enough money for the students who are unable to pay for the program.

This year, students will attend Camp Everytown from Sept. 29 until Oct. 2.