• Mission: Hidden Villa Summer Camps, hosted on the 1,600-acre organic farm and wilderness preserve in Los Altos Hills, aim to teach youth what it means to live in a community and to help them develop greater multicultural understanding and appreciation, resolve conflicts peacefully, cultivate independence and overcome personal challenges.
According to Josephine Duveneck, the late founder of Hidden Villa Summer Camps, “Our purpose should be to produce strong, healthy, happy individuals, sensitive to the needs of others, deeply concerned about the injustices of the world, equipped with the good judgment, the self-discipline and the confidence to help eliminate inequities.”
• 2021 update: Hidden Villa hired Philip James as its new camp director. James has championed youth development while working at summer camps for the past 15 years. He served as director of boys camp programs with the American Youth Foundation at Camp Miniwanca, as well as camp director with Project Morry/Morry’s Camp.
As a result of the pandemic, Hidden Villa identified two additional avenues to explore and reinforce with its campers: the summer learning-gap loss and youth mental health.
• Why the Holiday Fund is needed: Young people need time to gather, discover and explore their world, Hidden Villa representatives said, and summer camp provides those opportunities. The Holiday Fund enables youth to attend the camps on scholarships, guaranteeing equitable access.
Hidden Villa
Summer Camps
Location: 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills
Founded: 1924
Annual budget: Pre-COVID, $1,085 million; summer 2022, $1.385 million
Staff: 5 full-time; 67 part-time, seasonal employees
Information: hiddenvilla.org
