Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research Announces 10th Annual Camp Dream. Speak. Live. for 2024

Camp to Support Thousands of Children Who Stutter Around the World at No Cost

AUSTIN, Texas, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research announces the 10th Annual Camp Dream. Speak. Live. 2024 will be the largest ever with 12 camps taking place in new locations for the first time. Camp Dream. Speak. Live. organizers expect to serve more than 2,000 children and their families in over 30 locations across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Camp Dream. Speak. Live. is the Blank Center's one-week, evidence-based program for children who stutter based on the Blank Center CARE Model™. The program empowers children who stutter to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively, and advocate meaningfully so that stuttering never stops them from living their lives to the fullest.  

"Camp Dream. Speak. Live. combats against this misguided pressure for fluency through strengthening their communication, advocacy, resilience, and understanding of the uniqueness of their speech, ensuring that stuttering does not prevent any child from fully engaging in life," said Dr. Courtney Byrd, Founding and Executive Director, Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research.

Children who participate in Camp Dream. Speak. Live. engage in theory- and data-driven activities that are thoughtfully designed—and proven—to achieve the following goals:

• Increase their positive perception of their ability to establish peer-to-peer relationships
• Improve their communication competence and help them feel confident about their ability to communicate
• Enhance their self-compassion, resiliency, self-advocacy, and leadership skills
• Lessen the influence of stuttering on their overall quality of life

Camp Dream. Speak. Live. launched in 2014 at The University of Texas at Austin. The Blank Center's staff, faculty, and partners, a collective of culturally and linguistically diverse expert clinicians and researchers, provide treatment and programming at no cost; the camp is made possible by donations and volunteer support.

2024 Summer and Fall Camp Dates and Locations:
*Denotes new camps in 2024

North America

• Plano, Texas: June 3-7
• Austin, Texas: June 10-14
• El Paso, Texas: July 8-12
• Atlanta, Georgia: July 15-19
• Mobile, Alabama: July 15-19*
• Newark, Delaware: July 15-19
• Cincinnati, Ohio: July 22-26*
• Newark, Delaware: July 29-Aug 2

Europe

• Limerick, Ireland: July 1-5*
• Kluzh-Napoka, Romania: July 8-12*
• Katowice, Poland: July 22-26*
• Birgu, Malta: July 29-Aug 2
• Oslo, Norway: August 5-9*
• Eskişehir, Turkey: August 12-16*
• Tralee, Ireland: August 19-24
• Lingen, Germany: October 20-24*
• Tilburg, The Netherlands: October 21-23
• Paris, France: October 27-Nov 1*

Africa

• Zanzibar, Tanzania: July 1-5*
• Lagos, Nigeria: August 5-9*

Asia:

• Islamabad, Pakistan: July 22-26

Middle East:

•  Tel Aviv, Israel: July 21-25*

For over 20 years, the Blank Center has been at the forefront of stuttering education, research, and treatment. Dr. Courtney Byrd, the Blank Center's founding and executive director, pioneered a paradigm shift in stuttering treatment that is grounded in scientific research. The Center's treatment is non-ableist in nature and does not attempt to "fix" stuttering, but instead strengthens communication competence, ensuring that persons who stutter can live their lives to the fullest.

Notes to editor

The life-changing impact of Camp Dream. Speak. Live. is documented below:

• Overview Video
• Camp Dream. Speak. Live. in The Netherlands Video
• Camp Dream. Speak. Live. in Pakistan Feature
• Selected research publications documenting the empirical effectiveness of Camp Dream. Speak. Live. and the effectiveness of this approach

About the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research
The Blank Center's mission is to change the world for people who stutter by providing quality care at no cost, educating speech-language pathology students and professionals, and generating new knowledge to advance understanding and best practices. In addition to Camp Dream. Speak. Live., the Blank Center provides year-round therapy in person in Austin, TX, Atlanta, GA, and virtually worldwide. To learn more about the Blank Center's life-changing work and worldwide impact, please visit blankcenterforstuttering.org.

Contact details

Ivette Almeida
Almeida Communications
917-302-9946
[email protected]

Ruben Ramirez
Almeida Communications
917-699-9083
[email protected]

SOURCE The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research