CONCORD, N.H. – Teenagers who have a parent serving in the military are expanding their social skills and support systems while they ski, sled and skate in northern New Hampshire this winter.

The Military Teen Adventure Camps being held in Bretton Woods are run by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and are paid for by a Department of Defense grant. Although there are other programs for children from military families, season and scope sets the New Hampshire camps apart.

The camps cater to older teenagers, ages 14 to 18, who might be more interested in summer jobs than attending summer camp, said Charlotte Cross, director of the extension office’s Operation: Military Kids program.

And while two of the four weekend sessions are open to all military teenagers, the first session is for those with physical disabilities, and the second, being held this weekend, is for teenagers with cognitive or developmental disabilities.

The schedule for all four sessions is the same, however, and includes skiing, ice skating, snow tubing and dog sledding. Northeast Passage, a UNH-based program that develops recreation programs for people with disabilities, worked with the participants to make sure all of them could experience each activity. In some cases, teenagers brought a parent or caregiver along.

“What makes us especially excited about these camps is that we do have identical experiences offered to military teens with disabilities and without disabilities,” Cross said. “We’ll have folks in the first two camps who might have otherwise never been able to do these things.”

Cross said such friendships are important in places like New Hampshire, which doesn’t have any military bases. Teenagers whose parents are in the National Guard or reserves can feel isolated if they don’t have friends in the same situation nearby, she said.