Prepare to be blown away: what our campers have been doing since camp!

If you don’t already know, we are all about what campers do after camp. In fact, our goal is to turn campers’ passion into action to make a better world. Our last session of camp only ended in August and we are so happy to see our campers already taking action on their IOI (issue of importance). If you’re looking for some inspiration and renewed hope in the world, keep on reading!

Hannah from our Oregon session formed an animal rights club at her school, called Peace for Animals. During her school’s club fair, she was able to get 57 students to sign up.
Vivien from our California session started a “business” selling cookies at her school— every week! 100% of the proceeds go to support organizations working to end human trafficking.
Lamanh is working at getting a composting system installed at her school!
Lacey from our California session started the first ever YEA Club at her school, a club that will teach her peers how they can make a difference in the world.
Since meeting and becoming best friends at camp Phoebe and Rylee have started an etsy shop called BrightAndCourageous. All proceeds from their shop go straight to charity, this month’s proceeds being donated to YEA Camp!
Alanna noticed that the Apple emoji keyboard does not promote diversity, and has created a change.org petition to change that. It already has almost 700 signatures!
Oliver from our Massachusetts session met with his state assembly member in New Jersey about having transgender friendly bathrooms in high schools (something his principal had shot down previously). Not only did the assembly member meet with Oliver in person, but they agreed to talk to the Superintendent of the district about creating a new policy. To top it all off they may be drafting a new bill in the New Jersey legislature!
Ofzerna has been very busy since camp. She started Project July, a project hoping to raise enough money to adopt and support a calf that would otherwise be raised only to be slaughtered for beef. Rescuing this calf is part of a long term goal to one day start a sanctuary. She wishes to educate people about what they are eating by giving them positive interactions with cattle. Along with this, Ofzerna has also started a change.org petition after noticing that Cinemark Theaters was advertising for SeaWorld. Her petition has received over 600 signatures and a personal call from James Meredith, vice-president of Marketing at Cinemark. Meredith told Ofzerna he would take her views into consideration.
Ethan from our California session has become vice-president of his school’s environmental club.
Tommy has been volunteering at his local soup kitchen and has become a board member of ARK, or Acts of Random Kindness Club. This is a club dedicated to promoting goodwill and happiness in the world.
Hani has been a super-star activist since camp! To raise awareness, she has been handing out flyers to raise awareness of Hersey’s support of child labor. She has already had her first community service club meeting at school and is holding fundraisers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Shelby from our Massachusetts session is currently leading two groups at her school, a gay straight alliance and an animal allies club. If this isn’t amazing enough, she is starting to leaflet with Mercy for Animals, trying to initiate composting at her school, has participated in a coastal cleanup, and is organizing a field trip for several
kids at her school to go to an anti-bullying training workshop.
Ariel hosted the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean Up. She and her friends cleaned half a kilometre of shoreline where they picked up 48 lbs of garbage and 1010 cigarette butts!
Jose from our California session got Styrofoam cups banned from his workplace. YEA!
Jacob started a change.org petition to get more comprehensive gun control in New Jersey.
Shayla is forming an eating disorder support group, first meeting by early December.
A group of YEA Campers attended a Ringling Brothers Circus protest to educate the public about cruelty performing animals endure.

If you thought this was a lot, this is only a small sampling of what our campers have been doing in the past few months. We are so proud of all the work our campers have done since camp and are looking forward to seeing all the amazing activism they will be doing in the future. We have no doubt in our mind that our campers will make huge strides in changing the world!