YEA Camp Spring Update!

We have a lot of big things happening at YEA Camp as we gear up for another life-changing and world-changing summer of camps!

Some updates about YEA Camp 2014:

  • YEA Camper Madison at a school event she organized to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues

    YEA Camper Madison (left) at a school event she organized to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues

    We are expanding to bigger venues in all of our locations, and yet with camp still 3 months away, our camps are a quarter of the way full. We have seen a real increase in awareness and interest in our program across the country this year and appreciate your help spreading the word!

  • We are excited to be creating some powerful new curriculum for our post-camp mentorship program to provide added support to campers throughout the year and to help them take more strategic action.
  • ana scholarship

    Ana, a future YEA Camper!

    Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, we have already offered scholarships to several outstanding campers like Ana (left), who are so excited to be coming to YEA Camp! Ana had this to say about YEA:

“I am very active in the activist community in San Diego, but would like to find teens with similar ideologies as me. I want to learn how to successfully campaign and convey my knowledge of issues that I am passionate about to others. From extensive research on YEA Camp, I believe that it was created with teens like me in mind.” -Ana, age 14, San Diego

Ana is right! YEA Camp was created with teens like Ana in mind, and we are so greatful to our donors that we can offer amazing young people like her a chance to attend our life-changing program. We will continue our commitment to never turn applicants away for financial reasons.

Some recent exciting developments to report:

  • We have hired a highly successful PR firm to work with us on getting some big media for our program! This means more campers, supporters, and demand for further expanding program.
  • groupWe have been accepted for a consulting project grant through the Oregon Organization Development Network! We are working with ODN’s amazing team of consultants to strengthen our strategic plans for long-term growth.
  • We have been working with a grant writer and have submitted five proposals, with more in the works, to increase funding to our program. Being awarded any of these carefully chosen grants will help us expand our efforts to reach more young people wanting to bring about change in their communities.
  • We have just hired our second paid year-round staff person! This is huge for us and we are so excited to be able to increase our capacity with more program support!

This is shaping up to be a great year for us and we are already realizing many of our goals and dreams. Our three camps in 2014 will have 100 teens and over 40 staff members. We can’t wait to get started!

If you don’t already, follow what we are up to on Facebook and in our e-newsletter. And if you know a young person who you think would be perfect for YEA Camp, please share our website with them! www.yeacamp.org