Meet the YEA Campers Paying Forward Their Activist Experience

As a teeny nonprofit, YEA Camp is only possible with the support of our community. Whether it’s a professional designer volunteering their time to redo parts of our website, a college student and YEA Camp staff member spreading the word on their campus, or a camper’s family donating money to our scholarship fund, we could not do it without the people who step up and give so generously of their time, talents, and finances to help us have a great camp year.

That’s why we were honored and thrilled to have four of our campers step up to join our YEA Camp Fundraising Team this year, in addition to all of the campers and families who have been participating in our first ever YEA Camp Volunteer-a-Thon! The Volunteer-a-Thon is an opportunity for our community to be sponsored in their activism, raising money for YEA Camp and raising awareness about their Issue of Importance. Adding an extra level of social accountability doesn’t hurt when it comes to achieving those big activist goals either!

December is the only time of year when we ask our entire community to support YEA Camp, so we rely on year-end donations to be able to start accepting financial aid applications that are already starting to come in.

Thanks to the support of two generous donors who recognize the importance of our work, this year, all donations given before December 31st 11:59 pm will be TRIPLED! So, a donation of $100 means we get $300. A donation of $1,000 means we get $3,000!

We have such an incredible opportunity with this match, and such a need to be able to continue to fund our programs, so we are incredibly grateful for the YEA Camp Fundraising Team helping us to reach our goal.

Where Does the Money Go?

Before we introduce these rockstar campers, it’s important to understand why we fundraise. The simple fact is, not everybody can afford to send their kids to camp. In fact, this year, 51 of our 100 campers were on some form of financial aid. Seventeen of those campers received a full scholarship.

At YEA Camp, we are committed to making camp accessible for all who want to be there, and to having a diverse group of campers who can learn from and support one another. This is only possible thanks to our generous donors, and we are so grateful for those who make this possible.

Which brings us to those rockstar campers! Last year, our YEA Camp alumni jumped at the chance to reach out to our donors, sharing their experience at camp, and helping us raise money for the scholarship fund. Last year, Ashlee, Mia, and Sade answered the call and throughout the month of December reached out to our donors, helping us reach our fundraising goal. You can read more about their experience here.

Meet the 2019 Fundraising Team

When it came time to make calls this year, Mia was the first one to raise her hand to do it again! Three other campers, also from our Massachusetts 2019 session of youth camp, joined. Here’s more about these amazing campers and what they had to say about the experience.

Mia Jay-Pachirat, the team veteran, is a 2-time YEA Camper from New York City. Currently a high school senior, Mia is passionate about protecting the environment. She was so excited to be a part of the Fundraising Team because she “loves YEA Camp and wants to help others have that experience, no matter their financial position.” Mia also created a Volunteer-a-Thon page to raise even more funds for YEA Camp!

Sam (left) and Mia (second from right) were two members of our Fundraising Team. Here they are at the Massachusetts session of camp this summer!

Sam Geller, a high school junior from Connecticut, is passionate about gun reform and likes to go to marches and rallies. Sam says he wanted to be part of the fundraising team because “YEA Camp was a life-changing experience for me. I learned so much about fundraising and friendship.” Check out Sam’s Volunteer-a-Thon page here.

Mia Drumm is an 18-year-old high school senior from Louisiana who is passionate about veganism and animal rights. This was her second year at YEA Camp and her first year on our Fundraising Team. She was so excited to join the team in order to help increase financial aid opportunities for future campers.

Fourteen-year-old high school freshman Isabella King came to Massachusetts YEA Camp all the way from Denver, Colorado. She “wanted to be on the YEA Camp Fundraising Team because YEA Camp was a really impactful experience for me, and I want to help ensure that everyone who is interested in attending YEA Camp has the opportunity to have that same experience.”

We are so grateful for Mia, Mia, Sam, and Isabella and to everyone who donated to this fundraiser. We are so grateful for everyone who makes camp possible for so many people.

To quote Mia Jay-Pachirat, “YEA Camp has changed my life. That may seem cheesy, but I have re-lit my activist fire, while making the best friends in the world — and all because of YEA.”

Can you help us make this life-changing experience available for more aspiring activists? There is still time to donate to YEA Camp. To learn more or make a contribution, click here.

Interested in joining us at camp next year?

It may feel like summer is years away (especially as much of the country is hibernating in blankets under blankets of snow), but we are already planning for YEA Camp 2020 and are already accepting registrations. Check our the dates below.

Youth Camp: in Ventura, California (July 5 – 12) and Charlton, Massachusetts (August 1 – 8)
Adult Camp: in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey (July 18 – 24)

Right now, we are also running an Early Bird special registration for $250 off those who sign up before the end of the year. Do you know someone who would be great for YEA Camp? Nominate them here!