Virtual YEA Camp Is Officially a Success!
After more than a decade of running in-person overnight camps for aspiring changemakers, we at YEA Camp were pretty heartbroken when we recognized the need to cancel our camps this summer. Back in March, we had no concept or plan yet of what we might create instead. In fact, we were googling “virtual camp” to find out what that even is!
Well, with our first session of Virtual YEA Camp, we found out! And we couldn’t be more proud or excited for what we accomplished.
First, our campers did so much activism!
In less than 5 days, they raised (that we know of) $3,696 for the organizations of their choice (including Charlie’s Acres, Color of Change, Equal Justice Initiative, Greenpeace, Lambda Legal, and the San Francisco SPCA), registered or reminded 1, 294 people to vote absentee (by mail), and made 81 advocacy phone calls to decision makers! Incredible!
In a supportive community, working with other youth passionate about the same cause and with the mentorship of one of our amazing staff members — all of whom are past YEA Campers who have gone on to do tons of really impressive activism themselves — our campers achieved things they never expected they could, and they did it in such a short period of time!
We also did so many fun activities, from a yoga class and a vegan cooking class to a scavenger hunt and a pet cuteness contest! (It was an all-way tie!)
We got such great feedback from campers we thought we’d share a few of their comments from our anonymous evaluations.
It’s not too late to sign up!
Do you know any youth ages 10-17 who want to make our world a better place?
We still have 3 weeks left of YEA Camp sessions with amazing guest speakers, super fun activities, and lots of activism and inspiration making a difference on the cause of your choice.
Our incredible staff will be here supporting you along the way!
The upcoming sessions are:
- Exploring the Issues – July 20-24
- Amplifying Your Message – July 27-31
- Careers for Changemakers – August 3-7
In this upcoming week 2, some things we’re really looking forward to:
- amazing guest speakers like Genesis Butler, Julia Clark, and Zoe Weil
- a vegan Mexican cuisine cooking class with celebrity vegan chef Eddie Garza
- a dance class with a celebrity guest dance teacher and choreographer, SuzE Q
- a virtual visit to Farm Sanctuary to spend time with the animals
It’s not too late to register, so if you’re 10-17 years old and want to make our world a better place, join us for a week (or 2 or 3) that will help you make a difference for the future!
Details and get registered at www.YEACamp.org.