We mean that both from the perspective of all our campers have accomplished and the ways we have grown organizationally, but also literally in the sense of how unpredictable things often are at camp, and how much we’ve had to adapt and be resilient to changing circumstances in the moment.

From the time we found a new venue 2 weeks before the start of camp because the venue we had reserved was under evacuation due to forest fires, to that time the shuttle we had ordered to take campers back to the airport on the last day of camp didn’t show up — causing 7 kids to miss their flights(!) — to everything in between (we have some stories OMG!), we have been forced to adjust to unpredictable events and circumstances.

And so was the case for us (and sadly for the majority of the world’s population as well) this year with Covid-19.

For more than a decade, YEA Camp has been a summer camp for social change. When Covid made it clear that summer 2020 was going to need to look very different, we decided that YEA Camp would have to look different too.

Changemakers Challenge

Starting on March 15, just a few days after finding out schools would be closing in-person, our director Nora jumped into action to start teaching classes called The Changemakers Challenge, leading donation-based (nobody turned away for lack of funds) daily live Zoom calls every Monday-Friday on activist topics.

Not knowing what to expect with the pandemic, there wasn’t exactly a plan at first for how long these classes would go, but the students wanted to keep going with them and more students signed up, so all in all we held these classes for 12 consecutive weeks, every day Monday-Friday, with weeklong sessions such as World Changing 101, The Mindset of a Changemaker, and Communication Skills for Changemakers.

Virtual YEA Camp

During that time, a group of about a dozen past campers and staff formed a planning team to develop what YEA Camp could look like this summer. It was such an inspiring process to go from not knowing what a “virtual camp” even was (thanks Google!) to analyzing the things YEA Camp does best, what really makes something a camp versus classes or meetups, and envisioning activities and a schedule that could work well given the circumstances.

In the end, what we created was so fun, inspiring, and innovative! We served more than 100 campers from all over the US and Canada, with great results and reviews.

We held 4 sessions, World Changing 101, Exploring the Issues, Amplifying Your Message, and Careers for Changemakers. Each stood on its own for people to register for any 1 session, and the curriculum changed week to week so that our campers who were with us all summer were learning new things each week.

Our YEA Camp curriculum is always based on building knowledge, skills, confidence, and community, and with our virtual camp we found creative ways to do that.

We had daily Pajama Parties, where campers in small groups got to know each other better and form friendships with people who care just as much as they do about changing the world.

Camp wouldn’t be camp without free time activities like yoga and arts activism and vegan cooking classes, and while it’s not quite the same as camp at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary (where we held YEA Camp for 5 summers), we did virtual visits to animal sanctuaries that were the next best thing.

We did group evening activities similar to what we normally do at our in-person camps, like Show Off and Tell and our YEA Show.

And, as it worked out, we did some amazing things that we normally would not be able to do at in-person camps. We had guest speakers leading workshops and teaching about activism who would most likely never have been able to join us out in the woods. From changemakers like youth activist Genesis Butler, Toni Okamoto of Plant-Based on A Budget, former Camp Obama trainer Marquis Olison, and 20+ more incredible advocates to activist celebrities like Daniele Monet and Daisy Fuentes, our campers were exposed to so much wisdom and expertise to give them countless ideas and boundless inspiration to make a bigger impact.

We also were honored that many of our guest speakers were past YEA Campers, and all of our amazing counselors were past campers — all of whom have gone on to do incredible amounts of activism, which they all agreed YEA Camp helped them with along on their change-making path.

With everything being online, we were also able to have campers work on activist projects together. We divided everyone into CTW (Change the World, obviously!) groups based on their Issue of Importance (IOI), supported by a YEA Camp counselor (all of whom were past campers!) with expertise on that cause. We assigned everyone different CTW projects each week to register voters, raise money for the organization of their choice, advocate a decision-maker to take action, and think through and find a creative way to express the reasons their IOI exists and persists and why we should take action to address it.

In the end, our campers registered or reminded 1,306 people to vote by mail; they raised $13,416 for the nonprofit organizations of their choice; and made 5,533 advocacy calls, texts, or emails.

What’s Next

There are so many possibilities for what we can do next to build on the success of our new virtual programs!

Since camp we have been having regular SaturYEA meetups to work on activist projects together and keep the fun and community of camp alive, and we are excited to expand on this.

We are currently working on developing our YEA FAM — YEA’s Fellowship & Membership — to provide year-round programming, training, and support, as well as the fun and community, to help aspiring young activists pursue their dreams and goals. We’ll have regular classes, activities, game nights, and opportunities to bring the best of YEA Camp into our homes in all kinds of new ways.

We’re also planning our upcoming virtual camps and will announce those soon!

While of course we’d love to be with our campers in person, it’s been so inspiring and really fun to adapt our work into new ways and to find other creative outlets to help even more people make a bigger difference on the causes they care about.

Want to keep track of our plans? Join our email list and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Want to support our work to enable us to keep offering innovative programming, and to make our programs available to anyone who wants to attend regardless of their financial situation? Support our work here with a tax-deductible donation.

If you’d like to volunteer or be part of the team that helps create what’s next for YEA Camp, email us here!

Thank you so much to every single one of our campers, staff, parents, volunteers, and donors who helped make this incredible year of YEA Camp possible — and all of those who have helped us survive and become resilient all these years up until now.

The post YEA Camp Continues to Adapt to Changing Times appeared first on YEA Camp.

This past summer I had the opportunity to enjoy one of the best experiences of my life. I attended YEA Camp, a camp for social change. The camp trains young people like myself to be more effective activists and help change the world for the better. But even though I read every detail of information posted on the website, I had no idea what I was getting into.

When I got to camp, I was scared to death. I didn’t know anyone. But soon, one of the counselors explained what was happening and I went and made my own name tag, community bio, and appreciation poster (which is still hanging on my wall)!

 That afternoon, we played lots of name games and really got to know each other better. I got to meet the people I would be rooming with for the rest of camp, and even got my first taste of the amazing food at camp. But it wasn’t until the first workshop, Activism 101, that I really started to understand how life-changing this experience would be for me.

Throughout the week, I completed many different workshops that developed and refined my skills as an activist and advocate for social change. I also got to meet so many amazing, like-minded people. I had felt out of place at home, but at YEA Camp, I really felt like I belonged.

The supportive community throughout camp was probably one of the biggest confidence boosters of the whole experience. I finally understand that what I was trying to do was good, and that I should keep at it, no matter what other people thought, because I would always be supported by the people at YEA Camp.

 After the week was over, I packed up my things and headed home after an amazing graduation ceremony and some heartfelt goodbyes. On the car ride home, I went through my messages and caught up on everything I had missed. But it wasn’t until I arrived home and was in my room later that night that I really started to dig in deep on my activism.

Since camp, I’ve had the confidence and skills to take on leadership positions in my community and in organizations I am a part of. I’ve presented to many people that I never thought I’d be able to talk to. And I’ve spread my message more effectively than I ever thought I could.

So thank you, YEA Camp and Nora, for making me a better activist and person.

Rey Watson is a passionate environmental and animal rights activist form New Jersey who is actively working to help stop the climate crisis and save animals. She also enjoys reading and writing as well as spending time with animals.

If you’re like Rey and want to become an activist on a cause you care about, join us at YEA Camp! Don’t want to wait til summer? Good — we need more changemakers now! Check out our free ebook, The Beginner’s Guide to Changing the World for help getting started or taking your change-making to new heights!

The post Finding My Voice at YEA Camp — a Summer Camp for Social Change appeared first on YEA Camp.

Every year, thousands of people across North America participate in an incredible mass display of compassion towards farmed animals — some of the most abused on the planet. Farm Sanctuary’s annual Walk for Farm Animals campaign is a hugely successful national fundraiser to support the organization, which works to rescue and rehabilitate mistreated farm animals at its three (soon to be four) farmland sanctuaries in California and New York.

Anyone who wants to participate can register online and join a “team” with which to walk in one of fourteen different cities across the U.S. and one in Canada.

Because Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp serves vegan food and values animal rights alongside other important social justice issues it trains campers to work on, it’s no surprise that a lot of campers and staff members joined the Walk at locations all over the country.

In a mini reunion, YEA Camp counselor Madeleine Lifsey joined camp director/founder Nora Kramer and former campers (now staff!) Shelby Kim and Jasmine Caruk at the Boston March. They also volunteered to gather signatures for Massachusetts’ ballot initiative for farm animals, which has since qualified to be voted on in November 2016.

A larger YEA Camp reunion took place at the New York Walk for Farm Animals, where campers Ananya Singh, Eva Schenk, Bryn Colodny, Ollie Smith, Lillian Davis-Bosch, Sarah Sciortino, Rachel Gayle, Marcela Cueto and Lori Baccari formed a team that came in third place for amount of money raised, at $1,681.
If that’s not awesome enough, they also got to meet Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur and talk with him about YEA Camp! They leafleted along the way, and even passed out leaflets on the subway after it was over before going out to have vegan lunch.

Ananya recounts, “It was an enjoyable experience, and it helped me learn about the great things Farm Sanctuary is doing, and to meet and educate people about it!” Ananya also won top youth fundraiser for the NYC WFFA.

YEA Campers participated in these walks on the east coast, on the west coast, and in the Midwest.

Claire Tamburello, 18-year-old former camper who this year worked a Counselor In Training at YEA Camp’s New York camp, has been a dedicated animal activist for years, as featured on our YEA Camp blog. She is a regular at Farm Sanctuary walks and raised money and awareness for animals in Grand Rapids, MI.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, former camper Marley Goldman walked in Seattle (joined by her awesome mom Gail) and won first place as the top teen fundraiser at $660! Go Marley!

I myself walked in Hartford and raised hundreds of dollars for farm animals. It was a wonderful experience!

Not only did I get to speak up in the name of animals, but I also got to walk with a group of brilliant animal activists from my own community.

My whole family walked with me, including my dog! By raising over $100, I received a special T-shirt I wore for the walk. Afterwards, we all got to hang out in the park, eat vegan snacks, and listen to a live performance.

What an amazing, heartwarming experience! The compassion shown by these YEA Campers and everyone who marched and fundraised is enormous. Thanks to their dedication and many other kind advocates and donors from across the country, Farm Sanctuary was able to raise nearly $150,000 for farm animals over the course of just a few days.

We can be certain that next fall, YEA Campers will be back on the streets of the largest cities in the country, at it again. For more information on Farm Sanctuary’s life-saving work, visit farmsanctuary.org and check out walkforfarmanimals.org to learn how you can sign up to walk next year!

The youth activists mentioned in this article all nurtured and developed their activist passions, skills, and community at Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp, a life-changing summer camp for world-changing teens. If you know of any tween/teen, aged 12-17, who has a passion in activism, whether it be for animal rights, feminism, LGBTQ, racial justice, environmentalism, or any other topic, check out yeacamp.org to find out how to sign up for this week-long camp, held this summer in California, New York and Massachusetts. New York’s session will be a special session just for animal advocates held at the similarly amazing Woodstock Farm Sanctuary! Register by Valentine’s Day 2016 to earn an early-bird discount of $150!

About the author: Leah is a 17-year-old, two-time Youth Empowered Action Camp alum and co-editor of the YEA Blog. She has a special interest in animal rights and has visited Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, where she made friends with cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and goats!

The post Teen Activists Across the Country Walk to Save Animals appeared first on YEA Camp.

As part of Mercy For Animals‘ campaign to inform people about where their food comes from, and the cruel treatment of animals on factory farms and slaughterhouses, YEA Campers from all over the country are participating in the #noaggag campaign.

After  dozens of undercover investigations  exposing horrific animal abuse and resulting in consumer outrage, instead of trying to transform the conditions animals are raised in, agribusiness’s strategy has been to make it harder for people to find out about the terrible ways these animals are treated.

This week, the state of North Carolina is considering joining Idaho, Utah, Iowa, and Missouri in passing an “ag-gag” law, an anti-whistleblower law that criminalizes filming animal abuse inside factory farms or slaughterhouses, and Mercy For Animals is encouraging people to speak up against it by showing how ag-gag is silencing them.

YEA Campers Morgan (top) and Claire (left) from Michigan are incredible advocates who are absolute heroes for animals. They have organized circus protests, rallied at the State Capitol for wolves, volunteered at Michigan VegFest events, tabled for “Cowspiracy” screenings,  done walks for Farm Sanctuary, and much more. YEA Camper Kailyr (middle) from California, whose main issue that she advocates on is bullying, still wanted to be involved in this campaign when she saw other campers participating in it.

“I’m against ag gag laws because they prohibit the documentation of what really happens on factory farms,” Claire explained. “If these laws are passed, nobody will know what happens behind the closed doors of the animal agriculture industry.”

YEA Camper Leah from Connecticut not only “spoke out” on this herself, but she also got the school club that she runs at her school animal rights club, the CARE Club to participate in this campaign as well. (She’s in the middle in the front row.)

Animals used to produce meat, dairy, and eggs are shipped all over the country, so statewide ag-gag bans affect consumers no matter where they live, and everybody has a right to know where their food comes from so they can make informed choices about what they want to eat.

YEA Campers all over the country – including Alayna from Kansas – have gotten involved in this campaign. Won’t you too?

Sign this petition to the governor of North Carolina to oppose ag gag, and you can submit your own photo by uploading a picture to social media using the hashtag #noaggag.

If you are a teen who cares about animals, there is no better place to be this summer than YEA Camp, with sessions in California, Oregon, and New York (but you can see our campers come from all over to attend!).

And if your main passion is another social justice cause, YEA Camp is perfect for you as well to develop knowledge, skills, confidence, and friendships to help you make a bigger difference. We hope you’ll join us this summer!

The post YEA Camp Animal Advocates Speak Up by Taping Their Mouths Shut appeared first on YEA Camp.

Well, this year, while we will also have 3 regular ol’ amazing, life-changing sessions of YEA Camp from coast to coast, we are thrilled to also be offering a first-of-its-kind session of YEA Camp specifically for animal advocates!

Held at the incredible Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Upstate New York, campers will experience the same fun, inspiring, and informative activities at all YEA Camps while also focusing specifically on becoming the best advocates for animals they can be. The session will be from August 9-16, 2015, at the gorgeous Epworth Center in High Falls, NY, less than 2 hours from Manhattan.

Campers at this unique session will:

• learn the best ways to make a difference for animals through activism at school and in their community
• meet and bond with some of the most dedicated young animal advocates in the country
• receive mentorship from accomplished, adult animal-advocating role models
• gain confidence in speaking up effectively in challenging situations
• recognize the interconnections between animal rights and other social justice issues, like poverty, the environment, racism, and more.
• care for neglected and abused animals at the sanctuary
• become familiar with organizations around the country making a difference for animals
• be inspired by all the progress being made and possibilities for helping animals!

Like at all sessions of YEA Camp, campers will have tons of fun and make great friends in a supportive community, recognize their ability to affect the problems in our world in a more positive way, and leave armed with an action plan to make a difference in their school or community.

And, like all sessions of YEA Camp, which are committed to modeling living peacefully and sustainably, campers will enjoy delicious mostly organic vegan meals – 3 meals, 2 healthy snacks, and an amazing dessert each day!

We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring amazing young animal advocates together at YEA Camp for an inspiring and life-changing week to bring about a more compassionate world!

Of course, animal advocates will still get a ton out of attending any of the other sessions of YEA Camp — including the session in NY taking place at the same time — if those dates or locations work better, or if they’d rather be with a group of people passionate about many different issues versus focused primarily on one.

Space is limited at all of our sessions, and we’ve got a sweet Early Bird Discount until January 1, so now’s the time to learn more about YEA Camp, tell friends, and register for your best summer ever!

Can’t wait til the summer!!!

P.S. Check our site for more info if you’re interested in working at or volunteering with YEA Camp. We’ll start hiring in February.

The post Announcing Our First Ever YEA Camp for Animal Advocates! appeared first on YEA Camp.