We’re inspired to share these responses with you and hope you will keep them in mind as we reach out to our community to ask for the financial support to be able to continue offering YEA Camp for everyone who wants to attend. All donations made until the end of the year will be tripled by two generous donors!

If Not for YEA Camp…

YEA Camper Sarah Goody has become a leading activist in the national #climatestrike campaign, having led strikes in the Bay Area for more than 20 weeks! Sarah said “If not for YEA Camp, I would not have the courage and confidence to take action. YEA Camp provided me with the fundamentals of activism that were crucial to getting me to where I am today. YEA Camp changed the way I saw the world.” (OK, we can retire now!)

Now that YEA Camp runs camps for adults, we are thrilled to be able to make an impact for folks 18 and up! Juan Antonio Nelson, a college student who attended YEA Camp for Adults last year, said: “Without YEA Camp, I wouldn’t feel that I could make a difference in my immediate community. I wouldn’t have the courage to stand up for others. If not for YEA Camp, I wouldn’t have met a strong community of activists who are passionately advocating for what they believe in. I wouldn’t have had the courage to organize a film screening with my fraternity that speaks about toxic masculinity. I wouldn’t have had the courage to organize an open dialogue/forum with other males on my college campus to speak about masculinity and what we can do to solve the problem.” We need more Juan Antonios!

Hannah Rosenberg was a camper as a 17-year-old and this summer returned as a college student 2 years later to be one of our assistant chefs. We love having former campers join us on staff! Hannah said “If not for YEA Camp, I wouldn’t realize the potential every single person has to make a difference. I now have an improved confidence to take action and to be an outspoken example for the changes I wish to see in the world.”

Elise Buellesbach has been on fire since attending YEA Camp this summer, meeting with her Congressional representatives and advocating for stronger requirements for food labeling, which are extra important for people like her with serious food allergies — a topic she educated us all about at YEA Camp this summer! Elise said “If not for YEA Camp, I would not have been reminded of the other people who are also passionately working for change on a daily basis, as well as felt inspired to continue to work for a better tomorrow.”

Fifteen-year-old Esmee Halsted came all the way from Colorado to our camp in Massachusetts last year, and we’re so glad she did! “If not for YEA Camp, I don’t think I would have realized my full potential. The incredibly supportive people and environment at YEA Camp was the first time I ever felt comfortable being 100% myself. I guess you could say it was the first time I was ‘loud and proud.’ I was never judged, always included, and free to communicate in the way that is uniquely me.”

Another participant at our YEA Camp for Adults last year, Brianna Quezada told us that “If not for YEA Camp, I would not be aware of most of the problems that don’t directly affect me and the different things I can do to not only raise awareness, but to also implement changes.”  We love that so many adults have gotten similar value from attending YEA Camp for Adults as our teen campers have! YEA Camp’s curriculum focuses on developing knowledge, skills, confidence, and community, and most people regardless of age, unfortunately, haven’t learned these things in school, college, or elsewhere, which is why we started YEA Camp for Adults in the first place!

Danielle Holtz was a camper at age 17 and in the 5 years since then, she has held just about every role we have and even other ones that we created just for her or that she created herself! She’s been a counselor-in-training, counselor, Operations Manager, blog editor, intern, Youth Advisory Board member, and founder of the youth fundraising and publicity teams.

Danielle says that “If not for YEA Camp, I wouldn’t understand the issues that are so important to changing society, nor would I have met many of my best friends.” We at YEA Camp don’t want to contemplate the question “If not for Danielle.”

YEA Camp has the most amazing staff, and we love that they get a lot of value from their experience as well! (We’ll start hiring after the new year, if you’re interested!) One of our awesome chefs from this past summer, Shira Golan, shared that if not for YEA Camp, “I wouldn’t have met such amazing, likeminded and passionate people and probably would never have learned to cut correctly (thanks Jeri :)” Ha ha! We are glad Shira learned a lot at YEA Camp — we sure enjoyed her cooking!

Now 18-year-old Lily Unverzagt, who is an advocate for access to mental health services and equality and positivity for the LGBTQ community, told us that “If not for YEA Camp, I would have given up on myself and others, so thank you YEA Camp for everything you have done for me and all my fellow campers.”

How inspiring are these stories?! They motivate us to keep at it and continue to make YEA Camp the most effective program we can and available to as many people as possible. 

Help us Bring YEA Camp to More Activists

Now through the end of the year, you can help us impact even more lives through the YEA Camp scholarship fund. Last year, 51 of our 100 campers were on some form of financial aid, and 17 of them were on a full scholarship. At YEA Camp, we stand by our values of accessibility and want to make sure that anyone who wants to be at camp can be at camp. We can only do that with your help, though.

We are thrilled that when you make a tax-deductible contribution to YEA Camp between now and the end of the year, your donation will be TRIPLED thanks to the generous support of two of our most committed donors. To donate, just go to YEACamp.org/donate and the donation will automatically be matched! We are so grateful for your support.

Join us at YEA Camp

Do you want to experience YEA Camp for yourself next summer, or know someone who would love to join us?

We recently announced our 2020 dates with 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!

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

Every year at YEA Camp, we have the privilege of meeting passionate and activated changemakers who are taking the world by storm. We feel so grateful to be a part of their story and look forward to supporting you in making a bigger difference on the causes you care most about, too!

The post We Asked Our Campers to Finish This Sentence appeared first on YEA Camp.

Thanks to the support of two generous donors, all donations raised through the end of the year are being TRIPLED. This is so important to us for a few reasons. First, 51 of our 100 campers this summer were on some form of financial aid. Seventeen of those campers received full scholarships. Overall, we granted $66,400 worth of financial aid. 

We strive to make YEA Camp equitable for all who want to be there, regardless of socioeconomic status. If you want to change the world, we want to help you do it. Because of this, the YEA Camp Scholarship Fund is a critical part of our mission. Without it, so many of our campers would simply not be able to have this life-changing experience. 

Okay, so financial aid is important, but what is this Volunteer-a-Thon anyway?

Some organizations encourage their community to raise money through a 5k run or by selling magazines. We wanted to put a twist on the traditional asks by tapping into our activist networks. 

The Volunteer-a-Thon was created as a way for people to raise awareness about a cause that is important to them while also doing more service and activism. By publicly sharing what they are working on, our community is being held socially accountable to follow through with the changes they want to make and the activism they want to do. 

Last week, we shared a post by YEA Camper Mia Jay-Pachirat about her project of creating an environmental zine that talks about climate change and provides simple solutions for people living in New York City (where Mia lives)! You can read more about her project and experience at YEA Camp here or donate to her activism here.

So what exactly are people doing?

Dima

Dima Bischoff-Hashem is a 16-year-old high school student from New Jersey. At YEA Camp, she defined her Issue of Importance (IOI) as animal rights. After camp, she started attending animal rights marches and vigils and volunteering at a farmed animal sanctuary. 

Currently, Dima is starting an animal rights group in her hometown with the goal of supporting other farm sanctuaries and animal rights groups. 

Dima says, “YEA Camp taught me how to go about activism, how to talk to people about causes I care about, and how to create a doable, step-by-step plan of action.”

To learn more or support Dima, click here.

Audrey

Audrey Watson attended YEA Camp this past summer and is a passionate advocate for environmental justice. She is currently volunteering with her local chapter of the Sunrise Movement, a youth led organization dedicated to stopping the climate crisis while providing a just transition for everyone. 

Audrey is also working on co-founding a nonprofit organization with her friend called New Jersey Students for Sustainable Schools. 

She says, “This organization will work to help empower youth and guide them to use their voices in order to make their schools more sustainable and environmentally friendly.”

To learn more or support Audrey, click here.

Danielle

Danielle Holtz is a senior at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. She was a YEA Camper in 2015 and has since been a counselor-in-training, counselor, Operations Manager, blog editor, intern, and YEA Camp Youth Fundraising and Publicity team Founder. 

Danielle’s activism centers around food. She serves as her school’s Sustainable Food Procurement Analyst, creating sustainability criteria for institutional purchasing. Her work as a Campus Representative for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) means she puts on eight animal rights events per semester!!

She is also the President of Active Students for a Healthy Environment, where she works to reduce campus food waste, promotes animal rights, and offers leadership and guidance to the Sunrise Movement committee. 

Danielle says that, “Without YEA Camp, I have no idea where I would be. It truly was the most life-changing experience I have ever had, and I love being able to share that with 12-17 year olds from across the country (and world!) each year.”

To learn more or support Danielle, click here.

How you can be involved

It’s not too late to create a page. You can learn everything about creating your own activist project here. 

If you can’t create a page, we would still love your support. If you are able, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to YEA Camp. As a reminder, all donations are being TRIPLED thanks to the support of two generous donors. 

Please help support our programs by sharing this link with others. Your support makes camp accessible for activists around the world. 

Want to join us next summer?

We recently announced the dates for YEA Camp 2020 and are currently running an Early Bird special. Register by the end of the year to receive $250 off your registration. Do you know someone who would be great for camp? Nominate them here!

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

The post Youth Activists Make a Difference Through Volunteer-a-Thon appeared first on YEA Camp.