YEA Camp for Adults will be amazing! Join us!

As we prepare for our second year of YEA Camp for Adults, we wanted to share more about its purpose, ways it’s similar but also different from a typical leadership or activism conference or training or retreat, and how it might be the most fun you’ve ever had focusing on self-care, personal growth, and changing the world.

We are living in a time when children are being separated from their families at the border, when those in power are ignoring scientists’ warnings about climate catastrophe, and the richest 26 people in the world currently own the same wealth as the poorer half of the entire global population. These are just a few of the most devastating injustices we are facing.

It’s enough to make a big-hearted person feel totally demoralized, check out, or give up.

But, thankfully, many people who have never been activists before are getting involved and inspired to bring about change.

Seeing this has been incredible! People are attending their first marches and getting involved in politics for the first time. They’re donating money, having uncomfortable conversations to challenge outdated thinking, and on and on.

For the past 10 years, YEA Camp has been training teens to make a bigger difference on the social justice causes they care most about, and we recognize that folks 18 and up have some of the same needs as teens do to get involved at higher levels than ever before.

That’s why we created YEA Camp for Adults.

Check out our new video about YEA Camp for Adults!

Changing the world is hard! Not only does it take knowledge about issues and skills to make an impact, it takes self-confidence to get out of our comfort zone, and community to learn from and work with.

So many people got their start as changemakers by mostly stumbling along without a plan or rationale. It’s often lonely and time-consuming to try things out without much in the way of relevant knowledge, skills, mentorship, or even open conversations with experienced activists to help navigate a path that is inherently entrepreneurial and against the status quo.

Left to our own devices, it’s too easy to just like posts on social media, go to a march every few months, and complain about all of the world’s problems without doing much of anything about them.

That’s where we try to intervene and make a real difference. We leverage the experience of our staff to help kickstart or up-level your activism.

Social Justice Activism and Leadership Training for Aspiring Activists

At YEA Camp, we curate the most foundational concepts and skills that we want to make sure every changemaker has in their toolkit. Things like:

• Fundamental strategies for understanding and chipping away at racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression
• Intersectionality and how different social justice issues relate to one another
• Evaluating our habits and choices to see how our daily actions and purchases can be some of the simplest ways we can make a difference
• Going deeper and examining our limiting beliefs and fears to help us find our voice and tap into our power
• Tapping into our resilience when we feel overwhelmed and demoralized by the state of the world
• Communication skills to help us have more effective interactions with people who we disagree with, especially those in positions of power — and to know when to avoid these interactions
• Skills to inspire others to get involved, to use social media or grassroots outreach effectively, to raise money for your cause, or to launch a socially responsible business or venture
• Interactive activities tailored to different learning styles and to help you apply everything you learn
• Tapping into our creativity and using the existing skills we each have to find our niche and make a difference in a way that is most appropriate for each of us
• Developing strategies to assess the best use of our time, and to make a plan that inspires us

Why A Summer Camp for Activists?

So many reasons! Let’s focus on three.

Join us at YEA Camp for Adults at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, just outside of New York City.

1. Summer camp brings together the elements of fun, inspiration, and relaxation. As activist-minded people, we can become focused on all the problems in the world. In comparison to so many injustices, it could feel impossible or selfish to enjoy our lives. We hope you’ll see that taking time to be out in nature, be silly, and enjoy life is a long-term investment in your activism. It can help us replenish our energy and inspiration so that we can think clearly and truly be of service to others.

2. Camp inherently challenges us to get out of our comfort zones.

   From meeting new people, to being open to the unknown, to the most basic adjustments to new food and a bed that’s not your own. But as we tap into our courage in a safe environment, we can build a muscle that actually expands the size of our comfort zone. Things that made us nervous before become not so scary, and that is hugely helpful for any activist. With an activist mindset, we see infinite opportunities to take action beyond what we’ve done before, where we’re not sure what to expect, or where we may be opening ourselves up for criticism or perceived failure. We can all benefit by getting more comfortable getting out of our comfort zones.

3. Camp might be the best place in the world to reinvent yourself.

   Most of us spend the majority of our time with the same people.  Our coworkers, family, friends, neighbors, and even ourselves know us to be a certain way. We are a product of our past ways of being and seeing ourselves. But what if we want to re-evaluate who we are or how we want to approach life? What if we want to pursue new passions or set new goals? That can be hard to just wake up and do one day over breakfast or at work.

Being at camp is transformational.

You get to show up as whoever you want to try out being. If you’re naturally shy, what if you try being outgoing? In a welcoming environment where nobody knows you, we won’t even know you’re just trying that out!

This is an opportunity to brainstorm a new way to get involved in your community or a more inspired career. We will have no judgments –just offer support and thoughtful input if you ask for it.

There are conferences and trainings to learn about specific problems in the world or to build specific skills. But they’re usually boring or stuffy, in a sterile hotel conference room all day packed with people you won’t get to know, and with someone droning on to explain a PowerPoint you could have read at home.

But what if you could learn the basics of what you need to know to make a bigger difference while also having one of the most fun weeks of your life, building strong bonds with like-minded supportive people, and spending time in nature rejuvenating yourself so that you feel inspired rather than drained?

That’s YEA Camp!

Details, Please?!

YEA Camp for Adults is a leadership training and activist retreat all held on the grounds of an animal sanctuary!

YEA Camp for Adults is held at the incredible Woodstock Farm Sanctuary — a home for rescued farmed animals who will be some of our hosts and friends as we enjoy our own sanctuary during our time together. We chose June 30-July 6, the week of July 4th, so it will be easier to get away.

We only have 50 beds, so this will be an intimate setting. Everyone will get to know everyone and nobody can fall through the cracks. The accommodations are modern, and we will have a personal vegan chef cooking for us! We also promise you will become friends with creatures with 2 legs, 4 legs, and even wings!

We also offer a sliding scale and financial aid to make it easier for people to be able to come.

If you’re passionate about making a bigger difference in the world, YEA Camp was created with you in mind.

Summer is fast approaching! We hope you will take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity to take your change-making to new heights!

Check out our event page here. And find out more or register to join us this summer by visiting our website here.

The post YEA Camp for Adults: A Leadership Training Retreat for Aspiring Social Justice Activists appeared first on YEA Camp.

From Stonewall to Breaking Down Walls: A Thank-you to Sylvia Rivera
by Aine Violet Pipe

It has been more than 240 years since the “shot heard ‘round the world’ was fired at Lexington on a fateful April day, and still, we have no idea who shot it. Nevertheless, the revolution it caused created America, land of the free and home of the brave. On a day in late June almost 50 years ago, a transgender Latina woman fired another shot heard ‘round the world, a bottle aimed at a policeman in New York City. The site was the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, and the riots that erupted there recreated America, if not as the land of tolerance, than at least a land of more tolerance. The woman who threw the bottle was Sylvia Rivera, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic, etc. (LGBTQIA+) community and I owe to her a debt that we cannot possibly repay.

Rivera was 17-years-old when she threw the bottle at Stonewall; she had been living on the streets for the past seven years after she was tormented by her peers for wearing makeup. She left her house, she said in a 1983 interview, because she could feel her grandmother’s anguish at the queer-bashing she (Rivera) had been experiencing.

Flash forward to 1969, when she had been passing through New York City with her partner at the time; that night was the first time she had gone to Stonewall. When the police raided the bar and started rounding up those who were not dressed in conformity with their biological sex, using brutal force and breaking bottles over detainees’ heads, something in the crowd snapped. Rivera and others witnessing the brutality decided to fight back. What followed was the catalyzation of a gay rights movement that moved swiftly and forcefully to change the culture in America to one exponentially more tolerant of gays, lesbians, and every sexuality in between.

However, the acronym of the community is not the LG community nor the LGB community, it’s the LGBTQIA community. It is a direct result of Rivera’s tireless work that people who aren’t cis have representation in the community and have their rights advocated for. In her time, she also advocated for queer people of color and those in the community who were homeless. Shortly after Stonewall, Rivera was one of those participating in the campaign to get New York City to pass a gay rights bill, which they did. Though she tried earnestly to include trans rights in the bill, the gay community abandoned her, as well as all genderqueer people. In Sylvia’s own words, they put her on the shelf.

This didn’t stop Sylvia from changing the world. She continued her tireless advocacy of genderqueer people, as well as other minorities in the then-unformed LGBTQ+ community. She created homeless shelters for trans people who were kicked out of their homes with the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) program she co-founded with fellow activist Marsha “Pay it no mind” Johnson. (NB: the word “transvestite,” though used pejoratively today, was, in the time of STAR, the predominant label transgender/genderqueer people used to describe themselves.)

Sylvia Rivera risked her life on multiple occasions. She had been thrown in jail, beaten up, and even scorned by the gay community itself, but she never gave up. She is credited with putting the “T” in LGBT, and she is the first trans woman to have her portrait in the Smithsonian. Most importantly, however, she is an inspiration to every person who is persecuted for who they are, for everyone who feels they need to hide who they are for fear they might be judged, and for everyone, absolutely everyone who feels they are too small to make a difference in this world.

Almost two months ago, I came out as transgender girl to a cisgender person for the first time. Not only did she immediately understand what trans meant, but she also accepted me. She gave me a hug and told me that she was proud of me for being who I am. The world may not have completely warmed up to the fact that there are people who aren’t straight, to say nothing of people who aren’t cis, but thanks to Sylvia Rivera and people like her, we’re a whole lot closer to America being the land of the tolerant. This Pride Month, we have to ask ourselves, if a 17-year-old trans lesbian of color who had lived the last seven years of her life on the streets can make such a difference, what’s stopping us?

Aine Violet Pipe has been an animal rights advocate since her first day on the planet and works with multiple organizations. A student journalist, her life’s mission is to expand free speech and free press protection to students (and to be a Supreme Court Justice). She’s currently working with Labrador Hill Sanctuary and the New Jersey New Voices Campaign.

Care about making a difference as much as Aine does? Come join us at YEA Camp this summer! We have sleepaway camps coast to coast for teens and a new summer camp for adults!

The post In Honor of Gay Pride, Trans Teen Remembers the 17-Year-Old Activist Who Put the T in LGBT+ appeared first on YEA Camp.

YEA Campers around the country are doing inspiring things to make a difference on so many causes. We’re thrilled that as part of this new Activist Spotlight series, we are getting to learn more about what they’re up to and share their activist stories with you in their own inspiring words.

Seventeen-year-old Jace Frazel was a camper at our Massachusetts camp this past summer and has been doing tons of activism! We’re excited to share more about what Jace is up to.

YEA Camp: Tell us about the activism you’ve been doing.

Jace: I have worked with my school’s Gay Straight Alliance to install gender neutral bathrooms. Making this happen, and working with the administration, has taken time. In addition, I am currently working on getting Meatless Mondays in my school. I’m working with the environmental club at my school, but it’s a slow process. We are slowly going to introduce some meatless dishes and hopefully get some vegan options. We are also trying to get some compostable dishes instead of styrofoam in the cafeteria. The environmental club at my school got composting implemented at our school this year. We already had recycling and last year we actually got composting in all the teachers’ rooms, but this year we put composting in the cafeteria for students to use too.

YEA Camp: Wow! That is amazing!  How did you get involved with activism and what you’re currently working on?

Jace: I’ve always wanted to make a difference, but I first got involved with activism when I started looking at the news and began surfing through social media, like Instagram. I realized there were so many problems in this world that I wasn’t even aware of, so I started making YouTube videos and posting on social media about various social issues. I especially felt connected towards LGBTQ+ and mental health issues, as those are close to me. I started giving advice to people struggling with their sexuality and gender identity as well as advocating for mental health issues by speaking out about it.

YEA Camp: What challenges have you faced as an activist and how have you dealt with them?

Jace: Right now, in working on getting compostable dishes in my cafeteria instead of styrofoam, we are struggling with the cost differences to get this change implemented. Styrofoam is really, really cheap compared to anything else. It’s literally pennies for each once. A few more pennies for a more environmentally friendly tray doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up. So it’s a ton of research into different types of trays we can get, how much that will cost, possibly getting a grant, and convincing administration.

YEA Camp: What advice do you have for new activists just getting involved?

Jace: For new activists wanting to get involved, the most important thing is finding something you’re really passionate about. It helps if you pick something close to your heart because you’re even more motivated. Then you just have to find ways to make a change. You can start by using skills you already have, whether that’s playing guitar to fundraise or giving a presentation to a group of people about what you’re passionate about.

YEA Camp: How did YEA Camp help you in your activism, if it did?

Jace: I always knew I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know how to. I had a ton of ideas of things I could do, but I didn’t know where to start. YEA Camp helped by giving me the skills to make positive changes in the world and a community that is always willing to help give advice if I need help with my activism.

YEA Camp: What activist goals do you have in the future?

Jace: In the future, I want to make some sort of LGBTQ+ short film to help spread awareness of identities that are not as well known. I also want to come up with a mental health campaign video.

Jace is 17-year-old YEA Camp alumnus from the North Shore in Massachusetts and attended YEA Camp in 2017. Jace is an avid activist within the LGBTQIA+ community at his high school. Check out Jace’s youtube channel here.

Do you want to make a bigger difference in the world on important causes like equality and human rights, environmental sustainability, or another issue you care about? YEA Camp can help — and we now even have a camp for adults! Let us know if you have any questions!

The post YEA Camper Activist Spotlight: Jace of All Trades appeared first on YEA Camp.

Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp is a summer camp for social change. A week-long overnight leadership camp, YEA Camp has trained over 600 teens and tweens to make a difference on a cause they care about.

Even though YEA Camp has been going strong for 9 years, it may as well have been designed for the countless young people across the country who are currently freaking out about the new political climate, which has taken the need there already was to get active on important causes – issues like racism, poverty, women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, immigrant rights, the environment, animal rights, and more – to a whole new level.

There is so much we can all do to make a difference, and we need all hands on deck to get active!

To be clear, YEA Camp does not push campers to support any particular issue, party, or candidate. That is for them to decide based on their own passions and beliefs. But, to give an indication of where YEA Campers stand, when, on July 4 last summer, campers held a special mock debate and election, not only did the current president not win the popular vote. He literally didn’t get any votes. And the camper portraying Donald Trump literally apologized for the things she was about to say in character.

The day after the election, many of our campers (and many people all over the world) were truly alarmed. They felt the new administration poses serious threats to the issues they deeply care about. We held a group call that night to talk through people’s fears and brainstorm what people can do, and campers from across the country came together to support one another in moving forward.

YEA Camp helps young people get active on causes they care about in so many different ways, and, since the election, YEA Campers have been responding in force.

Here are 10 ways YEA Camp can help the change-making teen in your life cope with and make a difference in the age of Trump.

1. Meet like-minded friends and inspiring staff role models. Some YEA Campers report being the only person they know who cares as much as they do about their cause. Some even experience bullying because they have taken a stand for what they care about. Being surrounded by peers and mentors who also care deeply helps us feel that we are not alone, that we have people we can rely on for help, and that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

2. Build resilience and learn how to deal with the sadness and anger we feel about the injustices of the world. Through powerful activities designed to safely experience and share our emotions about the world, YEA Campers find healthy ways to express and process emotions, practice self-care, and strengthen their relationships

3. Learn about the history of social movements and how we each fit in and can do our part. It may seem like today’s problems are worse than they ever were, or like we are up against the impossible, but learning about activists who came before us who literally helped end slavery, gave so many of us the right to vote, led to environmental protections, and so much more helps us see that change takes time but that we can and must win.

4. Deepen understanding of racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression. Through interactive workshops and activities, YEA Campers examine various forms of privilege, how injustice is institutionalized, and how it can be disrupted. We can all find ways to leverage our privileges and be allies across movements. These organizations have some great resources to get more educated and active.

5. Learn specific things you can do in your everyday life to bring about change. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to figure out how to get involved, or to know if one person can make a difference, especially at a young age. Thankfully, from improving your school’s recycling or cafeteria food, fundraising for your favorite cause, making or sharing Youtube videos, speaking up when you hear someone being bullied, and so much more, the things young people can do to make a difference are endless. Check out these great organizations and get connected with (at least!) one working on a cause you care about.

6. Get involved with policitcs, even if you’re too young to vote. Voting is important, yes, but it makes far less of a difference than influencing other voters or our leaders directly. And we can all do that, even if we don’t have the right to vote (yet). Check out the Indivisible Guide, Swing Left, CTZNwell.org, and our YEA Camp Guide for Kids Too Young to Vote to get started.

7. Build skills to make a difference at your school, like starting a club, grassroots outreach, or planning a campaign. How about improving the food in your school cafeteria, getting better recycling at school, or starting a school fundraiser for a local shelter or launching an anti-bullying initiative? At YEA Camp, you’ll learn how to do these things, and more.

8. Improve your communication skills, especially when speaking with people in positions of authority and people who disagree with you. (Or both at the same time!) We do a lot of this at YEA Camp, but the best thing we can advise here is to observe people who you feel are being persuasive or whom you respect, and practice.

9. Strengthen your self-confidence and find your voice. Through powerful activities to overcome limiting beliefs, as well as developing your skills, expanding your knowledge, and being surrounded with an incredibly supportive community of people who will be cheering you on like you have never experienced before, you will leave YEA Camp fired up and ready to go make a difference.

10. Have fun! These are tough times for many of us, and we need to take care of ourselves and enjoy our lives! While YEA Camp is focused on making a difference, it is so fun! From silly games and a dance party to a talent show and free time to just hang out with new friends, YEA Campers often describe their experience as the best week of their life!

We could go on, but how many reasons do you really need?

If you or someone you know is a 12-17 year-old who wants to change the world, check out the dates, locations on both coasts, and details on YEACamp.org and get registered to join us for a life-changing experience at YEA Camp this summer.

Think you’re too old for camp? You’re not! We now have a YEA Camp for Adults!

The curriculum of YEA Camp’s training (and the list above) is based on developing 4 core needs for activists of any age: knowledge, skills, confidence, and community. Which of those would make a difference for you?

The post 10 Ways This Unique Summer Camp Will Help Teens Resist Trump appeared first on YEA Camp.

For those who know anything about YEA Camp, a summer camp for social change, it should be no surprise that when our campers’ votes were tallied at the end, our current president didn’t just lose the popular vote. It was unanimous. He received zero votes.

YEA Camp is for 12-17 year-olds who care about social justice issues like racism, poverty, gay rights, women’s equality, the environment, animal rights, and more. They expressed significant concerns about the prospect of a Trump presidency’s effect on all of these causes.

Fast forward to the day after Inauguration Day, and we were proud to see dozens of YEA Campers attend Women’s Marches across the country.

Take a look at just some of the YEA Campers who participated.

Former YEA Camper and now YEA staffer Shelby at the LA march.

Check out Shelby’s blog post”When They Go Low… We Get Involved!”, about her experience at the march!

YEA Campers Perry and Samantha met up at the Santa Cruz march.

YEA Camper Kailey (right) and friend at the Dallas march

YEA Camper Jake sporting his YEA Camp t-shirt at the St. Louis march.

Paula attending her first march, at the Women’s March in San Jose, CA.

Check out Paula’s blog post, “How My First March Restored My Faith in Gender Equality,” about her experience attending the march!

YEA Camper Grace attended the rainy march in Portland, Oregon.

YEA Camper Amanda with her signs for the Cleveland march. #intersectionalfeminism

Drake’s little brother Dax (future YEACamper!) with the sign he made for the Charlotte march!

YEA Camper Drake with environmental activist racecar driver Leilani Munter at the Charlotte march.

Former YEA Camp Assistant Director Laura (a science teacher) with her kids — future YEA Campers! — at the Portland march.

YEA Camper Elisha in the middle (you can’t read it, but we recognize that she’s wearing her YEA Camp “This is what an activist looks like” t-shirt!) on the way to the Seattle march.

Former YEA Camper Jacob (all grown up with a beard!) at the Women’s March in DC

This is just a sampling of some of the YEA Campers who attended Women’s Marches across the country (and took and shared selfies with us!), and this is just a drop in the activist ocean of young people getting activated for change!

If you know a 12-17-year-old who attended the march or cares deeply about some of the important social issues of our time, YEA Camp is the place for them to be this summer! Nominate a camper here, or just send them to our website to learn more!

Thanks to YEA Campers for inspiring our hope for the future!

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