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.

The school walkout, national March For Our Lives, and the daily actions young people are taking to bring about change on this and other social justice issues has drawn much-deserved attention from around the world.

While this has been a huge inspiration for us as well, it isn’t a surprise, as we see campers around the country doing activism every day. Most of it just doesn’t make the news.

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 from a dozen countries to make a difference on a cause they care about. (This year, we’re also launching a new session of YEA Camp for Adults!)

With all the busyness of school, testing, extracurriculars, and after-school jobs or chores, the summer is the best time of the year for teens to focus on their passions and get training, support, mentorship, and friendships to help them on their change-making path.

While YEA Camp doesn’t endorse any candidates, after this mock election the campers put on in the summer of 2016, 0 of them voted for Trump.

Even though YEA Camp has been going strong for almost 10 years now, it may as well have been designed for the countless young people across the country who are starting to get involved in activism.

Youth today are concerned about causes like racism, poverty, women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, immigrant rights, the environment, animal rights, and more – and Trump’s election and daily assault on these issues, as well as the Parkland mass shooting and focus on gun control, have sparked young people to get active on a whole new level.

Here are 10 ways YEA Camp can help the change-making teen (or adult!) 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, develop healthy coping methods, and strengthen their relationships and support system. Changing the world will take a while, and we can’t give up.

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.

5. Learn specific things we can do in our everyday lives 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 politics, 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. Think about it — if you vote, that’s one vote for your candidates, but if you get other people to vote, you can get many more votes for them! And we don’t need the right to vote to register voters, make phone calls, or share information. Check out our YEA Camp Guide for Kids Too Young to Vote to get started. (It’s actually all relavent to adults too!)

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? Maybe you want to launching an anti-bullying initiative or start a school-wise discussion about racism or LGBTQ equality in your school or community? 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. What you have to say is important — and we don’t want any limiting beliefs or anxiety about speaking up hold you back from getting your message out as widely as possible.

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!

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!

With all that’s wrong in the world, we look forward to another summer helping as many people as possible make the biggest difference they can.

The post This Summer Camp Helps Aspiring Activists Make a Bigger Difference 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.

It’s inspiring to be so sure that an event in your lifetime will be remembered in history, but it’s especially electrifying when you and 5 million fellow humans in 673 places around the country and world(!) are the ones making it unforgettable.

The Women’s Marches that rocked the globe on the day after the inauguration brought people together in a timeless form of public outcry, but in an unprecedented degree. Experienced activists and first-time activists walked side by side, generations united, people of so many backgrounds joined voices. Handmade signs expressed concern, power, and resistance, representing issues as diverse and intersecting as we are.

Shelby’s in the bottom left at the rally in Los Angeles, joined with Perry and Samantha in Santa Cruz, CA; Jake in St. Louis, MO; and Laura, Elsie, and Emmett at the Women’s March in Portland, OR.

At YEA Camp we explore the ways that all oppressions are connected. Our movements now more than ever are strands of one movement, with a clear political emergency to collectively resist. To name many but not all of these struggles: reproductive rights, sexism, racism, protecting and valuing Black lives, immigration, healthcare, climate change, Islamophobia, Indigenous rights, the fight for a living wage, Transphobia, LGBTQ rights, rights for people with disabilities, corporate power and corruption. With so many lives and futures under attack, this solidarity is what keeps me hopeful. We can only be strong together.

Now that’s it’s been a few days since the march, I know we’re all wondering…. Where do we go from here? How do we do this work that we chanted about, to fight back against the hate that has been hurting our communities for so long, and is now in the front seat of our government?

This will look different for everyone. I hope we can use this opportunity to re-center ourselves and look deeply at our strengths, challenges, privileges, biases, and desires for what we want our world to be like. This is a great time to find local or national organizations that are active on issues you care about, and to educate ourselves on issues we want to learn more about and prepare to educate others or intervene when it is safe to. If you want to get involved in politics with this new administration, learn more and find a group through IndivisibleGuide.com. Let’s be very aware of when our movements are not reflecting the inclusion and intersectional approach that we need. We must remember everybody who marched with us, and even those who didn’t.

So we’re all at a pivotal moment. Where does YEA Camp fit in? Through camp, we all have created a brilliant network that spans the country (and beyond), making change in big and small steps, the way we do. Our footprints are all over! Our campers and staff attended marches in over 20 cities! So let’s reach out to each other and to our communities to remind each other how powerful and needed we are!

And many of our schools and communities are now full of young people on the verge of becoming activists, electrified and listening. Let’s find ways to encourage them too! Share YEA Camp with them, where they can get tools and connections to transform their passion into action, just like you.

From now through this weekend, anyone who signs up for camp with the code “WomensMarch” they’ll get a 10% discount on tuition to camp. Register by Sunday at midnight for the discount!

Let’s keep this momentum going, friends.

The post When They Go Low, We … Get Involved! appeared first on YEA Camp.

We say it every year, and every year it is true! This was our best summer yet!

With Labor Day gone and, with it, the symbolic end to summer, we are still basking in the accomplishments of our seventh(!) year of epic, life-changing summer camps.

It is impossible to capture in a blog post, but we will try to expand on “WOW!” with a few highlights, outcomes, and testimonials from the campers themselves.

Who, What, When, Where, Wow

• We reached more campers than ever before this summer. Almost 100 youth ages 11-17 came from 16 different states and the District of Columbia to attend.
• We held our first ever issue-specific camp, YEA Camp for Animal Advocates, at the incredible new location ofWoodstock Farm Sanctuary, less than 2 hours from Manhattan, attracting extremely committed and accomplished young advocates such as 14-year-old Avalon from Florida, the founder of the nonprofit Conserve It Forward, and 16-year-old Phoebe from California, “PETA’s Coolest Vegan Alive,” as well as up-and-coming advocates who are just getting started on their activist path.
• Our staff was incredible – from Michael Starkey, a wildlife biologist with Save the Frogs in Central America, to Chloe Falkenheim, the 18-year-old founder of VegYouth, to Charles Orgbon, the CEO of the youth-run nonprofit Greening Forward, to so many more incredible adult mentors — classroom teachers, nonprofit organizers, and all-around do-gooders in life — thrilled to support younger advocates.
  
• Campers from our California and Oregon sessions this summer have already had a reunion that they initiated! Some have also met up to go leafleting, tabling, and protesting; launched fundraisers; launched clubs at their school; and been extremely active on the causes they care about in ways they had never done before YEA Camp. More on that below.

YEA Camp exposes teens
to things they may never learn elsewhere.

A few key things campers learned that they may never have otherwise learned without YEA Camp:

• Each of us has a huge capacity to bring about change, and we can’t allow limiting beliefs we have about ourselves or negativity that others may project on to us to hold us back.
• The interconnection of seemingly unrelated social justice issues — from animal advocacy to poverty, pollution to racism – expanding their understanding of the challenges we face and their deepening their desire and ability to help.
• Skills like grassroots outreach, campaign planning, fundraising, arts activism, and time management.
• Nonviolent communication techniques to connect with people and to feel more confident speaking with those who disagree — inspiring people to want to learn more versus nagging or judging them for being uninformed.
• Tools to inspire others to get involved and examples of ways that current activists and those throughout history have brought about change.
• Self-care approaches to cope with the injustices of our world and the difficulty of bringing about the change we want.
• They are not alone. There are many other people and organizations who care as much as they do and who want to support them in making a difference.

 What Campers Say:

“My time here this past week has shaped my life in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. It opened my heart and mind to what I can do to help the world we live in, and gave me tools to fight for my cause.” – Ollie, 14, NJ

“This has been one of the best experiences of my life — for the confidence I have gained, the friends I have made, and the change I know I will make.” -Eva, 14, NY

“This camp has helped me feel so confident and empowered. As someone who has struggled feeling confident and worthy, this camp changed my whole life. Going home I will be focusing on combatting the unrealistic harmful view on body image as well as gender roles by helping middle schoolers and others feel good.” -Ashley, 16, Oregon

“YEA Camp was an amazing experience for me. I have acquired the skills that I need to change the world for the good. I used to be shy and did not want to speak up, but YEA Camp has taught me to speak up. I feel good about myself, like I can change the world.” -Angel, 12, Oregon

“YEA Camp has been an amazing and life-changing experience for me. I have had so much support and learned so many things about important issues such as animal rights, LGBTQ rights, sexism, racism, and gender identities…. I am so incredibly thankful for all that I have learned and experienced at this camp.” -Carolyn, 14, California

Most Importantly, What Campers Have Done:

SO MUCH! We love to celebrate our campers’ many accomplishments! Here is just a small sampling of the things our campers have told us they have done in the short time since camp ended.

• Many campers have gone leafleting for their first time ever, passing out flyers on causes they care about. They have reported having great experiences! Here, Maya and Luzia met up to pass out leaflets about reproductive choice, vegetarianism, and their favorite presidential candidate: Bernie Sanders. Five other campers met up at a talk Bernie Sanders gave and passed out leaflets there!
• Orianna, 14, from a conservative part of California, reached out to a former teacher who has agreed to allow her to teach his elementary students a 20-minute class once a week on gender roles! She is bringing in toys, asking them which are for boys and which are for girls and why, having them analyze media, and having them learn about and deconstruct stereotypes.

• 

  Twelve-year-old Zinn testified at an Oregon Department of Agriculture hearing to oppose the  expansion of dairies in the state.

• Seven YEA Campers joined in a huge protest at the zoo to advocate for elephants.
• A group of YEA Campers from NY are fundraising for Farm Sanctuary’s annual Walk for Farm Animals, and all together campers from around the country have fundraised over $2,000!

THANK YOU.

Getting to actually spend the summer at YEA Camp in such a space of inspiration and community is such a joy — and it would not be possible without the efforts and contributions of so many people.

To all of our amazing campers, THANK YOU for being your amazing selves! You inspire all of us that our world can change and is changing for the better!

To our campers’ parents and families, THANK YOU for trusting us with your children and supporting their efforts to change the world!

To our incredible staff, THANK YOU for everything you did — from helping a camper with their action plan to doing the dishes — to make this summer so incredible.

To everyone who donated money toward our scholarship funds and operations, THANK YOU for making it possible for us to exist and to help so many young leaders along on their path.

To all of the companies who donated incredible food, THANK YOU for helping us eat so well, and for your contributions that made it possible for us to keep our costs down so we could accept campers on scholarship who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to attend.

To everyone who volunteered their time in any way, the organizations and individuals who helped spread the word about YEA Camp, offered advice or kind words of support, THANK YOU. You help us keep going when things feel hard.

We will be announcing our 2016 dates and plans in the coming months, but in the meantime, THANK YOU for everything you do to make our world a better place!

With so much appreciation,

Nora + Team YEA Camp

The post All We Can Say Is WOW! appeared first on YEA Camp.