On January 12th, 2010, a terrible earthquake hit the island of Haiti, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Seven-year-old me saw the photos of tumbled buildings and crying children all over the internet, and my very first thought was that I needed to help. Seeing children just like me suddenly orphaned and alone, mothers frantically searching for their babies, and wreckage all over the streets really touched me. I ran to my room, dumped out my blue plastic piggy bank, and gave my savings—$3.08—to my mom to give to help Haiti. That was the start of my career in social activism. 

Even though I was a quiet kid who hid behind my parents when strangers approached, I decided to start selling my artwork and photography at the local farmers market to raise funds to support health, food, and education programs in Haiti. To date, I’ve raised over $16,000, visited and volunteered at a new school in Port-au-Prince, and given numerous presentations about the work that I do and what others can do to make a difference in the world.

Last year, however, I began to feel a little burned out from fundraising. I really wanted to do something hands-on that would have a more direct impact on the students I support.

That’s where YEA Camp came in. When I applied, I was apprehensive and not sure it would be worth it.

However, within the first hour of camp, I met lifelong friends and already felt like a part of a whole. During the week I spent at the Massachusetts YEA Camp, I became more and more confident in myself and my cause, and started feeling empowered–like I actually could change the world.

At camp, I learned important lessons about social activism and felt encouraged not give up on my work for Haiti. It is because of YEA Camp that I have created new ways to make a difference beyond raising funds. It has also helped me stay passionate and focused during these rough political times.

My latest project is called Reach for the Sun. When I visited the school I support in Haiti last April, I realized the urgent need for sources of renewable energy. While they have power at the school, it is intermittent and constantly goes on and off, which is very distracting during the school day. This energy problem has been in the back of my mind since my visit, but I felt pretty helpless to do anything about it. After all, I am just a teenager from a small rural town in North Carolina. But YEA Camp inspired me to take action despite my fears and reservations.

So I developed a plan at my project-based high school to bring a solar-powered USB device charging station to the school in Haiti.  I am currently leading a team of students at my own school to learn about, design, install, and trouble-shoot a prototype station. This station will be useful for students and teachers to charge their cell phones and devices. I am raising funds to travel to Haiti next fall to help the Haitian students install another station at their school. It is my hope that the installation of this much needed resource will encourage students to consider other things they might do to improve their school and/or lives. I also want students at both schools to see that young people have the power to make a change in the world, and that it is imperative to reach out to one another across borders to make the world a more just and compassionate place.  Thank you, YEA Camp, for helping this idea come to life.To learn more about me and/or my cause, please visit the following links:

My Feature on the What If? Foundation Website

My Feature on the Partners In Health Website

Featured on WTVC NewsChannel 9

My YouTube Video on How to Be an Activist 

If you’re a teen like Erin who wants to make a difference on a cause you care about, check out YEA Camp this summer!

The post How YEA Camp Helped Me Help Haiti appeared first on YEA Camp.

Some updates about YEA Camp 2014:

• 

  YEA Camper Madison (left) at a school event she organized to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues

  We are expanding to bigger venues in all of our locations, and yet with camp still 3 months away, our camps are a quarter of the way full. We have seen a real increase in awareness and interest in our program across the country this year and appreciate your help spreading the word!

• We are excited to be creating some powerful new curriculum for our post-camp mentorship program to provide added support to campers throughout the year and to help them take more strategic action.

• 

  Ana, a future YEA Camper!

  Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, we have already offered scholarships to several outstanding campers like Ana (left), who are so excited to be coming to YEA Camp! Ana had this to say about YEA:

“I am very active in the activist community in San Diego, but would like to find teens with similar ideologies as me. I want to learn how to successfully campaign and convey my knowledge of issues that I am passionate about to others. From extensive research on YEA Camp, I believe that it was created with teens like me in mind.” -Ana, age 14, San Diego

Ana is right! YEA Camp was created with teens like Ana in mind, and we are so greatful to our donors that we can offer amazing young people like her a chance to attend our life-changing program. We will continue our commitment to never turn applicants away for financial reasons.

Some recent exciting developments to report:

• We have hired a highly successful PR firm to work with us on getting some big media for our program! This means more campers, supporters, and demand for further expanding program.

• We have been accepted for a consulting project grant through the Oregon Organization Development Network! We are working with ODN’s amazing team of consultants to strengthen our strategic plans for long-term growth.

• We have been working with a grant writer and have submitted five proposals, with more in the works, to increase funding to our program. Being awarded any of these carefully chosen grants will help us expand our efforts to reach more young people wanting to bring about change in their communities.

• We have just hired our second paid year-round staff person! This is huge for us and we are so excited to be able to increase our capacity with more program support!

• Check out this great article about us in Metro Parent Magazine: “Camp Can Change the World!” P. 35

This is shaping up to be a great year for us and we are already realizing many of our goals and dreams. Our three camps in 2014 will have 100 teens and over 40 staff members. We can’t wait to get started!

If you don’t already, follow what we are up to on Facebook and in our e-newsletter. And if you know a young person who you think would be perfect for YEA Camp, please share our website with them! www.yeacamp.org

The post YEA Camp Spring Update! appeared first on YEA Camp.