We held the second session of YEA Camp for Adults at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in New Paltz, New York.

Here are some of the highlights from YEA Camp 2019.

Our 11th Summer

This was our 11th summer hosting YEA Camp for teens ages 12 – 17 and we are so grateful for the opportunity to work with these inspiring young people. 

Our first youth camp was held at Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, Massachusetts from July 13 – 20. Our second youth camp was held at Camp Buckhorn in Idyllwild, California from August 3 – 10. 

We had around fifty campers at each youth session representing two dozen states and three countries. 

From June 30 – July 6, 22 campers from 12 states stayed with us at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in New Paltz, New York for the second ever session of YEA Camp for Adults. From yoga in the morning to meeting with farmed animals after lunch, from workshops on gender and race to trainings on communication and fundraising, our campers had the perfect mix of self-care and reflection while also learning valuable skills to help advance their activism.

We love our YEA Camp Massachusetts staff!

Between the three sessions of camp, we were so blessed to have 35 amazing staff members from 16 different states.

Our Impact

Juan Antonio Nelson is an Iowa college student who flew all the way to New York to attend adult camp. When asked about the experience, he 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.”

A few months ago, former YEA Camper and current YEA staff member Ananya Singh was featured on the Perennials Podcast. In the podcast, Ananya says, “When I was 12 years old, the summer before eighth grade, I attended this summer camp called Youth Empowered Action and this is a camp for teen activists and it really was a life changing experience for me. It exposes you to so many different social issues that are going on in the world and kind of takes the approach of intersectionality and showing how all of these issues are so interconnected and then really breaking down what is possible for young people to do.”

YEA Camp staff member Ananya Singh in action at the Morristown, New Jersey Climate Strike

We also recently shared the story of former YEA Camper Leah Kelly who FIVE years after attending camp, wrote this blog post where she says, “Five and a half years ago, as a 15-year-old, I attended Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp for the first time and my life was changed immeasurably. I can’t imagine how different my life would have been from then on had I not spent that pivotal week learning what it means to be an effective agent of change and forming lasting connections that supported, and continue to support me as I navigate a chosen path of social justice and fighting for what I believe in.”

Our Brand New Program

This year, we also launched the first-ever YEA Camp Volunteer-a-thon. The Volunteer-a-thon was created to encourage our community in service and activism while raising money for the YEA Camp Scholarship Fund. 

Dima Bischoff-Hashem created an awesome Volunteer-a-thon project supporting her Issue of Importance, animal rights!

Participants created donor pages, shared what activism they would be working on, and asked their loved ones to “sponsor” them in their work. You can read more about three of our camper’s projects at this link and click here to read what one camper wrote about the experience. 

All funds raised through the Volunteer-a-thon go towards the YEA Camp Scholarship Fund which makes camp accessible for all who want to attend. 

This year, 51 of our 100 participants received financial aid and 17 of those campers were on full scholarships. Overall, we funded $66,400 of financial aid this year.  

Our Gratitude

We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who made camp possible. From our food donors to our staff to our donors, thank you. 

Helping ourselves to vegan pizza with Miyoko’s Cheese and more toppings than we can count!

Thanks to two generous donors, we also have a special opportunity through the end of the year. All donations given before the end of the year will be TRIPLED. Click here to learn more and to donate to our Scholarship Fund. 

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!

See You Next Summer

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

We are eagerly preparing for 2020 and are excited to offer 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)

See you next summer!

The post Thank You for Another Great Year of YEA appeared first on YEA Camp.

That’s why we were honored and thrilled to have four of our campers step up to join our YEA Camp Fundraising Team this year, in addition to all of the campers and families who have been participating in our first ever YEA Camp Volunteer-a-Thon! The Volunteer-a-Thon is an opportunity for our community to be sponsored in their activism, raising money for YEA Camp and raising awareness about their Issue of Importance. Adding an extra level of social accountability doesn’t hurt when it comes to achieving those big activist goals either! 

December is the only time of year when we ask our entire community to support YEA Camp, so we rely on year-end donations to be able to start accepting financial aid applications that are already starting to come in. 

Thanks to the support of two generous donors who recognize the importance of our work, this year, all donations given before December 31st 11:59 pm will be TRIPLED! So, a donation of $100 means we get $300. A donation of $1,000 means we get $3,000! 

We have such an incredible opportunity with this match, and such a need to be able to continue to fund our programs, so we are incredibly grateful for the YEA Camp Fundraising Team helping us to reach our goal.

Where Does the Money Go?

Before we introduce these rockstar campers, it’s important to understand why we fundraise. The simple fact is, not everybody can afford to send their kids to camp. In fact, this year, 51 of our 100 campers were on some form of financial aid. Seventeen of those campers received a full scholarship. 

At YEA Camp, we are committed to making camp accessible for all who want to be there, and to having a diverse group of campers who can learn from and support one another. This is only possible thanks to our generous donors, and we are so grateful for those who make this possible. 

Which brings us to those rockstar campers! Last year, our YEA Camp alumni jumped at the chance to reach out to our donors, sharing their experience at camp, and helping us raise money for the scholarship fund. Last year, Ashlee, Mia, and Sade answered the call and throughout the month of December reached out to our donors, helping us reach our fundraising goal. You can read more about their experience here. 

Meet the 2019 Fundraising Team

When it came time to make calls this year, Mia was the first one to raise her hand to do it again! Three other campers, also from our Massachusetts 2019 session of youth camp, joined. Here’s more about these amazing campers and what they had to say about the experience. 

Mia Jay-Pachirat, the team veteran, is a 2-time YEA Camper from New York City. Currently a high school senior, Mia is passionate about protecting the environment. She was so excited to be a part of the Fundraising Team because she “loves YEA Camp and wants to help others have that experience, no matter their financial position.” Mia also created a Volunteer-a-Thon page to raise even more funds for YEA Camp! 

Sam (left) and Mia (second from right) were two members of our Fundraising Team. Here they are at the Massachusetts session of camp this summer!

Sam Geller, a high school junior from Connecticut, is passionate about gun reform and likes to go to marches and rallies. Sam says he wanted to be part of the fundraising team because “YEA Camp was a life-changing experience for me. I learned so much about fundraising and friendship.” Check out Sam’s Volunteer-a-Thon page here. 

Mia Drumm is an 18-year-old high school senior from Louisiana who is passionate about veganism and animal rights. This was her second year at YEA Camp and her first year on our Fundraising Team. She was so excited to join the team in order to help increase financial aid opportunities for future campers. 

Fourteen-year-old high school freshman Isabella King came to Massachusetts YEA Camp all the way from Denver, Colorado. She “wanted to be on the YEA Camp Fundraising Team because YEA Camp was a really impactful experience for me, and I want to help ensure that everyone who is interested in attending YEA Camp has the opportunity to have that same experience.” 

We are so grateful for Mia, Mia, Sam, and Isabella and to everyone who donated to this fundraiser. We are so grateful for everyone who makes camp possible for so many people. 

To quote Mia Jay-Pachirat, “YEA Camp has changed my life. That may seem cheesy, but I have re-lit my activist fire, while making the best friends in the world — and all because of YEA.”

Can you help us make this life-changing experience available for more aspiring activists? There is still time to donate to YEA Camp. To learn more or make a contribution, click here. 

Interested in joining us at camp next year?

It may feel like summer is years away (especially as much of the country is hibernating in blankets under blankets of snow), but we are already planning for YEA Camp 2020 and are already accepting registrations. Check our the dates below. 

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

Right now, we are also running 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!

The post Meet the YEA Campers Paying Forward Their Activist Experience appeared first on YEA Camp.