In November, YEA Camp launched the first-ever “Volunteer-a-thon” designed to encourage people to get more involved in community service and activism, and to do it publicly with greater accountability. The best part? The Volunteer-a-thon is a fundraiser, with all money raised going to the YEA Camp Scholarship Fund. For many campers who participated, it was an opportunity to pay forward their own experience to make it possible for someone else to attend in the future.

Each year, we receive dozens of financial aid requests from passionate activists who want to experience YEA Camp but do not have the monetary means to do so. In 2019, YEA Camp granted financial aid to 51 of our 100 participants and full scholarships to 17 of those participants. Overall, you helped us fund over $66,400 worth of financial aid. 

None of that would be possible without the generous support of our YEA Camp community. That is what made the Volunteer-a-Thon so special for us. By participating, our campers were paying forward their experiences to the next summer of activists. 

What was the Volunteer-a-Thon anyway?

Instead of trying to raise money by training for a marathon or selling cookies, members of our camp community created a donor page asking for they’d ask their loved ones to sponsor to their activism. 

Mia Jay-Pachirat is a two-time youth camper from New York City whose Issue of Importance (IOI) is climate change. For the Volunteer-a-Thon, she created an art zine focused on NYC-specific solutions to climate change. 

When asked about her experience with the Volunteer-a-Thon, Mia said, “It really pushed me to keep my action plan and other little activism acts to the front of my mind!” You can read more about Mia’s experience here. 

B.T. Salle Widelock attended YEA Camp in 2019 and pledged to volunteer 30 hours for local organizations in his community. “I had an amazing experience at camp. That great experience can only be made possible with others’ help.” We are so honored that 7 members of B.T.’s family donated a total of $850 to support YEA Camp and B.T. — and thanks to two generous donors who offered matching gifts, those funds mean $2550 for our scholarship fund!

For some, the Volunteer-a-thon was all in the family. Camper Marley Goldman and her mom Gail are working to end the use of rodenticide in Washington state. Marley says, “I want other young aspiring activists to get the same kind of training and support that I did so that they can pursue whatever cause is important to them.”

We already shared with you about our amazing former campers Dima Bischoff-Hashem, Audrey Watson, and Danielle Holtz also participated in the Volunteer-a-Thon. You can read their reflections on camp and their projects here. 

And YEA Camp director Nora Kramer participated in the Volunteer-a-thon, too! Nora’s project was to reach out to at least 100 former campers from over the years to see if she could support them in her activism. Nora reported back that this was a huge success! “It was so inspiring how many of our campers shared their positive experiences of YEA Camp and even sharing that their memories from YEA Camp were some of the happiest memories of their childhood! Several donated to our Volunteer-a-Thon, several offered to volunteer and are now working on cool projects for us, and one camper even wrote this blog post reflecting on her experience at YEA Camp, looking back 5 years later! It was an honor and pleasure to be back in touch with such phenomenal people!”

You can see — and you can still support! — even more amazing changemakers who created fundraising pages here. We are so grateful to everyone who participated!

The Final Results

We were so excited to pilot the Volunteer-a-thon this year and so grateful to the fourteen members of our community who created pages and helped us raise almost $6,000! 

Thank you to everyone who dedicated their time, energy, and dollars into this exciting new program. We could not have done it without you. 

It’s not too late to make a final donation to our Volunteer-a-Thon to help YEA Camp make a bigger difference for even more people!

Time to register for summer 2020!

Are you interested in taking your activism to the next level? We’ve announced the dates for this summer and would love to have you there. 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 Habor, New Jersey (July 18 – 24)

The post YEA Camp Celebrates Success with First Ever Volunteer-a-Thon appeared first on YEA Camp.

Happy Earth Day! Each year, as this time rolls around, people gather to celebrate the beauty of nature and our environment. It is the perfect time to learn more about the biggest environmental issues that we are facing and work on taking action!

I’ve gone vegan, learned about climate change, joined organizations to push for environmental action in politics, and worked on a school-wide campaign for stronger recycling. I’ve started making a difference in my own community, and now it’s your turn!

Being an environmental activist can often seem daunting, and the issues themselves seem hugely overwhelming, but once you get active it can be incredibly inspiring and even uplifting to see how many people really care!

Environmental activism is not just about protecting trees or animals. It is also about how people are impacted. We often take it for granted, but humans depend on our environment for clean air, water, and food, which we, of course, cannot live without. There is no way to separate the future of our planet from the future of humanity.

Communities that have been systematically disadvantaged by other injustices, like poverty and racism, are going to be disproportionately impacted by environmental issues like pollution and climate change, and we must organize for justice!

There is no shortage of opportunities to get involved and make a difference, but it can be hard to know where to start! Here’s a helpful list of 5 tips for getting more involved with environmental activism.

1. Go green in your daily life. Individual actions add up and it’s important to start with making changes yourself, like reducing your plastic use or eating plant-based. Be on the lookout for ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint, like driving less, buying less stuff, and making other eco-friendly swaps.

While we want to start with ourselves, we have to address large systemic environmental problems and the impacts of corporations and industries that have a far bigger impact.

2. Green your school or workplace. How could you help make your school or workplace more eco-friendly? Think of ways the school or office could help you and others take the daily actions above, like by having recycle bins, vegan options in the cafeteria, and no styrofoam or disposable trays. Anyplace you see something bad for the environment, think about a possible solution you could help bring about. You can organize with the support of friends or coworkers, and together tackle an important issue. It will take effort, but you will be more likely to see the change right in front of you and it is incredibly rewarding!  

3. Green your community. There are unique ways that environmental issues are going to impact your community, and it’s a lot easier to create a visible change on a local level than on a federal level. Maybe there’s a lake nearby that needs to be cleaned up, and you could do community service. Or you could advocate for improved recycling or composting if they are not available in your town. Are there eco-friendly businesses in your town that you can support or is there a business in your town that is really polluting and that you can try to have held accountable? Another option is to work to pass a local climate action plan.

4. Get involved in politics. Learn about your elected officials and your political candidates’ platforms on climate change and environmental policy. It’s critical to get legislation and laws enacted to enforce climate action and transitions to clean energy. The 2018 midterm elections coming up are a great opportunity to make sure we elect people to Congress who will represent our concerns and interests. Support and vote for candidates that will take action and not accept money from the fossil fuel industry! Check out YEA Camp’s guide to how youth too young to vote can impact an election.

5. Do what you love! When tackling a huge issue like this, it’s important to focus on the aspects that you are called to. There is a role for everyone in environmental activism, whether it is through science and innovating tech solutions or creating art and media to tell powerful stories and messages. There are always ways to link up what you love doing to what is important to you. While activism isn’t always fun, and we need to pursue those ways where we can be most effective even when it’s challenging, it is important that we find ways to enjoy taking action so that we can stay involved for the long run!

All life relies on us having a livable planet, and it is up to all of us to work to protect our environment. How will you make a difference this Earth Day?

Ananya Singh is a high school sophomore in New Jersey, where she studies visual and performing arts. She is an activist for environmental and social justice, and attended YEA Camp in New York 2015, Massachusetts 2017, and is currentlyYEA Camp’s Blog Manager.

If you’d like to get more involved in activism for the environment or another social justice issue, and would like some community support and training to help you on your change-making path, join us this summer at YEA Camp! We have sessions for youth 12-17 and our first ever YEA Camp for Adults!

The post This High School Sophomore Is Urging You to Get Serious On Earth Day appeared first on YEA Camp.

We are so excited to share Noor’s journey with you and hope it inspires you as much as she continues to inspire us!

Noor marching for social justice and supporting intersectional causes in front of the Los Angeles Times headquarters

YEA Camp: Hey, Noor! Tell us about the activism you’ve been doing.

Noor: My biggest focus and current activism had been mainly centered around mental health awareness, although within the past few months I’ve also been able to involve myself with many other issues. I’ve created activism-related videos on my YouTube channel, have written articles for my personal blog and HS Insider (a youth journalism program), and have also founded the Education Emotion Project (EEP!) through an international leadership organization. EEP! is a project centered around providing mental health information and resources to youth who need and/or want to spread awareness throughout their communities. I’m also currently working on creating the first ever Mental Health Week at my school, where we will encourage students and teachers to engage in discussions about mental health while providing education as to how to be proactively aware of the many issues and stigmas surrounding these subjects.

YEA: Incredible! How did you get involved with activism and what you’re currently working on?

NA: YEA Camp exposed me to so many movements I wasn’t aware of before, and I’m forever thankful for them for being able to broaden the activism I’ve been able to be a part of lately. I can also honestly thank a large majority of the current activism I’m a part of to the internet, as well as the many nonprofits centered around issues I am passionate and care about. Without these resources I don’t think I ever would have known where to start in terms of these issues, and they were a vital starting point to everything I’ve been able to be a part of.

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

NA: There are many challenges that you can face once you begin your activism journey, whether it be backlash from others or your own personal struggles. At first I felt as though the world was against me and my activism, but over time I realized that that was not really what was holding me back. Not everyone will agree with what you are doing, and that is okay. As long as you’re able to stay true to what you believe, but also know that nothing is set in stone, I think being able to pursue action becomes that much easier.

I think my biggest challenges have truly been personal ones; I tend to think that everything I do is not enough, and for a while I let that hinder me from actually trying to achieve my goals. But over time I’ve realized that there is absolutely nothing to lose and that doing nothing will never result in any change. Getting over listening to that voice in my head has made the biggest difference in what I’ve been able to do, and as a result has also positively impacted how I communicate with others.

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

NA: Just do it. I think we all have at least one thing in the world that we are incredibly passionate about — or affects us personally — that we want to change. But that change will not happen on its own! You do have the power to spark a change in your community, and I feel like even though we’re all taught to try and “change the world”, no one truly encourages us to take action. Small actions are a great place to start. Find an issue you care about; do as much research and obtain as much knowledge and resources that you can; and from there, decide what the best mode of action would be. Is that creating an awareness week at school? Creating a club? Joining a nonprofit? Volunteering? The possibilities are endless, and you can never predict how big of an impact a seemingly small action can have.

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

Check out this amazing video Noor made about her experience at YEA Camp!

NA: I think YEA Camp was kind of the spark to my flame in terms of my activism journey. I’d always felt passionately about many issues, and wasn’t afraid of expressing my opinion regarding them, but I never knew how to turn that into palpable action. Being able to be in an environment that cultivated change and constant encouragement amongst its campers and staff made me realize why I started getting into activism in the first place. It’s not just to yell and scream or to complain about the things that we don’t like, but rather to push for action in order to ensure that we have a better future.

YEA: Aw! We’re so glad YEA Camp helped you find your voice and sparked your passion. What activist goals do you have in the future?

NA: I know that this may sound far-fetched, but my ultimate goals in terms of activism would be to spark as much positive change in as many communities that I can. I hope to continue to pursue action that I’m passionate about and that can help or inspire others. Personally, I would love to work with a mental health related nonprofit in the future. Currently, I work with NEDA (the National Eating Disorders Association) and volunteer with a few other organizations! Ultimately, I want to always be open to hearing about others stories and learning from them, and in addition to that be able to be a part of as many movements that cultivate positive change as possible.

Noor’s natural habitat is with her camera in tow to document her activist journey!

YEA: Are there any organizations you’ve been working with?

NA: This year I’ve been able to work more closely with NEDA, as well as volunteer for AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). I hope to get involved with even more organizations that are centered around a variety of issues, but as of right now this is where I’m at!

YEA: Anything else you want to tell us?

NA: I just hope that no matter what, you know that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Sometimes even the people who you thought would support you the most are hesitant to encourage your actions, but if you know that what your doing is for the greater good, don’t let that stop you. Have faith in yourself, homies!

Noor is 16 years old and a junior in high school. She lives in Torrance, California and attended the 2017 Massachusetts session of YEA Camp. And she made this awesome video about her experience at YEA Camp!

If you or someone you know can relate to Noor and wants to make a bigger difference in the world, come to YEA Camp this summer! We now have a camp for adults too!

The post YEA Camper Activist Profile: Noor Aldayeh Reaches Thousands Through Social Media appeared first on YEA Camp.

Sorry, we don’t mean to give away all the spoilers! We were happy she fit this interview with YEA Camp into her busy schedule and are glad to let her tell you more.

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

Lauren: I’ve volunteered with two organizations for several years now – Animal Advocates (an animal shelter where my family and I take care of cats) and Global Links, which packs and sends donated medical supplies to hospitals that can’t afford to buy their own, or to places that have recently gone through a natural disaster. For instance, right now, we’re sending a lot of stuff to Puerto Rico.

Lauren tabling with her robotics club

In addition, I’ve written several articles and blog posts about activism, animal rights, and veganism for different websites and organizations.

I’m also on an all-girls high school robotics team (The Girls of Steel). Our mission is to empower women and girls in the pursuit of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) by exemplifying female success in robotics. STEM fields are still very male-dominated – our mission is to change people’s attitudes about women in STEM and helping young girls know they can be successful in a STEM career.

How did you get involved with activism and what you’re currently working on?

My parents were vegan and doing animal rights activism before I was born, and I’ve been explaining veganism to people since forever, so I guess you could say I was born an activist! However, I started volunteering when I was about 11, and I started writing and doing other forms of activism after attending my first session of YEA Camp in 2015.

Right now I’m working on a few things, along with writing, volunteer work and Girls Of Steel. I’m on Farm Sanctuary’s Youth Advisory Board, giving input on pamphlets etc. they want to create for younger activists, as well as kids that want to learn about veganism.

In addition, I’ve done a few art-activism things. I just finished performances of a play called “You Belong to Me” with a local theater company. This play aims to raise awareness about, and prevent, teen dating violence, and it’s an incredibly powerful piece that has been performed in schools all around the Pittsburgh area. I want to be an actor when I grow up, so this was a great way for me to combine acting and activism!

I’m also a YEA Camp Intern!

Lauren at a farm animal sanctuary with rescued turkeys

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

Time management has always been a bit of a problem for me, but I’ve discovered it helps me be the most effective if I have one specific goal (maybe it’s to “Write one article before Sunday”) and then I budget my time over the week to make sure I get it done; vs having an open-ended goal (“Write as many articles as you can this week”).

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

Go for it! Even if you don’t think you’ll be good at it. Even if you can only do something you consider small or unimportant. You’ll get better (and gain confidence) with practice and every single action matters and will make a difference, no matter the size or scope.

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

YEA Camp helped me in tons of ways! I gained more knowledge (about many things, but specifically about how to answer tricky questions), as well as a lot more confidence in myself and my abilities as an activist. YEA Camp also connected me to a ton of organizations and people that I have worked with or could work with in the future. It’s also helped me a lot to just know that there are amazing people out there who care as passionately about issues as I do.

What activist goals do you have in the future?

Gain more confidence. Reach more people. Take part in more activism.

Have you been involved with any organizations or used any as resources for your activism?

Yes! YEA Camp (obviously), Animal Advocates, Global Links, Farm Sanctuary, and Girls of Steel Robotics are the main groups with which I have worked that have helped me to grow in my activism.

Do you care about making a difference just like Lauren does? Want help getting more involved? Come to YEA Camp this summer!

Lauren Scheller-Wolf is a 17-year-old activist for many causes, though her focus is on animal rights. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended YEA Camp New York in 2015 and 2016.

The post YEA Camper Activist Spotlight: Lauren Scheller-Wolfe Is a Star appeared first on YEA Camp.

Joshua Pipe seems like he’s been coming to YEA Camp for many years, but he really just made a big impression at his two sessions and has stayed in touch ever since. Josh is the type of 15-year-old who mentions Supreme Court cases you’ve never heard of (remember

We were excited to have this future Supreme Court Justice (if there is any justice) share his thoughts and experience about activism with us.  

YEA Camp: Hey Josh, Tell us about the activism you do.

Joshua Pipe: I do a lot of work with an organization called Labrador Hill Sanctuary, which is about thirty minutes from my house. It’s the permanent home to about 50-or-so equines and it’s almost all open pasture, which is amazing. I’m the Chairperson of the Youth Volunteer Corps, so I get the task of organizing youth volunteers, as well as doing intake for new volunteers of all ages. In my role as chairperson, I’m also a liaison to the Board of Directors, so I work really closely with the Board to plan fundraisers, handle administrative tasks, etc. My tasks vary a lot from month to month because small non-profits are pretty unpredictable in their demands, so there are some months where I’ll be circulating press releases to local news organizations; some months, I’ll be writing invitations and sponsorship letters; some months, I get to do a bit of video editing; it really all depends.

YEA: Awesome! How did you get involved with activism?

JP: My mom definitely was the person who kickstarted Activist Josh 1.0. She worked with the ASPCA for a while when I was younger and really instilled in me the value of working toward a world where non-human animals are treated no differently than human animals. But YEA Camp really was what taught me that it’s possible to do it at any age. There are a lot of ageist messages out there, unfortunately, that kids can’t change the world, and YEA Camp reminds us that we can. I’m currently working on improving my grant-writing skills so I can work with other members of the Board of Lab Hill to write grants, because, you know, money is a pretty good thing to have when you’re a nonprofit.

YEA: Awww! What challenges have you faced as an activist?

JP: My biggest challenge as an activist is definitely battling nerves. My hands still shake writing emails and my heart still races whenever I pick up the phone. Ultimately, you have to keep your goal in mind. Whenever I’m making a call, I picture every horse in the world being safe from slaughter, which helps a lot. I’m also pretty insecure and it took me a really long time to not let that keep me from doing things. Sometimes, taking a step back or even phoning a friend really helps get your mind away from insecurity.

YEA: Wow! What other advice to you have for activists who are just starting out?

JP: Learn how to tell a story and learn how to get your message across clearly. Stories hold incredible power in our society. Stories stick with people, and if you tell them well, they make people think. You also need to learn how to deliver a message loudly and clearly. If people can’t understand you, they’re not going to listen. Earl Warren, when he wrote the majority opinion in Brown v. Board of Education, made sure it could be understood by anyone who could read a newspaper. Why? Because he knew his message could change the world (and it did), and he wanted people to know, in no uncertain terms, what that message was. Your message has that same power. You have the power to change the world with your message. Make sure people can hear you, and that they can understand you. 

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

JP: YEA Camp gave me the determination and the inspiration to really get out there. It taught me that we young people can change the world, and we will change the world. It also allowed me to form a network of the most incredible human beings on the face of the Earth. We all make each other better activists and better human beings.

Another thing YEA Camp taught me, going to my point above, was how to make an elevator pitch. It’s something we work on tirelessly. In writing, after the first six sentences is the point where people start to skim. Similarly, after about 45 seconds, people start to zone out. So you have to make your words count, and getting practice at that was really helpful in my work as an activist and as a student journalist, because I am not naturally succinct (as evidenced by the fact that I have already cut this down by a good 200 words).

YEA: What are some of your future activist plans?

JP: I’m trying to get into some students press rights movements. Especially with everything that’s going on in the world today, student press, and more importantly, free student press, I think, becomes more and more important. And, unfortunately, student journalism isn’t always unrestricted. Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier allows administrators to censor articles relating to some heavy topics, and I’ve heard horror stories from some other schools in my state about newspapers being shut down for a year or so. So, I’m planning on calling a lot of lawmakers about the New Voices legislation that serves to bring student journalism out from under the feet of administrators, and hopefully, getting involved with the Student Press Law Center, which fights a lot of the legal battles over student censorship. 

Joshua Pipe is a 15 year-old student journalist and activist who attended YEA Camp in the summers of 2015 and 2016.

Activism can look so many different ways! If you’re passionate about the law or education or animals, like Josh mentioned, or other causes like climate change, racism, gun control, or another important social justice issue, join us at YEA Camp this summer.

The post YEA Camper Activist Spotlight: We Want to Be Like Joshua Pipe When We Grow Up appeared first on YEA Camp.