teen leadership camp Archives - Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp

Student Activism On a (Time) Budget

By Aine Pipe From honors classes to soccer practices and everything in between, the lives of most students can be incredibly busy. With school responsibilities like getting good grades, getting into a good college (if that’s one’s plan) and responsibilities at home, like chores or babysitting siblings, or even an after-school job, activism often gets…

Finding the Motivation for My Activism at YEA Camp

By Elyanna Calle There is a reason why we care. There is an event or a person that has enlightened us, who has taught us to care. I sat down at YEA Camp trying to remember, and I knew right away. My brother was the kindest person I ever knew. His smile lit up the…

Finding a Sense of Belonging at Activism Summer Camp

By Sana Doctor I remember when my mom came up to me, talking about a camp for activism she had found. She encouraged me to attend. I planned to go with people I know, and I’m active in community service, so I said yes. After I filled out the application, the doubt set in. I…

What I Learned From the First Session of YEA Camp We Almost Had to Cancel

By YEA Camp Director Nora Kramer This is past summer was our 10th year, and our 27th, 28th, and 29th sessions of YEA Camp, and in all that time we’ve never had to cancel a session. This is something to be proud of when, in our early years, we were unknown and unproven. We had no…

YEA Camper Activist Spotlight: Paula Orrego’s Activism Journey

Paula Orrego was a YEA Camper all the way back in 2011, but it’s kind of like she never left! Paula became a counselor in training (CIT) the next summer, when she turned 18, and she has stayed in touch with us ever since. She’s also been doing activism ever since! Paula even blogged for…

BUZZFEED Video About YEA Camp Already Has 75,000+ Views!

This week the massively popular digital media company Buzzfeed released a video about YEA Camp! Buzzfeed’s huge reach meant that the one-minute video got more than 15,000 views in its first hour of posting and over 75,000 views in the first 48 hours! If you click on the video below, your like, comment, or share will…

YEA Campers Speaking Out and Walking Out Against Gun Violence

Like much of the country, we’ve been so inspired by the activism spearheaded by youth advocating for gun control since the tragic Parkland shooting. We were less surprised than most, though, because we see the activism young people do every day and their passion and ability to make a difference on the causes they care about.…

YEA Camper Activist Profile: Phoebe Collver-Freeland, the “Coolest Vegan Alive”

Phoebe Collver-Freeland has been an incredible advocate for animals since she was 11 years old. When we first met Phoebe, when she attended YEA Camp for the first time in 2013, she was very quiet, but every day of camp she wore a t-shirt that had a powerful message about compassion for animals. Throughout the…

How I Learned to Give a Cluck

By Lizzy Ellis A gentle fall breeze cascades down my driveway. As I get off the bus, Lightning the chicken waddles over, scattering the leaves as she goes. I lean down and she hops right up onto my shoulder. Together, we walk up the driveway in the dappled sunlight. But my journey with Lightning began…

Our Favorite YEA Camp Memories of 2017

by former YEA Campers Danielle Holtz and Ananya Singh The ninth summer of Youth Empowered Action Camp was one for the books! From reaching more campers than ever before, to new workshops, to eating incredible food from our YEA Camp chefs, summer 2017 was spent having lots of laughs, honing new skills in activism, and…