Pizza with Miyoko’s Cheese and “more toppings than we could count!”

One way we practice every day activism is by our food choices at camp.

For some of our campers and our staff, the allure of an all vegan camp is how they heard about us in the first place. For others, our vegan food is just another blurb on the FAQ page. YEA Camp is all about social justice and, at the end of the day, everyone at camp wants to build a more peaceful and sustainable world. That is why YEA Camp is vegan with a heavy focus on fair-trade, organic, and local options. 

The food we choose at the grocery store or out for dinner with friends is one of the simplest acts of every day activism we can do. Because of that, we hire a skilled team of vegan chefs to cook us amazing food that everyone can appreciate. 

This summer, we had some incredible companies donate their plant-based products to help us more affordably showcase the very best in vegan eating. 

Thank you to…

Amy’s Kitchen is a family-owned food company that was organic before “organic” was a national certification. Pioneers of the organic food industry (and maker of endless delicious vegan options), Amy’s has been with YEA Camp since year one and we are so grateful for their support!

Another family-owned business, Butler Foods donated their famous Butler Soy Curls, an all natural alternative to meat. Our chefs traded the traditional Chicken Noodle Soup for “Soy Curl Noodle Soup” for an extra dash of heart-healthy perfection. 

Sometimes we even let campers into the kitchen for baking demos!

Chicago Vegan Foods is a 100% vegan company (did the name give it away?) From their frozen dessert line to their gooey non-dairy cheese to their vegan marshmallows, Chicago Vegan Foods has something for everyone. Thank you Chicago Vegan Foods!

YEA Camp Trivia: Do you know what vegan company Camp Founder & Director Nora Kramer named her rescue dog after? Daiya the dog approves of Daiya Foods and all the “deliciously dairy-free foods” they bring to our camp. You can even find vegan frozen pizzas from Daiya in grocery stores around the country. Yum!

Started in 1970 when four friends “opened a seven-seat soup, salad, and sandwich counter in the back of small natural food store in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California,” Follow Your Heart now offers over 60 dairy-free products in over 25 countries. We are so grateful for their support and their reminder to, “when in doubt, Follow Your Heart.” 

We couldn’t get in line fast enough for this Miyoko’s inspired vegan pizza!

Miyoko’s Kitchen provided us with many a mid-day snack. Their cheese wheels were a hit at every session of camp and we especially love this quote, pulled from their website: “Compassion for animals is at the heart of everything we do. It always has been. It always will be.”

Like Amy’s Kitchen, Tofurky has been a generous support of YEA Camp for eleven years. We even wrote a feature post about them here! Tofurky has been providing us with plant-based protein since our very first session. Truthfully, it wouldn’t feel like camp without them!

We are so lucky to have their support!

YEA Camp would not be nearly as delicious were it not for the support of these awesome companies who are revolutionizing what it means to eat vegan. Campers often tell us that YEA Camp is what propelled them to eat a plant-based diet! What an honor to help our campers become more conscious about their food choices. We are so grateful to have the support of these compassionate companies. Their dedication to making the world a kinder and more ethical place inspires us all.

The time to announce dates for YEA Camp 2020 is coming soon. Be sure to sign up for e-news to make sure you’re the first to know!

The post These Generous Companies Make YEA Camp’s Food Even More Delicious appeared first on YEA Camp.

YEA CAMP IS HIRING FOR THE SUMMER!

Take our quiz to see if you should apply to work at our life-changing summer camp for social change!

1. Want to help some of the best teenagers and/or adults have a super inspiring experience with amazing staff in a beautiful location this summer? Do you want to be an important part of a program training and supporting the next generation of changemakers addressing the pressing issues of our time?

2. Are you a dedicated progressive activist working in positive, peaceful, strategic ways to make our world a better place? Do you have experience in lots of different types of activism and are you supportive of a variety of progressive issues, including gun control, animal rights, climate change, anti-racism, women’s rights/pro-choice, and gay rights? Can you model being respectful of people who disagree with you? (No angry activists, please.)

3. Do you have experience working with teenagers (either at camps, as a teacher, or other youth programs) and want to mentor and support inspired young people who want to make a big difference in the world?

4. Are you comfortable as a teacher, facilitator, or public speaker to be in front of the room, direct a group of people in a loud enough voice, and lead activities in an engaging way?

5. Are you self aware, having overcome challenges and done work on yourself, and willing to go out of your comfort zone to be a role model for campers to overcome their own obstacles and move beyond their fears?

6. Are you willing to be silly enough to lead goofy name games, play “Big Booty” (don’t worry, we’ll teach you — and despite its ridiculous name, it’s totally camp appropriate!), and get down at the dance party, and are you also open-hearted enough to really share yourself in our community in a way that makes it safe for campers to be themselves and feel accepted?

7. Do you have great judgment to ensure safety such that parents would be thrilled to have you look after their kids?

8. Are you a good communicator and committed to de-escalating conflict to help ensure a great experience for everyone at YEA Camp? Our staff needs to be grounded and supportive so we can create the container to enable the whole camp to be successful in achieving our goals.

9. Does eating kid-friendly mostly organic, vegan meals prepared with love by amazing chefs (which we are now hiring for! Maybe this is you?!) sound delicious to you? (Gluten- and allergy-free, etc., available as needed.)

10. Are you available this summer to work at one or more of our week-long camps, as well as attend a 4-day staff training immediately before, in New York, Massachusetts, or California on these dates?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY HIRED! COME WORK AT YEA CAMP IMMEDIATELY!

Er, actually, we got so excited that we maybe got a little ahead of ourselves. We mean you should apply right away to work at YEA Camp this summer!

Take a look at our detailed job descriptions here and apply this instant! Or at your earliest convenience! We can’t wait to hear from and hopefully work with you this summer.

For more information about YEA Camp, visit www.yeacamp.org.

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Please spread the word by sharing this blog post with others who would love to work with us or to attend as a teen or adult camper!

Thanks so much for your interest in YEA Camp! We hope to hear from you soon and to work with you this summer!

The post TAKE OUR QUIZ: Should you work at a life-changing leadership camp for teens changing the world? appeared first on YEA Camp.

Take our quiz to see if you should apply to work at our summer camp for social change!

1. Want to work with the best teenagers in the world and have a super inspiring experience with amazing staff in a beautiful location this summer?

2. Are you a dedicated progressive activist working in positive, thoughtful, strategic ways to make our world a better place? Do you have experience in lots of different types of activism and are you supportive of a variety of progressive issues, including animal rights, climate change, anti-racism, women’s rights/pro-choice, and gay rights?

3. Do you love working with teenagers and want to mentor and support young people who want to make a big difference in the world?

4. Are you willing to be silly enough to lead goofy name games, play “Big Booty,” and get down at the dance party, and are you also open-hearted enough to really share yourself in our community in a way that makes it safe for campers to be themselves and feel accepted?

5. Are you comfortable as a teacher, facilitator, or public speaker to be in front of the room, direct a group of people in a loud enough voice, and lead activities in an engaging way?

6. Are you self aware, having overcome challenges and done work on yourself, and  willing to go out of your comfort zone to be a role model for campers to overcome their own obstacles and move beyond their fears?

7. Do you have great judgment to ensure safety such that parents would be thrilled to have you look after their kids?

8. Are you a good communicator, don’t create or encourage drama, and committed to being a team player – even if someone else is stressed or not behaving exactly as you’d like – to help ensure a great experience for the group?

9. Does eating kid-friendly mostly organic, vegan meals prepared with love by amazing chefs (which we are now hiring for! Maybe this is you?!) sound delicious to you? (Gluten- and allergy-free, etc., available as needed.)

10. Are you available this summer to work at one or more of our 8 day camps, as well as attend a 4-day staff training immediately before, in California, Oregon, or New York on these dates?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY HIRED! COME WORK AT YEA CAMP IMMEDIATELY!

Er, actually, we got ahead of ourselves. We mean you should apply right away to work at YEA Camp this summer!

We are hiring counselors, chefs, and a health supervisor for each of our sessions. We are also looking for a photographer and videographer for one session.

Take a look at our detailed job descriptions here.

For more information about our program, visit www.yeacamp.org.

To apply, submit resume, references, and cover letter explaining your interest in working for YEA Camp, and which session(s) you’re interested in working at to info@yeacamp.org.

And please also spread the word to others who might be a great fit, or to potential campers aged 12-17.

Thanks so much for your interest in YEA Camp! We hope to hear from you soon!

The post TAKE OUR QUIZ: Should You Work at Our Life-Changing Social Justice Camp for Teens Who Want to Change the World? appeared first on YEA Camp.