As the decade comes to a close, I reflect on the experiences that got me where I am today, as an activist and as a person. 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.

Call to Activism

Leah Kelly started a successful animal advocacy club in high school after attending YEA Camp.

From the youngest age I can remember, I had always felt the need to stand against things I felt were unjust, but I didn’t really know how to put these feelings into words or actions. YEA Camp gave me the guidance, tools, and encouragement that led me to become a true activist by showing me what it means to turn empathy and passion into social change. It trained me in critical skills such as public speaking, effective communication, “elevator” pitches, leafleting, tabling, campaigning, organizing, and leadership. YEA Camp provided me with key resources such as social networking, data, insight and knowledge, club starter kits, support groups, and incredible and inspiring lifelong mentors and friends. 

It takes a look back to realize that that summer of 2014 kickstarted, in some ways both overtly and indirectly, the journey I’ve chosen to pursue long into the future. The fall after I attended YEA Camp for the first time, I founded the animal rights club that I led for the rest of my three years of high school, an experience that truly ignited my leadership abilities and the feeling of self-empowerment I needed to believe I could really make a difference. YEA Camp inspired me to become fully vegan, an element of my life today that is most important to me. After I attended another session the next summer, YEA Camp helped me create and spearhead a plan to get the entire public school system in my town to implement Meatless Mondays. It was a success! We convinced the entire school district to implement Meatless Mondays! 

YEA Camp in “the Real World”

Sometime during my time volunteering, supporting, and promoting nonprofit organizations in high school, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to continue doing this for the rest of my life. I want to dedicate myself to social justice activism. There are so many injustices in the world, but as YEA Camp taught me, every person can make a difference. I am particularly invested in fighting for animal rights, and meeting so many vegan activists at YEA Camp made me feel less alone and more hopeful about our collective ability to improve the treatment of non-human animals. 

After attending YEA Camp, Leah Kelly got her entire school district to implement Meatless Mondays!

Since graduating high school, I chose to attend a private liberal arts college that I believe embodies the spirit of social justice and welcomes students who sometimes feel on the outskirts of society, empowering them to thrive in a non-judgmental space. Pitzer College in Claremont, California has often felt like YEA Camp to me in its supportive community and composition of young people who are dedicated to caring about and working to end oppression of all forms. I can’t be sure I would have ended up at this college, or where I am in life at all, had YEA Camp not turned me in the direction I needed to go. 

Thank You, YEA Camp

Half a decade later, as the end of the 2010s approaches, I can only think back and feel grateful for everything that has gotten me to this place and point in time. I am so thankful for YEA Camp Director Nora Kramer’s dedicated vision to empowering youth to become the next benevolent, impassioned leaders of change. I can only imagine where I will be in another five years, but I do know one thing for sure: you will find me fighting for justice as hard as I ever have.

Leah Kelly is a current junior at Pitzer College in southern California, where she is majoring in sociology and international and intercultural studies with a minor in French. She just returned from a semester studying abroad in Paris. Leah is from Connecticut, where her mom, dad, younger sister, dog, and two cats reside. She is a passionate vegan animal rights activist and active member of her college’s animal rights club. Leah enjoys include being with animals, playing trumpet in concert band and jazz band, creative writing, making art, watching T.V., learning new things, exploring new places, and spending time with friends and family. She attended YEA Camp in 2014 and 2015, served on its Youth Advisory Board, and was the first camper editor for the YEA Camp blog.

We are so grateful we met Leah. If you know of any tween/teen, aged 12-17, who has a passion in activism, whether it be for animal rights, feminism, LGBTQ, racial justice, environmentalism, or any other topic, check out yeacamp.org to find out how to sign up for this week-long camp, held this summer in California and Massachusetts. Register by the end of the year to earn an early-bird discount of $250 or nominate someone who would be great for camp here!

The post Looking Back at YEA Camp 5 Years Later 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.

Summer camp for adults was the last thing on my mind on a hot day in June 2018. Well, second to the fact that I had 200 unread emails waiting for me. In hindsight, one of those emails would turn into the miracle I didn’t know I needed.

I was almost to an empty inbox when I saw an email from Nora Kramer.

“YEA Camp” was in the title of the email and I unknowingly opened it, intrigued. As I read more and more about it I found myself filling out an application for the first ever adult camp series.

The timing could not have been any more perfect. It was June 29th, 2018 and camp was starting on July 1st, in only two days. I scrambled to reach out and make all the proper arrangements. Nora responded quickly and kindly about making this a possibility for me.

I got my round trip bus ticket to High Falls, New York and waited for Kali, one of the camp counselors, to come pick me up. Kali and I were instant friends. We talked about our blackness, veganism, and cultural exchange. I knew that I made the best last minute choice ever.

Arriving at Camp

Once we arrived, I chose my bed and met the other campers and counselors in the main area. I got to create my name tag and fill out a cute questionnaire. From the very beginning everyone was warm and inviting. I felt like I could come as who I was, no questions asked. I was learning a lot about people and the causes that fueled them and I felt re-energized. The more involved I got in these conversations the more I began to think critically about my own life, my cause, and why it was important to me.

Why YEA Camp for Adults is Special

In my mind the phrase #BlackLivesMatter kept ringing in my head. I care about people, equity, and equality. Quickly, I realized I was in the right place to feed that passion and care. After hours of mingling, learning and unlearning, and eating amazing vegan food, I knew that YEA Camp would forever have a piece of my heart and soul. I knew that the bonds and relationships that we were able to create in a week would last a lifetime.

Staying Involved

Being able to volunteer with YEA Camp is the best way to stay intimately connected with its efforts. I want to share this message so other students casually checking their emails can stumble across the same kind of miracle.

Are you passionate about making the world a better place? YEA Camp for Adults will help you identify how you can get more active and effective on a cause you care about in ways that inspire you. Join us this summer! Go to YEACamp.org/adults to learn more.

Monik Walters is studying Geography and African-American Studies at Dartmouth College. She is the student body president of Dartmouth and the president of the school’s chapter of the NAACP. She attended YEA Camp for Adults in 2018 and worked at YEA Camp for Adults in 2019. She is passionate about civil rights and Black social justice.

The post How 1 Random Email Turned Into an Unexpected Miracle appeared first on YEA Camp.

Hey everyone! I’m Lauren and I attended Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp this past summer at the beautiful Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, a sanctuary for rescued farm animals in High Falls, New York. It was an awesome experience. I learned SO much and I met so many new people while also having fun!

Lauren at Farm Sanctuary, a rescue sanctuary for farm animals in Watkins Glen, New York

A great thing about YEA Camp is that it’s 100 percent vegan, so no meat or animal products like eggs or milk are used in any of its food. This is awesome for a lifelong vegan-since-birth teen like me because, while it’s getting easier to be vegan every day, it’s still nice to go somewhere and be surrounded by like-minded people!

I know what you’re thinking. If you’re vegan, you’re probably thinking something like, “That sounds amazing! I want to go to YEA Camp!” and if you’re not vegan, you might be thinking, “No meat or eggs or dairy? That sounds horrible!” or maybe, “I don’t get it, why would they have that policy?”

Well, first let me explain a little bit about why I’m vegan.

My parents went vegan before I was born. I’ve never eaten meat or animal products and I never will; once you’ve held a baby goat, or petted a cow and realized how much they remind you of your dogs (except bigger), there’s really no going back.

How could I eat something that has been killed just so I could eat it?

Fawn, a young cow who lives at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, where YEA Camp NY 2015 was held.

I go to the grocery store and look at the meat department and see peaceful, sentient beings whose only fault was being born a cow or a pig or a chicken. I couldn’t eat someone who spent his brief life crammed in a tiny cage with no space to move. Someone who has never seen the sun or felt the grass under his feet. Someone who has seen her babies get ripped away from her year after year. Someone who has spent his or her entire existence listening to the screams of creatures being slaughtered.

And, even if the animals were raised “humanely,” death is still death.

That’s why I’m vegan. Now, why YEA Camp is vegan…

Here’s what YEA Camp’s website says on the subject:

“YEA Camp is all about changing the world, and we feel it would be hypocritical if we served food similar to the standard American diet, which has led to skyrocketing rates of diet-related diseases, ecological disasters, and cruelty to animals, among other injustices of modern agriculture.

Lauren hanging with the turkeys at YEA Camp New York, August 2015

YEA takes pride in every meal at camp being delicious, as well as modeling the sustainable, ethical, and compassionate world we look to create. We are being the change we wish to see at every meal… All of the food at YEA Camp is vegan, fair-trade, local and organic to the greatest extent possible… It is also delicious! This is in alignment with our intention to practice living in the most sustainable and compassionate ways possible during our brief time at camp.”

I can’t say it any better than that!  And the food is delicious!

Ok, so maybe you’re still concerned. (“Are we going to eat nothing but broccoli? What is there left to eat?”) If so, check out this video. Actually, you should check it out even if you weren’t thinking that. It’s pretty awesome.

You won’t notice the lack of meat, I promise! And if you’re still not convinced, check out YEA Camp’s page on its website, which gives examples of what it serves its campers every day.

PS: If you’d like to learn more about veganism, please check out the following links:

-Farm Sanctuary is a sanctuary for rescued farm animals. It also has a lot of info on veganism: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

– ChooseVeg has a lot of information on many different aspects of veganism: http://www.chooseveg.com/

Want to learn more about YEA Camp, which helped inspire Lauren’s passion for animal rights activism? Check out YEA Camp.org to see if it’s right a young change-maker you know!

The post Life-Changing Summer Camp Serves Life-Saving Food appeared first on YEA Camp.