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!

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YEA Camp for Adults will be amazing! Join us!

As we prepare for our second year of YEA Camp for Adults, we wanted to share more about its purpose, ways it’s similar but also different from a typical leadership or activism conference or training or retreat, and how it might be the most fun you’ve ever had focusing on self-care, personal growth, and changing the world.

We are living in a time when children are being separated from their families at the border, when those in power are ignoring scientists’ warnings about climate catastrophe, and the richest 26 people in the world currently own the same wealth as the poorer half of the entire global population. These are just a few of the most devastating injustices we are facing.

It’s enough to make a big-hearted person feel totally demoralized, check out, or give up.

But, thankfully, many people who have never been activists before are getting involved and inspired to bring about change.

Seeing this has been incredible! People are attending their first marches and getting involved in politics for the first time. They’re donating money, having uncomfortable conversations to challenge outdated thinking, and on and on.

For the past 10 years, YEA Camp has been training teens to make a bigger difference on the social justice causes they care most about, and we recognize that folks 18 and up have some of the same needs as teens do to get involved at higher levels than ever before.

That’s why we created YEA Camp for Adults.

Check out our new video about YEA Camp for Adults!

Changing the world is hard! Not only does it take knowledge about issues and skills to make an impact, it takes self-confidence to get out of our comfort zone, and community to learn from and work with.

So many people got their start as changemakers by mostly stumbling along without a plan or rationale. It’s often lonely and time-consuming to try things out without much in the way of relevant knowledge, skills, mentorship, or even open conversations with experienced activists to help navigate a path that is inherently entrepreneurial and against the status quo.

Left to our own devices, it’s too easy to just like posts on social media, go to a march every few months, and complain about all of the world’s problems without doing much of anything about them.

That’s where we try to intervene and make a real difference. We leverage the experience of our staff to help kickstart or up-level your activism.

Social Justice Activism and Leadership Training for Aspiring Activists

At YEA Camp, we curate the most foundational concepts and skills that we want to make sure every changemaker has in their toolkit. Things like:

• Fundamental strategies for understanding and chipping away at racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression
• Intersectionality and how different social justice issues relate to one another
• Evaluating our habits and choices to see how our daily actions and purchases can be some of the simplest ways we can make a difference
• Going deeper and examining our limiting beliefs and fears to help us find our voice and tap into our power
• Tapping into our resilience when we feel overwhelmed and demoralized by the state of the world
• Communication skills to help us have more effective interactions with people who we disagree with, especially those in positions of power — and to know when to avoid these interactions
• Skills to inspire others to get involved, to use social media or grassroots outreach effectively, to raise money for your cause, or to launch a socially responsible business or venture
• Interactive activities tailored to different learning styles and to help you apply everything you learn
• Tapping into our creativity and using the existing skills we each have to find our niche and make a difference in a way that is most appropriate for each of us
• Developing strategies to assess the best use of our time, and to make a plan that inspires us

Why A Summer Camp for Activists?

So many reasons! Let’s focus on three.

Join us at YEA Camp for Adults at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, just outside of New York City.

1. Summer camp brings together the elements of fun, inspiration, and relaxation. As activist-minded people, we can become focused on all the problems in the world. In comparison to so many injustices, it could feel impossible or selfish to enjoy our lives. We hope you’ll see that taking time to be out in nature, be silly, and enjoy life is a long-term investment in your activism. It can help us replenish our energy and inspiration so that we can think clearly and truly be of service to others.

2. Camp inherently challenges us to get out of our comfort zones.

   From meeting new people, to being open to the unknown, to the most basic adjustments to new food and a bed that’s not your own. But as we tap into our courage in a safe environment, we can build a muscle that actually expands the size of our comfort zone. Things that made us nervous before become not so scary, and that is hugely helpful for any activist. With an activist mindset, we see infinite opportunities to take action beyond what we’ve done before, where we’re not sure what to expect, or where we may be opening ourselves up for criticism or perceived failure. We can all benefit by getting more comfortable getting out of our comfort zones.

3. Camp might be the best place in the world to reinvent yourself.

   Most of us spend the majority of our time with the same people.  Our coworkers, family, friends, neighbors, and even ourselves know us to be a certain way. We are a product of our past ways of being and seeing ourselves. But what if we want to re-evaluate who we are or how we want to approach life? What if we want to pursue new passions or set new goals? That can be hard to just wake up and do one day over breakfast or at work.

Being at camp is transformational.

You get to show up as whoever you want to try out being. If you’re naturally shy, what if you try being outgoing? In a welcoming environment where nobody knows you, we won’t even know you’re just trying that out!

This is an opportunity to brainstorm a new way to get involved in your community or a more inspired career. We will have no judgments –just offer support and thoughtful input if you ask for it.

There are conferences and trainings to learn about specific problems in the world or to build specific skills. But they’re usually boring or stuffy, in a sterile hotel conference room all day packed with people you won’t get to know, and with someone droning on to explain a PowerPoint you could have read at home.

But what if you could learn the basics of what you need to know to make a bigger difference while also having one of the most fun weeks of your life, building strong bonds with like-minded supportive people, and spending time in nature rejuvenating yourself so that you feel inspired rather than drained?

That’s YEA Camp!

Details, Please?!

YEA Camp for Adults is a leadership training and activist retreat all held on the grounds of an animal sanctuary!

YEA Camp for Adults is held at the incredible Woodstock Farm Sanctuary — a home for rescued farmed animals who will be some of our hosts and friends as we enjoy our own sanctuary during our time together. We chose June 30-July 6, the week of July 4th, so it will be easier to get away.

We only have 50 beds, so this will be an intimate setting. Everyone will get to know everyone and nobody can fall through the cracks. The accommodations are modern, and we will have a personal vegan chef cooking for us! We also promise you will become friends with creatures with 2 legs, 4 legs, and even wings!

We also offer a sliding scale and financial aid to make it easier for people to be able to come.

If you’re passionate about making a bigger difference in the world, YEA Camp was created with you in mind.

Summer is fast approaching! We hope you will take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity to take your change-making to new heights!

Check out our event page here. And find out more or register to join us this summer by visiting our website here.

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While we have always had many campers and staff who aren’t vegetarian or vegan, an important feature of YEA Camp since the beginning is putting our food where our mouth is, so to speak, by serving vegan food.

It’s a simple but important choice for us to model living in a way that’s more sustainable, compassionate, and healthy, and a great example of how activists can make a difference through our daily actions in addition to more complex campaigns.

And our food is delicious! We make sure our food is accessible so that even campers and staff who aren’t accustomed to eating vegan love it! Changing the world takes a lot of brain power, so, we need to keep our campers well-fueled with the most amazing vegan food.

It wouldn’t be YEA Camp without Tofurky!

Feeding our campers the best vegan food in the world is possible thanks to the generous support from our sponsors who help make YEA Camp a reality.

Tofurky’s impact on getting vegan products into mainstream supermarkets has also been foundational, and so many new plant-based companies benefit from this work.

Tofurky is a family-owned and values-based company, as exhibited not only through its plant-based products but also by its incredible eco-friendly building and contributions to so many causes and organizations working to make the world a better place — including YEA Camp!

Proof you’ve been to YEA Camp! A yarn bracelet on one wrist and a Tofurky tattoo on the other!

Throughout our entire 10 years, Tofurky has loyally supported our camp, generously donating their delicious products at each and every one of our 29 sessions, helping us to show off to YEA Campers and staff just how tasty vegan food is.

As we reflect back on our 10 years of YEA Camp, one of the things every session has had in common was Tofurky! We have loved showcasing Tofurky foods, which our campers and staff love, and Tofurky tattoos have always been a big hit as well!

We were grateful to have the opportunity to sit down with Rachel Perman, Tofurky’s Director of Charitable Giving, to learn a bit more about their work and why doing business better makes the world a little nicer for all of us.

For those who don’t know, what is Tofurky?

Tofurky is an engine for global change. Our decisions and brand intentions are driven by how we can make the world more delicious, using plant-based ingredients.

Tell me about Tofurky’s decision to become a B-Corp and what that means.

B-Corps are social purposes companies, like fair-trade, for the whole business. They are for-profit companies that operate with many non-profit intentions, working to set a good example for how businesses can succeed in healthy ways for their communities and planet.

Tofurky has really always operated this way, before the practice was recognized in the media. So when B-Corp and its certifying body incorporated, it seemed like a natural fit to be audited for the certification and proudly display it in our corporate communication.

Tell me more about the “A Better World” campaign.

Part of being a B-Corp is being better for the environment. We exhibit this in many ways, from operating out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility built to a LEED spec, recycling our food scraps, and producing plant-based foods that reduce our society’s dependence on animal agriculture. If these benefits are wrapped up in the purchase of food that is first and foremost, delicious, we are fulfilling our core tenants.

Why is it so important to advocate for animal and environmental rights?

We operate in a world where CEO Activism is seeing major inroads to editing public policy and perception. Our nation’s business leadership has real power to set intentions with a population hungry for change. If we reduce or eliminate animal products from our diet, we increase animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

So much research is coalescing right now to substantiate plant-based lifestyles; we’re not alone in our vision.  Our brand was one of the first to market almost 40 years ago and has evolved our mission to be first to political action, today.

Why has Tofurky been such a strong supporter of YEA Camp?

Supporting an advocacy group that works to teach, inspire, and empower young (and now also adult) activists seems like a no-brainer!

We are happy to support this important work, and it’s also important to us to make vegan eating tasty and accessible and for activists to feel supported by us. We value your advocacy!

Aww shucks! (We’re blushing.)

What would you say to someone who is trying to go vegan or eat a more plant-based diet but isn’t sure where to begin?

Start small. Pick one item that could be replaced in your regular eating habits. Or pick one meal a week to dedicate to plant-based foods. Tell people your intentions; you’ll find many who are also bringing more plant-based products into their lifestyle and still others who are curious to join. Give that one change 30 days until it becomes an easy habit. Repeat.

Where can people find you?

We’re carried in virtually every store in the nation. Walmart, Target, Publix, Safeway, Kroger and most natural markets. Depending on where you live, you can also buy our products on Amazon Fresh. Yum!

Most importantly, what’s your favorite Tofurky meal?

Tofurky’s Pizza Grilled Cheese OMG!

Oooh – tough one. This pizza grilled cheese sandwich is pretty amazing. A crowd pleaser, for sure!

Wow! Thank you so much, Rachel and Tofurky!

—

We are so grateful to Rachel and team Tofurky for taking the time to talk with us (and for giving us dinner plans – hello pizza grilled cheese sandwich)!

And from everyone here at YEA Camp, thank you so much to Tofurky for your generous support, for your delicious food, and for everything you do to put animals and our planet first!

If you want to try delicious Tofurky products, go out and buy them just about anywhere — or come join us at YEA Camp and try them this summer! Our amazing food is just one of the reasons to attend! If you’re concerned about the state of the world, YEA Camp was designed to help you take your change-making to new heights — and to have the time of your life learning how.

Learn about or sign up for YEA Camp’s teen camp and YEA Camp for Adults here.

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Charlotte with a turkey at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary

In our 10 years of YEA Camp, we have been fortunate enough to have campers attend from a dozen(!) different countries — but none came from as far away as Charlotte Chambers, and she did it twice! Charlotte is a committed animal advocate and vegan, and she traveled all the way from Australia(!) at age 12 and then 13 to attend YEA Camp in Massachusetts the past two summers! We are thrilled to see her applying the activist skills learned at YEA Camp back home “Down Under.”

We are so excited that Charlotte is sharing her story with us, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

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

Charlotte Chambers: Some activism I have done includes getting hundreds of petition signatures to ban live animal export (a terrible practice where live animals are sent off on long journeys on ships from Australia) and volunteering at Edgar’s Mission, a farm animal sanctuary near my town. I did a video for the sanctuary’s Facebook page, attended vegan conferences in Melbourne and the Australian animal activists forum, and participated in marches to protest a new coal mine set to be constructed in Queensland. I have also formed a group for kids and teens who care about the environment and animal rights.

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

CC: I got involved with activism when I was 11, when I went vegan. My whole point of view shifted and I wanted other people to make the same realization about animals that I had — that they are not ours to do with what we please. I started writing assignments on veganism and having conversations with people about it. I wanted to make a bigger difference but I didn’t know how. When I found out about YEA Camp, I was so excited that I would be able to learn how to make a difference.

YEA Camp gave me so many new skills and it helped me gain enough confidence to make significant change. YEA Camp educated me on issues that I wouldn’t necessarily know much about. I learned more about the environment and I decided that I was interested in that area of activism too. I’m currently working on growing my environmental and animal rights group, called Brighter Futures for Animals and the Environment. Our goal is to make positive social change in our area and to make people more aware of the way we impact the environment and the lives of farm animals. We have planned projects such as banning plastic bags in our town, removing cage eggs from our supermarkets, planting more native trees, and educating our school peers about the importance of environmental protection and animal rights. We are currently in the process of meeting with our local representative in Parliament to talk about banning live animal export in Australia.

Charlotte and members of her animal rights club at her high school

YEA: That’s incredible! What challenges have you faced as an activist and how have you dealt with them?

A challenge that I have faced as an activist is the loss of inspiration and the feeling of hopelessness. I often feel that I am just a kid and I can’t make a difference. Sometimes, I ask myself what the point of all this is because it seems as though it’s all a waste of time.

Whenever I get this feeling now, I like to reach out to my activist friends for inspiration. I look back on past activism that I have done and I read about small environmental and animal rights victories that have happened recently. Speaking to my friends from camp helps me get fresh ideas and strategies for my activism and reading about changes helps me feel like I can make a difference.

YEA: That’s great. We all struggle at times, but we can’t give up! What advice do you have for new activists just getting involved?

CC: Some advice that I have for new activists is to go to YEA Camp if you can! It is really life-changing and will definitely give you a head start on your activism. I would also say to try and put yourself out of your comfort zone as much as you can. Go to events, meet new people who share the same passion, get ideas, and stay inspired. Once you know more people who are also into activism, there is now more support for you if you ever feel like you can’t make a difference. Also, keep a journal — sometimes the world just really sucks, and it’s really great to empty all your thoughts on paper.

Melbourne is host of the Animal Activists Forum, an event Charlotte attended

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

CC: YEA Camp helped my activism so much. It helped me gain so much confidence and gave me strategies for how to create the most amount of change. The camp connected me with so many awesome and inspiring people who I’m still friends with and talk to all the time. The workshops that we did at camp help me in my activism as well as my every day life, and I am so grateful for everyone at YEA Camp for giving me this unforgettable experience.

YEA: Aww! That’s amazing to hear! Are there any other organizations you’ve worked with or that have been valuable resources in your activism?

CC: I’ve gotten involved with many organizations since I went to YEA Camp, including Animal Liberation Youth, where I am a part of their organizers’ group in Victoria, and I marched with them at an animal rights march in Melbourne a few weeks ago. I have been getting more involved with Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary, where I was in one of their videos for their Facebook page. I am also part of their new campaign, Kindness to the Max — I have been volunteering with them as much as I can. Some other organizations that I have been involved with include Animals Australia and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

YEA: Amazing! What are some of your short-term and long-term activism goals or plans?

My goals for activism in the future are to expand my group so that we can make large-scale change in our area and state, and I also would like to work more closely with other organizations. For long-term dreams, I would love to see an end to factory farming in my lifetime and possibly an end to animal agriculture, as well as all of Australia’s energy to be renewable.  

Charlotte Chambers is 14 years old and in year 9 at her high school. She is from Bright, Australia and attended the 2016 and 2017 Massachusetts YEA Camp sessions. Her issues of importance are primarily animal rights and environmental justice.

If you are as passionate about making a difference as Charlotte is, you should come to YEA Camp — either to our youth session or to our session for adults! If you want to learn how to get active right away, download our new ebook, The Beginner’s Guide to Changing the World.

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Claire and a rescue turkey at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Former YEA Camper Claire Tamburello has been impressing us since the beginning. As soon as she got home from camp 3 years ago, we saw her share one story after another on social media about all the activism she was doing at school and in her community. We were so blown away that we invited Claire to be our first ever Counselor In Training who was under 18 (she did an amazing job mentoring our youngest girls) — she just had so much experience, it made more sense to have her on staff!

It’s been an inspiration to see her continue to do activism now that she’s in college, and to see her change-making evolve as she matures. We were thrilled that she agreed to share more about her experience with all of us!

YEA Camp: Hey, Claire! Tell us about the activism you’ve done and what you’re working on now!

Claire: In the past, I’ve focused mainly on animal rights issues. I’ve led a circus protest in my Michigan hometown that brought so much attention that the Kelly Miller Circus was asked not to return to my town. I have participated in and led many demonstrations and protests against factory farming, fur stores, SeaWorld, and other establishments that exploit animals. I have also gone to the state capital to advocate against a wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula when the issue was being voted on.

Since this interview, Claire participated and spoke at a major march on her college campus about gun control

In 2016, I was an intern for The Humane League and informed classes and individuals at my college about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. Currently, I’ve shifted gears and am helping to organize a student walkout and rally on my campus to call on lawmakers to reform gun laws in light of recent mass shootings in the United States.

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

CT: My volunteer opportunities mainly come through my university’s environmental clubs.

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

CT: Time and time again, I’ve been told that I can’t make a difference, that I’m just one person and nothing will change because of me. That’s hard to hear but easy to ignore. Simply reminding myself that change is made through many small steps rather than one big one is very encouraging.

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

CT: Get connected! The best way to stay encouraged is to have a go-to group of like-minded individuals who have been through the struggles you face as a new activist.

Claire with YEA Campers at a New York session where she was a CIT

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

CT: YEA Camp absolutely helped me with my activism. It gave me many tools to make me a better activist. For example, YEA Camp includes a workshop on leafleting which includes amazing tips on how to effectively spread your message.

YEA: What activist goals do you have in the future?

CT: I am very passionate about reforming gun laws. As previously stated, I’m helping organize a gun reform walkout and rally on my campus. I hope to have a real impact on the students at my college and inspire them to want to make change as much as I do.

YEA: You’re awesome! Anything else you want to tell us?

CT: Everyone who is able to should attend YEA Camp! It has made me a more effective activist and an all-around more considerate person.

YEA: Awww! So glad to hear that!

Claire is 19 years old and a sophomore at the University of Tampa. She was a camper at the 2014 Massachusetts session and a CIT at the New York 2015 and 2016 sessions.

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

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