This camp may inspire your teen toward green
By Lynn with Laura Carver
Wouldn’t you like your teen to return from summer camp inspired to make a difference?
“I wanted to let you know how wonderful and vital your YEA camp was for our daughter! She not only loved her time there, but she came back with something which I believe will be of lasting value to her, namely a sense that she can make a difference in the world.
The camp, along with your follow-up encouragement, helped her focus her enthusiasm for her cause of vegetarianism and sustainability into positive action. She wrote to a vegetarian activist organization, obtained literature from them, and spent the better part of a Saturday morning in our local neighborhood merchant district, handing out the pamphlets and talking to people about the problems with factory animal farming. She felt a real sense of accomplishment in this. I don’t know how many people she influenced in her efforts, but the experience opened doors to new methods and thought processes, and I am confident that she will be able to draw from this experience for years to come.” -Mike, dad of Jesse, 13 years old, California
There are plenty of camps that allow teens to roast marshmallows and swim in lakes, but there also are camps that teach kids how to run a recycling campaign, plan a neighborhood cleanup, or fight a new coal-fired power plant.
YouthEmpoweredAction (YEA) Camp offers three of them.
YEA is a unique and fun week-long summer camp for 12-17 year-olds who want to make a difference in their communities. Youth at YEA camps develop skills, knowledge and confidence to get involved and display leadership on the issues they care about–from climate change to sustainable agriculture, and much, much more.
YEA’s staff members and volunt
eers are not your typical camp counselors. They are teachers, environmental activists, political campaigners, grassroots outreach experts, volunteer managers, artists, and communications experts – all knowledgeable about and experienced working on the most pressing issues in our society – including key environmental issues like climate change, environmental justice, factory farming, and tackling corporate polluters. This means that YEA can provide significant insight and experience to help campers hone the skills needed to bring about positive change.
YEA Camp’s work doesn’t end once camp ends, though. YEA’s program is aimed at launching youth into a lifetime of activism and social change. That’s why YEA works to connect campers interested in environmental issues towards green organizations that will allow them to apply their new skills and confidence with the great work that environmental non-profits are doing, and letting them know what amazing resources are available for them. YEA also builds a community to support campers in taking action and staying involved long after camp has ended.
YEA’s green summer camp has sessions in Portland, OR, northern California, and central New Jersey, and campers travel from all over the country to attend this unique program.
The cost is $950 and scholarships are available.
To find out more about YEA Camp or to apply, visit www.yeacamp.org or view this 2-minutevideo.
Laura Carver is the assistant director of YEA Camp and can be reached at laura@yeacamp.org or 503-347-0223
We’ll be writing more about camps where kids celebrate and learn about the environment in the next month. If your child has attended one, let us know and maybe we’ll feature it.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
