It is an impactful 70-year legacy worth celebrating:

“Working with Brown & Haley these past 70 years has given our youth tremendous growth opportunities,” said Rick Taylor, CEO of Camp Fire Central Puget Sound based in Seattle, Wa. “[Young people] got to use candy sales to work on goal setting, developing a plan and tracking progress, having conversations with adults and realizing the successes of their time and efforts. Though the boxes and the count may have changed over the years, the one constant in our eight-decade partnership with Brown & Haley has been Camp Fire Mints. Whether eaten straight out of the box, frozen then put in your coffee or used to make the best s’more you ever have tasted, mints will always bring back fond memories to generations of Camp Fire youth.”

This was a difficult decision based on market demands, production efficiency, and Brown & Haley’s own business objectives. In dedication to our long-standing partnership, Brown & Haley has continued to make mints over the past two decades on one machine dedicated to Camp Fire alone.

“We have been grateful for the opportunity to work with Camp Fire for over 70 years,” said John Melin, CEO & President of Brown & Haley. “We appreciate the positive impact that the Camp Fire organization has on our communities and youth, and we are proud to have played a role in your organization’s success through the Candy Fundraiser. Camp Fire is an important part of Brown & Haley’s company heritage. We would like to express our continued support and admiration for the important work that Camp Fire does in our community. We believe in the important role that the organization plays in providing valuable experiences and opportunities for young people, and we remain committed to supporting your mission.” 

Camp Fire Mint-lovers will have one last year to stock up!

Brown & Haley will re-do the packaging and mints will be sold in plastic pouches. Affiliates will consider other offerings for the future that will work best for their own programs and communities that can engage youth in entrepreneurial and business development activities.

Mints may be gone but the memories, skills learned, and nostalgic taste will linger for all time. A huge thank you to Brown & Haley, Camp Fire affiliates and youth, alumni, and mint-lovers for such a cherished and long-standing relationship. Cheers to the next chapter and new ways to best adapt and serve our youth and families for the decades to come. 

Contact your local Camp Fire affiliate to buy your candy!

###

ABOUT CAMP FIRE

Growing up is hard. That’s why Camp Fire connects young people to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves. Founded in 1910, Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multiracial organization for girls but today is an inclusive national youth development nonprofit that serves all young people. By creating safe spaces where young people can have fun and be themselves, its 46 affiliates in 24 states provide affirming, year-round, youth-driven experiences—school day programs, afterschool programs, leadership programs, and camps and outdoor education—that enable youth to develop essential skills that have long-term benefits and make a positive social impact on the world. 

For more information please contact:

Erin K Risner, Director of Marketing & Communications, Camp Fire National Headquarters, 913.289.4773, erin.risner@campfire.org

The post After 70 Years Camp Fire’s Famous Mints Take a Bow: The Final Season of Camp Fire Candy Sales to Celebrate a Valued Partnership, Legacy with Brown & Haley appeared first on Camp Fire.

Living out your values is never easy. One of our core Camp Fire values is, “We honor the power of young people.” To us, honoring power means sharing power through significant youth participation and decision-making.  

But what does this look like in practice? We’re working hard to authentically integrate youth voice through all layers of our organization. It takes forethought and extra energy to upend the adult-led status quo, but it’s worth it if it builds a Camp Fire truly for and by young people.  

It’s a matter of equity 

Youth Voice isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a justice issue. 

“A huge part of it for me is the equity piece,” said Ben Matthews, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access Manager. “Young people are also a marginalized and oppressed group of people, because of their age and adults’ assumption that they don’t know how to make decisions for themselves.”  

This bias is called adultism, and it’s pervasive in our culture. Ben explained that a major red flag for an adultism attitude is responding to questions from young people with “Because I said so,” “Because I’m the adult,” or “Because that’s just the way we do things.”  

“It’s so much easier to shut down the conversation, rather than to reflect on, ‘Wait a second, why do we do that?’” Ben said.  

Being open to questions doesn’t mean a rule has to change. But treating young people as valuable members of a community means listening to their concerns, brainstorming solutions, and letting them share responsibility for taking action. After all, being a kid or teenager now is completely different from being a kid or teenager 20, 10 or even five years ago. Every generation has unique experiences, challenges and needs. Growing up is hard. 

“Technology, language, the way relationships work—all of that has changed so much,” said Ben. “There’s really no way an adult or anyone more than a couple years older can have any idea what [young people] need right now,” said Ben.  

Challenging adultism by championing youth voice ensures young people get the Camp Fire they need, not the one adults want them to have. 

What is youth voice? 

Inspired by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality’s work on youth voice, Nikki Roe Cropp, Senior Director, Program Effectiveness, explained that when youth voice is fully integrated into an organization, young people share leadership with adults. On the way to that holistic collaboration, organizations often start with seeking youth input and giving young people more choices. The goal is to build on those valuable beginnings to arrive at true power-sharing.  

• Input: Creating opportunities for youth feedback on activities, programming aspects, and more. 
• Choice: Creating opportunities for young people to make relevant, meaningful and authentic decisions.  
• Shared Leadership: Creating opportunities for all youth to lead in diverse, varied and age-appropriate ways. 

“Youth voice has been a crucial part of Camp Fire for a long time,” said Nikki, “but it’s one of those areas we need to talk about, concentrate on, and ensure we’re doing intentionally—and developmentally.”  

Going from status quo to youth-led 

Making the shift to shared leadership means overcoming ingrained cultural beliefs about how adults and young people are supposed to interact. Both Ben and Nikki emphasized how liberating (and even relaxing) it can be for adult leaders to share power with young people. 

“It’s really getting adults to act as facilitators of learning rather than instructors of content,” said Nikki. “It’s having power with young people instead of power over.”  

Sometimes organizations think of youth voice as something for older teens only, but shared leadership can start early and deepen as children grow alongside their leadership skills. Adults still need to be responsible for making safety decisions along the way, but other leadership roles can be shared at all ages. Youth voice isn’t always a linear trajectory, and Camp Fire creates space to share power in multiple overlapping ways. The leadership opportunities listed below roughly correlate to developmental stages, but don’t underestimate younger kids’ abilities to carry out more high-responsibility power-sharing. We want young people to be the leaders they are today, not just build leadership skills for the future.  

• Lower responsibility leadership tasks:  
• Handing out materials 
• Presenting ideas to a small group 
• Helping peers 
• Setting up snacks 
• Helping a group stay positive 
• Taking responsibility for daily routines 
• Explaining directions 

• Intermediate-responsibility leadership tasks:  
• Leading a group discussion, song, project, event, etc. 
• Co-facilitating program activities with an adult 
• Participating in a program task force or leadership program 

• High-responsibility leadership tasks:  
• Planning program activities 
• Facilitating program activities 
• Mentoring other youth 
• Participating in a youth advisory group 
• Starting their own initiative or group 
• Shared power in organizational decision-making 

Advising the adults 

Youth advisory groups deserve a special mention in any discussion of youth voice. They are a powerful channel for integrating youth voice into the larger organization—if the advisory component is prioritized. Leadership programs aren’t the same things as an advisory board whose function is to practice leadership. It’s easy for adults to blur the lines between youth programming and youth advisory cabinets, but adult sponsors can help maintain the focus.    

Julia Fleenor Bejarano, Camp Fire Marketing Manager, and Hannah Howard, Camp Fire Evaluation Manager, both serve as Youth Voice Coordinators for the National Youth Advisory Cabinet (YAC).  

“We think of our YAC like a person on our staff,” explained Hannah. “We treat our YAC members equally; they are important.” 

YAC members are 16 to 18 years old, have Camp Fire experience, and commit to meeting (virtually) with Camp Fire adult leaders (our CEO, president, senior directors and directors) once a month, September through May. As experts in youth experience, they are paid for their time. 

“We try to be really clear,” said Julia, on making sure other adult leaders understand the purpose of the YAC. “The youth are here to help you make decisions. Come ready.” 

YAC meetings include educational content when it’s necessary for them to fulfill their mission, but the first goal is shared leadership. YAC has advised on a wide variety of topics including website design, social media content, how to word youth survey questions, internal training courses and more. In the past, the YAC has led the redesign of awards and recognitions and traditionally been one of the first stops for strategic plan feedback.   

Julia and Hannah have led a professional learning community for Camp Fire affiliates interested in expanding youth voice and have met with other national youth organizations who want to start youth advisory groups. They report that it’s hard for adults everywhere to make the youth-voice shift.  

“It’s really hard for folks to wrap their brain around,” said Hannah. “It’s a longer process of rewiring our brains to understand that young people are equally if not more important in conversations about youth development. It’s a reframe of the power dynamics between adults and youth.”  

Learn more about youth voice at Camp Fire 

The post It’s not a program; it’s a practice appeared first on Camp Fire.

You’ll find in this report the many ways that we continued to learn and grow as an organization. Advancing equity will remain a priority as we move forward as a values-led organization and strive to be relevant to today’s youth and families, meeting the current moment we all find ourselves in.

Our 46 affiliates in 24 states served more than 713,000 youth, adults and families across 5,100+ program sites over the past eight years. Numbers are important, but what really matters are the individual stories of impact at the local level.

We share the following snapshot of Camp Fire’s impact across the country to connect you with the work you make possible. Thank you for being with us on this journey.

Wishing you more courage for more connection,

Greg Zweber, CEO | Camp Fire National Headquarters

Download the Report

The post Camp Fire’s People & Impact: 2022-2023 appeared first on Camp Fire.

In this post, Illuminative well-captured the devastating stats about the lack of safety and high suicide rates that impact our 2SLGBTQ+ young people, just like Nex (learn more here at the Trevor Project). Camp Fire has long supported and affirmed all 2SLGBTQ+ young people and works to create spaces where all young people feel safe and can thrive. In fact, we just published a new study about “the impact of both physical spaces and psychological conditions that allow youth “to just be,” with an emphasis on identity and gender-affirming practices for transgender and non-binary young people,” because we KNOW how much it matters for all adults and organizations to CREATE these spaces. They don’t just happen.

We must come together and support one another – especially our 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Our young people should never live in fear. They need us.

Members of Camp Fire Green Country plan to be at Nex’s vigil Sunday evening

Please be aware of and share these important lifesaving resources:

• Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 (Staffed by transgender folks, for transgender folks; toll-free)
• The Trevor Project Hotline: 866-488-7386 (Available 24/7; with counselors trained in supporting LGBTQ youth)
• Rainbow Youth Project: 988 or call (317) 643-4888 (Crisis line)
• Native Crisis Text line: Text NATIVE to 741741 (Available 24/7; text support provided by crisis counselors)

Follow on IG:

• @FreedomOklahoma 
• @TransAdvocacyOK 
• @glaad @trevorproject 
• @WeRNative 
• @stopbullyinggo

The post Protect Trans* Kids: Remembering Nex Benedict appeared first on Camp Fire.

I’m not only a Kansas City area resident and a youth development professional, but I’m also a mom of two who watched online as the horror of yesterday’s shooting unfolded in my own community. Nine children were treated for gunshot wounds.

I will be honest and say I didn’t sleep and I can’t seem to get rid of this sick feeling in my stomach. I also had to talk to my third grader about it before school this morning. What a nightmare.

But I know I’m not alone; not only am I one of millions who are also devastated and struggling today, but as I sit at my computer, fellow parents and residents across the city who were there in person yesterday are grappling–especially those directly impacted.

I don’t have to tell you how devastating gun violence is on our communities and the effects it has on young people. We pulled up this post we published in May 2022 expressing our grief after the shooting in Uvalde, TX, which was one of 644 mass shootings that year. Then, 2023 had 656 mass shootings. In the first two months of 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings. The gun violence at the Kansas City parade started between individuals but ended in mass casualties. When will it stop?

We are all connected. Our care and response matters. At Camp Fire, “We are responsive” is one of our eight core values and something we take seriously, especially when it comes to looking out for the health, safety, and well-being of young people–our number one priority. Youth can’t learn, grow, and thrive if they don’t feel safe.  

It is important that in moments like this, we take time to sit with our emotions, care for each other, and let the shock and grief transform into action. When we allow ourselves space to feel all our emotions, our minds can begin to clear and we can move forward with clear, effective action while avoiding causing more harm.

I hope you have taken the time to check in with yourself, your families, friends, and your coworkers. We need each other.

Find some resources below for you and the young people in your life as you process and cope with the tragedies in our communities, across our country, and beyond borders. 

How to talk to your kids when the news is scary:

Access the Document

How to talk about gun violence:

How to Talk About Gun Violence

Here are some other good pieces of advice I came across today:

• “After significant events, children often want to take action as well. Drawing a picture, writing a letter, or giving them another outlet to express those feelings is extremely helpful.” – Amanda Davis, Director of Therapy Services, St. Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center of Kansas City. Read the rest of Davis’ advice here.
• Resources from Children’s Mercy in Kansas City on navigating the tragedy of this shooting
• Call 9-8-8 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.You can also text “share” to 741-741.

Places to take action:

• Everytown
• Moms Demand Action
• Students Demand Action
• Five actions to take to be there for kids, from The Children’s Place.

The post Heartbreak and Horror: Resources to Talk to Kids About Gun Violence and When the News is Scary appeared first on Camp Fire.

The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing today its Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024, which is focused on proven strategies that will accelerate academic performance for every child in school. There is nothing more important to our future than ensuring children are equipped to compete in the 21st century. That’s why the Administration is laying out an agenda for academic achievement for every school in the country, using all of its tools—including accountability, reporting, grants, and technical assistance—to intensify its drive for adoption of three evidence-based strategies that improve student learning: (1) increasing student attendance; (2) providing high-dosage tutoring; and (3) increasing summer learning and extended or afterschool learning time.

Today, several philanthropic and national organizations are announcing commitments to support academic achievement. The Administration will continue to work with these kinds of organizations to further build on these commitments. Read about the commitments from the organizations below here: (see Camp Fire under AT&T!)

• Afterschool Alliance
• Attendance Works
• AT&T
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• National PTA  
• National Summer Learning Association
• Overdeck Family Foundation
• Parent Teacher Home Visits
• Wallace Foundation
• YMCA
• Zearn

The post Camp Fire & AT&T Are a Part of the White House’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda in 2024 appeared first on Camp Fire.

Our values are our North Star. They guide our strategic vision and our day-to-day work. We’ve been a values-led organization since 1910, and it’s what has allowed us to survive for 114 years and it’s what will help us continue to meet the current moment.

On our journey to inclusion, which includes a commitment to expanding spaces for young people to “simply be”, we sought to understand how the intentionality in which we create programs impacted participants. We asked the question,  

“What impact (if any) do gender-inclusive and gender-affirming measures have on young people, their caregivers, and their camp experience?” 

This question led to a year-long study at two of our camps, which engaged transgender and non-binary youth and their caregivers following their summer camp experience.  The result is this report, a product of the vulnerability and honesty the participants were willing to share with us. We are honored to share with you and the world today: the first-of-its-kind report around the impact of both physical spaces and psychological conditions that allow youth “to just be,” with an emphasis on identity and gender-affirming practices for transgender and non-binary young people.

We believe all young people deserve to belong and access opportunities to thrive, so we intentionally craft our Camp Fire programs and spaces in ways that make this possible. Inclusion, belonging, and thriving don’t just happen by accident – it takes a lot of thoughtfulness, attention, and work.

The Othering and Belonging Institute website says, “The concept of belonging describes more than a feeling of inclusion or welcome. Its full power is as a strategic framework for addressing ongoing structural and systemic othering, made visible, for example, in the wide disparities in outcomes found across a variety of sectors and identity groups.”

Camp Fire isn’t just implementing gender-affirming practices, we’re expanding opportunities for young people to exist in their fullness through any means necessary – looking at and updating our policies, practices, language, operations, and structures.

We believe this report is just the tip of the iceberg. Our goal and hope is to scale the research in the years to come and continue to learn and grow, while always centering youth voice. So Camp Fire can continue to best serve our incredible transgender and non-binary youth. 

Download the full report below.

Download the Report

Space for Identity Exploration: Through the Lens of Gender © 2024 by Camp Fire, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International 

The post New, First-of-its-Kind Study: Creating Gender-Affirming Spaces at Summer Camp appeared first on Camp Fire.

“We are extremely excited about this dynamic group of individuals that span the worlds of youth development, HR, entrepreneurship, communications and marketing, and executive leadership, ” said Greg Zweber, Camp Fire National Headquarters CEO. “Coming through the impacts of COVID-19 and with recent investments from #startsmall, 3M, and AT&T, Camp Fire is at a pivotal time in its growth and development. Ann, Jason, Quincy, Matthew, Terri, and Christopher’s timing couldn’t be better: they will bring much-needed expertise and experience to the national board, which help us build on our momentum and prepare for future success.”

Meet this impressive group of leaders:

Christopher S. Moore is the Chief Executive Officer of FIRST, a global robotics community that prepares young people for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Chris has been a leading voice, advocate, and positive youth development champion for more than 15 years. Before his role at FIRST, Chris served as CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance, a youth sports training and content development organization, and the CEO of United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the country.

At both organizations, Chris led efforts to train millions of youth and amateur coaches and increase youth participation in recreational and competitive soccer programs worldwide, while transforming the lives of millions of youth, high school, and collegiate athletes. Before those roles, he was President and CEO of GENYOUTH.

Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from Lake Forest College in Illinois and earned his MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is originally from Chicago but currently resides in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, with his wife of 23 years. They have two sons, one of whom is a second-year college student at the University of Texas in Austin, and the other is a high school senior.

Terri Ferinde is a partner of Collaborative Communications where she supports organizations and ecosystems that ensure youth learn and thrive. Known for her work in afterschool systems building, she manages the 50 State Afterschool Network funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Terri was named one of the 25 most influential people in the afterschool sector by the National AfterSchool Association in 2014 and continues to connect people and organizations devoted to afterschool and summer learning.

At Collaborative, Terri leads teams that develop innovative solutions with extraordinary results and lasting impact, offering deep expertise in education, out-of-school time learning, and youth development with exceptional skills in media and engagement, organizational learning, events, and digital solutions. 

Terri is a Doctorate of Education candidate at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College focused on organizational leadership and learning. She holds a master’s degree from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree from American University. She grew up in the shadow of Pikes Peak and now strives to be outdoors exploring mountains and lakes with her dogs whenever possible.

Matthew Egan is the Managing Director of Strategy, at global brand consultancy Siegel+Gale. In his work, he partners closely with clients across a range of industries to help them define, design, and deploy world-class brand experiences. Matt received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. Father to Lila (age 18), Matt is a recent empty nester and lives in Chappaqua, New York.

Quincy Henry is the Co-Owner and CEO of Campfire Coffee in Tacoma, WA, an outdoor and coffee brand. He and his wife Whitni launched Campfire Coffee in March 2020. Before starting Campfire Coffee, he was once upon a time a Grammy-nominated musician and in his free time, executed marketing campaigns for everyone from Microsoft to REI and nonprofits around the Seattle area. His curiosity led him to a PhD in industrial and organizational psychology but everything led him back to the thing that he and Whitni enjoyed most: being in the outdoors with family and friends. They can often be found getting outside with their three kids who also love to camp, kayak, and hike.

Ann Sheets spent 43 years with Camp Fire First Texas, as camp director and Sr. Vice-President for Finance and Administration, then retiring after serving as President and CEO in 2020. She served as co-chair of Camp Fire’s Charter Task Force and currently serves as a member of the National Finance Committee. Her experience also includes numerous volunteer positions with the American Camp Association (ACA), including serving as national president and national treasurer. She is the author of The Business of Camp, ACA’s Guide to Staffing and ACA’s Guide to Financial Management and edited the 9th edition of Basic Camp Management.

Ann is a graduate of East Texas State University and George Williams College (GWC), now a part of Aurora University, where she is a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee. She was recognized as a GWC Distinguished Alumna, was named the Non-profit CFO of the Year by the Fort Worth Business Press, and was honored with ACA’s Distinguished Service Award. She currently works with BT Consulting and is a member of the Fort Worth Rotary Club and an instructor in the TCU Silver Frogs program. She has two adult children and one grandson.

Jason Peterson leads a global team of 10 Talent Acquisition consultants and Talent Brand specialists for Entrust, a global leader in cybersecurity. In his role, he is responsible for team and individual development, organization onboarding of new hires, talent and workforce planning strategies, and perpetuating DEI efforts.

Jason lives outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota with his three children and wife of 26 years. He is passionate about youth development and has volunteered as a coach or player development leader for more than 10 years through local youth sports programs.

Welcome Matthew, Chris, Quincy, Ann, Terri, and Jason! We are excited to have your unique insights and leadership to guide Camp Fire in 2024 and beyond.

###

ABOUT CAMP FIRE

Growing up is hard. That’s why Camp Fire connects young people to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves. Founded in 1910, Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multiracial organization for girls but today is an inclusive national youth development nonprofit that serves all young people. By creating safe spaces where young people can have fun and be themselves, its 46 affiliates in 24 states provide affirming, year-round, youth-driven experiences—school day programs, afterschool programs, leadership programs, and camps and outdoor education—that enable youth to develop essential skills that have long-term benefits and make a positive social impact on the world. 

For more information please contact:

Erin K Risner, Director of Marketing & Communications, Camp Fire National Headquarters, 913.289.4773, erin.risner@campfire.org

The post Six New Members Join Camp Fire’s National Board of Trustees to Kick Off 2024 appeared first on Camp Fire.

Camp Fire’s mission is to connect young people to the outdoors, to others and to themselves. It takes regular recommitment to stay the connection course. NLC gave us an inspiration re-up right when we needed it, and we wanted to share a few of the stories that are recentering us in 2024.  

Connecting to the outdoors 

Our friends at Camp Fire Minnesota won this year’s NLC Connection to the Outdoors award for going above and beyond to open the outdoors to all kids. (See the other honorees here!) We’re in awe of the width, breadth and welcoming spirit of their outdoor programming. Particularly inspiring: 84 percent of their participants share that “because of Camp Fire, they want to take care of nature and planet Earth.”  

PreK-12 environmental education, after school explorations, summer camps, school break day camps in all seasons, Northwoods adventure trips, a nature immersion preschool, free online outdoor learning resources — they literally do not stop. Proof? In the winter, these folks cut cold plunge holes in Lake Minnewashta for their winter Sauna Camp! (Open to the public. Sign us up!)  

We want to emulate Camp Fire Minnesota’s year-round outdoor enthusiasm and inclusive mindset. It might be tough for the hibernators among us, but we know the benefits of getting outdoors are too powerful to let a little weather get in the way. So we’re committing to more winter outdoor time! 

Reconnection challenge: How many times per week can you get outside this winter? Set the bar low: Just walking around the block counts as outdoor time! Bundle up, invite the young people in your life, and go!    

Connecting to others 

At NLC, we also got an update on a new partnership with Playworks called Tag Team. Designed to support kids during the school day, Camp Fire Heartland and Camp Fire Alaska have been piloting the program of evidenced-based recess strategies to rave reviews. The goal? Play.  

Why? “Kids who play are resilient, empathetic, and active,” says Playworks. We believe it! Tag Team uses the Playworks playbook (ha!) to foster fun (and, oh, right, teach valuable SEL skills). Research says high-quality recesses boost students’ executive functioning, emotional self-control, resilience and positive classroom behavior. Educators report that Playworks help students learn cooperation, demonstrate empathy and connect to their peers.   

Which makes us ask: If recess can connect kids at school, can it connect…us…anywhere? Playworks has an extensive, searchable free game library online. What would happen if we instituted grown-up recess? We’re game to find out! (See what we did there?)  

Reconnection challenge: Do you set aside playtime with your friends, family, and/or co-workers? How can you bring more play — and connection — into your life? 

Connecting to ourselves 

NLCers got to hear from John Hamilton, Alliance for Camp Health’s Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, on the organization’s mental, emotional and social health framework. The aim of mesh(+) is to “integrate the mind, nature, and spirituality with individual character development and communal engagement.” We dig it. 

ACH has a variety of mesh(+) resources available, including training for community builders, learning modules for out-of-school time program developers, pocket guides for camp staff and counselors, and more.  

Bonus: Some mesh(+) fundamentals got us thinking about how we can reconnect to ourselves, too. In ACH’s (free) mesh resource guide, they cover how to help campers meet their basic needs. Food, water, sunscreen and bugspray? Nope. These are the true essentials:  

• Power: learning skills, knowing your impact, giving and receiving specific praise, recognizing effort, trying stuff, contributing answers 
• Freedom: Having choice, space, flexibility and options 
• Love and Belonging: Listening and being listened to, validating emotions, offering and receiving care, seeing and being seen, interacting calmly and with kindness 
• Fun: Variety, games, storytelling, creativity, exploration, music, celebration 

We’re not only doing a gut check on whether Camp Fire is offering power, freedom, love/belonging and fun to young people but questioning…are we offering them to ourselves?  

Reconnection challenge: Are you low on power, freedom, love/belonging or fun in your life? What changes can you make to give yourself more of these basic needs?  

What are you reconnecting with in 2024? Connect with a Camp Fire affiliate near you! 

The post Reconnection over Resolution appeared first on Camp Fire.

Camp Fire and the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) have spent the past year intentionally developing a relationship similar to that of two rivers converging. Both groups have long recognized that there may be natural points of intersection and alignment where their combined efforts could benefit each organization and yield a greater impact for young people and communities. Our programs are different in scope and mission, yet we are united in our dedication to youth. 

​​Camp Fire exists because growing up is hard. That’s why Camp Fire connects young people to the outdoors, to others and to themselves. But Camp Fire’s history of cultural appropriation has made growing up harder, not easier, especially for Native youth. And for that, we are deeply saddened and sorry. In looking at the cultural appropriation with our organization, we recognized this work will be waiting for us, whether we address it now or in 100 years. Thus began our journey from appropriation to reparations over the past years.

Today, as we find ourselves in a new relationship with NIEA, to build an ecosystem of abundance, where our strengths are not the same but are complementary and create a world where young people thrive. Our shared mission is to carry their hopes and aspirations and support them becoming their reality, now and in the future.

The ultimate goal of our collaboration is to create Camp Fire spaces in Native communities or increase access for Native youth to safely attend Camp Fire programming. This means:

• Co-creating safe spaces for Native and non-Native youth
• Co-creating place-based teaching and opportunities ABOUT and FOR Native youth
• Supporting Camp Fire to create awareness of unique and complex Native youth identities that should be reflected our programming.

The Camp Fire/NIEA equitable partnership will focus on two areas: Environmental Education and 2Spirit youth. Through environmental education, we seek to understand stewardship of the Earth through a Native lens but doing so without borrowing or appropriating Native practices or traditions. We will also be expanding Traditional Ecological Knowledge through joint curriculum and program opportunities.

Environmental Education

Programming aimed to understand stewardship of the natural world through a Native lens, but without borrowing or appropriating Native practices or traditions.

Objective 1: Create a framework for current and future environmental education programming, with focus less on nature-based activities, more on personal connections and understanding.

Objective 2: Co-develop a nature-based toolkit based on the framework.

Objective 3: Pilot a program using the new framework and toolkit.

Objective 4: Expanding joint curriculum to wider organizational networks.

In support of 2spirit LGBTQ+ young people, we will work to ensure the safety and positive identity development of 2S youth through youth participatory action research that starts with their voices around what they need and desire to feel safe and supported. We will amplify the stories of 2S young people who are thriving because representation matters. We will also be scaling community action clubs and affinity spaces that support the social and emotional well-being of young people.

Two Spirit, LGBTQ+ Youth Support

Ensuring the identity safety of 2SLGTQ+ youth through programs, resource development, and local and national policy work.

Objective 1: Develop or update wellness survey or needs assessment for national 2S youth (12-17) inclusive of the health of the environment in which the youth live

Objective 2: Create media content that captures stories of 2SLGBTQ+ young people and how they want to be supported.

Objective 3: Scale Camp Fire Green Country’s GSA model to tribal and BIE schools.

Objective 4: Co-develop a course for supporting and advocating for youth.

Objective 5: Develop indigenous-focused 2SLGBTQ+ policy/advocacy and programming toolkits for youth and educational leaders.

We are determined to elevate the voices of those who have been and continue to be, marginalized by a dominant culture. Our intention is to uplift, educate, listen, and learn. We look to each organization’s knowledge, skills, and advocacy to further improve our own.

“[This] relationship did not happen overnight. They took their time, getting to know each other as people and as organizations. Finding where they have common goals and discovering each organization’s strengths and how they could share those strengths to help one another. Camp Fire needed to show it was serious in order for Diana (NIEA’s CEO) to really let them in. So they did the work. And they kept showing up. And they offered what they had, and they earned Diana’s trust. In Diana’s words, it takes “grace, patience, and understanding” to develop true partnerships.

Reverend Jen Bailey, founder of the Faith Matters Network, says that: “Social change happens at the speed of relationships. And relationships move at the speed of trust.” And I’ve also heard Shawna [Rosenzweig, Camp Fire National Headquarters President] say that “partnerships move at the speed of relationships.”

Camp Fire and NIEA took their time to build that trust. Shawna has shared that this partnership is laying the blueprint for how they’d like to approach all partnerships – steeped in transparency, honesty and equitable power.”

Rebecca Goldberg (she/her), Impact Group Facilitator, Grantmakers for Education

Both NIEA and Camp Fire want to model how organizations can go beyond a transactional one-off partnership but work together with equity at the center––not only to address past injustices, but to provide the best possible programming for young people to be healthy, strong, and resilient leaders both today and in the future.

We’re excited to accelerate the flow of this river together, bringing new life and abundance to the ecosystem around it in the years to come.

The post A Confluence of Two Rivers: Introducing a New Relationship with the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and Camp Fire appeared first on Camp Fire.