This election season, it’s hard to miss all the negative campaign ads, mudslinging and scare tactics on tv and online. Some people chock it up to “just politics,” but I know from my own experience as a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, as well as working in youth development for nearly two decades, that politics have real consequences on the lives of young people—many of whom aren’t old enough to vote themselves. When youth are under attack with no recourse at the polls, it’s up to caring adults to support them. I want to acknowledge that young people from other historically excluded identities, specifically Black, Asian, Latino/a/x/e, Indigenous, and immigrants, are also targeted and experiencing the same dangerous mental health impacts.

The Trevor Project reports that “in 2022 alone, nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 39 states.” Many of the bills target young people. The measures restrict or criminalize health care for trans youth, bar access to appropriate facilities such as restrooms, restrict trans students’ full participation in school and sports, permit religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people and make it more difficult to get identification documents with their name and gender. 

These public debates have a profoundly negative effect on youth mental health. According to The Trevor Project, “this year, 85% of transgender & nonbinary and 66% of LGBTQ young people said recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health.” As a queer leader of a national youth development organization, I feel compelled to do better for our kids. And I need you to be actively involved, too, whether you are a parent or guardian, an educator, a youth worker or just someone who cares.

Move From “It’s Political” to “It’s Personal”

Identities are personal but are often politicized to create fear, especially during election years. One way to be a supportive adult to LGBTQ2S+ youth is to educate yourself about the pressures and prejudices they are facing. It can be tempting to think that society is becoming more accepting overall but “45% of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth have attempted suicide,” so we know that there is still a lot of work to be done. Staying in tune with LGBTQ2S+ advocacy organizations and with LGBTQ2S+ youth organizations can keep you informed about the progress and opportunities for building a more inclusive world. 

When it comes to elections, inform yourself about candidates and ballot measures. Do your homework to know how LGBTQ2S+ youth will be affected by specific politicians and legislation. Stay engaged at the local level as well as in state and federal elections. Listen to the stories of kids and teens who just want to live their lives authentically and free from harm. 

Create Welcoming Spaces for LGBTQ2S+ Youth

During election season and beyond, supportive adults have opportunities to make spaces where youth can be themselves, find belonging and get involved in a meaningful way. In my work at Camp Fire, that looks like connecting youth to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves. This is our vision:

We envision a world where all young people thrive and have equitable opportunities for self-discovery, community connection, and engagement with nature.

Creating equitable opportunities that meet youth where they are involves intentional investment in young people who have been historically excluded, including those who identify as LGBTQ2S+. It means honoring the power of young people with meaningful participation in decision-making. It also means nurturing equitable developmental relationships.

Nurture Developmental Relationships

It’s important—and hopeful—to know that youth can be positively influenced by adults both in and outside of their families. “No matter the source of hardship, the single most common factor for children who end up doing well is having the support of at least one stable and committed relationship with a parent, caregiver, or other adult,” reads Harvard’s The Science of Resilience. In the case of LGBTQ2S+ youth, The Trevor Project’s research has shown that “even one accepting adult can decrease an LGBTQ young person’s risk of suicide by up to 40%.” You matter to youth.

One way that Camp Fire is investing in high-impact intergenerational relationships is by working with the Search Institute’s framework for developmental relationships. Developmental relationships are relationships that help people discover who they are, develop the skills they need to live with agency, and connect and give back to others. The Search Institute’s framework for developmental relationships includes five components of a powerfully positive connection:

1. Express care—Show me that I matter to you.
2. Challenge growth—Push me to keep getting better.
3. Provide support—Help me complete tasks and achieve goals.
4. Share power—Treat me with respect and give me a say.
5. Expand possibilities—Connect me with people and places that broaden my world.

Think about how you can engage in the framework in your role(s) with youth. Get more ideas from the Search Institute for building developmental relationships.

Keep the Conversation Going

Being supportive means showing up consistently and being open when youth are ready to talk. Remember that listening is more important than having all the answers.

• Check out these helpful how-to guides from On Our Sleeves on Talking to Kids About Politics and Talking to Children About Current Events.
• Use Camp Fire’s guide, How to Talk to Your Kids When the News is Scary, which includes breathing exercises and ways to take action.

The post How Election Season Impacts LGBTQ2S+ Youth appeared first on Camp Fire.

As Camp Fire’s National YAC we want to say to the LGBTQ2S+ youth of Texas and Florida – young person to young person – you are magic. We stand in solidarity with you and your families and will do everything in our power to stand up for your right to be exactly who you are.

We are extremely saddened by the actions taken by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott against Trans* youth and their families. Gender-affirming health care is literally life-saving for Trans* youth. Threatening the health and family safety of Trans* young people is cruel and discriminatory. We also absolutely do not support Florida’s recent bill HB 1557 “Don’t Say Gay” which restricts schools from discussing LGBTQ+ identities. Representation is life-saving and the state of Florida’s refusal to acknowledge identities that account for more than half of young people in America today is a disgusting display of political manipulation and blatant attack on LGBTQ2S+ youth that is abhorrent and unacceptable.

To the young people of the United States and Camp Fire, we ask you to take action. Even if we are too young to vote, we can be an agent of change. Below we have included a list of organizations to follow and support that have direct actions you can take to fight the discrimination that is happening in Texas. Our Trans* siblings need us.

To the adults of our country and Camp Fire, now is the time to show up for Trans* youth. Donate. Advocate. Educate. Vote.

We have also included below scripts you can use to call and email Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to make clear to them that the young people, staff, and families of Camp Fire are watching and we absolutely condemn their violence against young Trans* people and their families.

Camp Fire believes in the dignity and the intrinsic worth of every human being. And we will stand together in support of each other. Always.

Take Action

Below are organizations you can follow and support that have direct actions you can take to support Trans* youth in Texas.

• https://txtranshealth.org/for-patients
• https://www.greenmatters.com/p/texas-transgender-news-help-youth
• https://www.txtranskids.org

Organizations to Follow:

• The Trevor Project
• Transplaining
• Thrive Youth Center
• Human Rights Campaign
• TENT

General Advocacy Resources

• Service and Advocacy Projects From Home

Scripts to Call/Email The Governors of Florida and Texas

Email Script – FL HB 1557/ “Don’t Say Gay” 2/2022 

GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

Gov. Ron DeSantis, 

Nearly HALF of LGBTQ2S+ young people have seriously considered suicide in the last 12 months. How can we reduce these grim statistics? By believing and supporting young people. The risk of suicide is cut in half when an LGBTQ+ young person has JUST ONE space in their life where they feel affirmed in who they are. Pitting every adult in their lives and the state of Florida against their very existence isn’t going to help. 

Major contributing factors to LGBTQ2S+ youth depression, anxiety, and suicidality are: not feeling supported by parents/caretakers/teachers, being physically, emotionally, and mentally abused by unsupportive parents; fear of becoming homeless if parents/caretakers find out that they are LGBTQ2S+ and being constantly told by political leaders that they do not exist and SHOULD not exist. Bills such as CS/CS/HB 1557 act to further alienate and stigmatize young LGBTQ+ people. For more than six years study after study has shown that more than half of young people in the US today identify as something other than “heterosexual.” By refusing to acknowledge those identities, the state of Florida is refusing to acknowledge more than half of the young people in your care and significantly increasing their risk of negative life outcomes.  

Do better, 

Your Name 

Phone script – FL HB 1557/ “Don’t Say Gay” 2/2022 

(850) 488-7146

“Hello, I am calling to say I do not support Florida bill HB 1557 that restricts schools from discussing LGBTQ2S+ identities. Representation is life-saving and the state of Florida’s refusal to acknowledge identities that account for more than half of young people in America today is a disgusting display of political manipulation and blatant attack on LGBTQ2S+ youth that is abhorrent and unacceptable. Do better

Email Script – Transgender Health Care in TX 2/2022 

Office of the Texas Governor Contact Form

Your recent support of AG Ken Paxton’s “interpretation” of transgender healthcare for minors as abuse is a gross misrepresentation of what Transgender health care is, and contradicts the best practices of leading state, national, and global health organizations such as the World Health Organization and the national Centers for Disease Control. Findings from the National Academy of Medicine and the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2020 confirmed that Trans* and Non-binary people already experience higher rates of violence, victimization, mental health, and substance abuse disorders compared to non-trans* people. According to surveys conducted by The Trevor Project, more than half of Trans* and Non-binary youth have seriously considered suicide in the last 12 months. You should be asking why and what you and the state of Texas can do to lower these numbers. Criminalizing parents and caretakers who are simply trying to save their children’s lives is not it. 

85% of transgender and nonbinary youth say that recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health. 

Proposed legislation that would ban doctors from prescribing gender-affirming medical care like puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy to transgender and nonbinary youth make 73% of transgender and nonbinary youth feel angry, 57% feel sad, 47% feel stressed, 40% feel scared, and more than 1 in 3 feel hopeless, helpless, and/or nervous. 

Access to gender-affirming health care saves lives. The risk of suicidal ideation and self-harm among Trans* and Non-binary youth is cut in half when they have JUST ONE space in their lives where they can express themselves authentically. One of the leading causes of LGBTQ2S+ young people experiencing anxiety, depression, and outrageously disproportionate numbers of suicide is the politicization of their identities. Not only does your proposal to constitute gender-affirming care as abuse hurt Trans* and Non-binary young people, it invalidates and restricts resources from young people in Texas who are actually being abused and neglected.  

Do better, 

Your Name 

Phone Script – Transgender Health Care in TX 2/2022 

(512) 463-2000

“Hello, I am calling to demand Governor Greg Abbott recant his recent opinions on transgender healthcare for young people. AG Ken Paxton’s “interpretation” of transgender healthcare for minors as abuse is a gross misrepresentation of what Transgender health care is, and contradicts the best practices of leading state, national, and global health organizations such as the World Health Organization and the national Centers for Disease Control. This opinion will cost LGBTQ2S+ young people their lives. Do better.” 

There is a lot happening in the world and in the news right now. While we think that being informed is important, we also need to make sure we are checking in with ourselves and each other and giving our brains breaks. We also need to be vigilant about where we are getting our information from and practicing digital literacy when taking-in and sharing information.

Below are some resources you can use to check in with yourself and protect your mental health. We have also provided some digital literacy best practices to keep in mind.

General Resources

• • Support Our Youth – Hotlines/Resources
  • Camp Fire’s Emotional Check-In Guide

Resources For Adults

• • • Talking to Kids About Current Events
    • How To Talk to Your Kids When the News is Scary

Digital Literacy

• • Always look for sources that are centering the voices of the people in that community you are researching – Go to those organizations first for your information.
  • When looking at statistics: see how many times that same stat has been published. The more sources that use that stat, the more reliable the information. 
  • Do research on who is providing the information – what is the motive for sharing that info? What is the author’s background?
  • Fact-checking tools

The post Camp Fire’s National Youth Advisory Cabinet Stands With Trans* Youth appeared first on Camp Fire.

January 12, 2022

Kansas City, Mo. –  Three years after launching CAMPER: Camp Accessibility, Meaningful Participation, and Equal Representation in 2019, national inclusive youth development organization Camp Fire will continue to expand this critical grant with a new group of overnight camps in seven states.

C.A.M.P.E.R. was created to remove barriers and expand overnight camp opportunities among historically excluded identities including 1) young people from economically underserved backgrounds, 2) LGBTQ2S+ youth, and 3) young people with disabilities. Camp Fire’s goal is to ensure that all youth participating in its overnight camps feel welcome, emotionally affirmed, and physically comfortable – especially those who have been historically excluded from quality youth development experiences in the outdoors.

Between 2019 and 2021, this grant funding allowed the first cohort of 10 camps to increase training around cultural responsiveness and the specific needs of priority populations, as well as the removal of physical, emotional, and financial barriers.

Accessibility was addressed through facility upgrades such as renovated, ADA accessible bathrooms and showers, the addition of ramps, the construction of additional accessible cabins, ADA accessible paths connecting program spaces, creating sensory chill zones, and the purchase of assistive devices. Camps hired staff specifically to act as inclusion and support specialists to help campers and families navigate any barriers they encountered leading up to or, at camp. Camps also increased privacy in changing spaces, bathrooms, and cabins allowing for a more comfortable camp experience.

Camp Fire councils worked with Coaching Peace Consulting to reimagine some of its most popular camp games with all abilities in mind. Additional staff training and resources were created through this process, focusing on culturally responsive programming in order to best support youth with disabilities and neurodiversity, create safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ2S+ staff and participants, and self-reflection activities to help staff explore their own identities and power.

“We’ve seen incredibly exciting and encouraging results over the past few years with CAMPER,” said Greg Zweber, Camp Fire National Headquarters president and CEO. “From the hiring of Inclusion Specialists’ at camps to support the accessibility and comfort needs of campers, staff, and families, to the ability to attract additional funding from new partners, to significant investment and work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and access as an organization, this grant has been paramount to our organizational advancement. We are grateful for how this initiative has helped us lay the groundwork for the future, so all young people truly feel welcome and thought of in our programs and at our camps.”

Participant councils are based in Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, California, Oregon and Georgia. The CAMPER initiative is made possible through an additional three-year grant from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

###

For more information, please contact:

Erin Risner, Director of Marketing & Communications, Camp Fire National Headquarters

816.285.2001, erin.risner@campfire.org

The post CAMPER 2.0: Increasing Camp Accessibility for Historically Excluded Groups of Young People appeared first on Camp Fire.

Like many of you, we have not only been responding to COVID-19 since March but have also been trying to understand ourselves in the current moment.

“What is the current reality demanding of us as a leader?”

Bianca J. Baldridge challenged our network with this question during our national virtual CEO Summit conference in October.

We believe in the intrinsic value, dignity, and worth of every person. That is what drives us in our work as a youth-serving organization, and that is the lens from which we make all of our decisions.

The past few years we have been discussing Camp Fire’s history and use of native culture with the lens of cultural appropriation, and talking more about diversity, equity and inclusion. But like many, this year was a catalyst to get our priorities in order.

Baldridge said we are amidst multiple pandemics: not just coronavirus, but also systemic racial and economic injustice, and state violence. And although it felt new to many of us after George Floyd’s murder, waking up in horror for the first time, anti-black racism was and is not new, family separation was/is not new, economic injustice was/is not new. And the global health pandemic has disproportionately impacted our Black, Native American, and Latine communities. And we can’t separate these realities from our work and the world in which we operate. Our young people are in it.

Camp Fire youth have spoken up and made it clear that they want us to acknowledge and address these realities, these multiple pandemics. Young people are asking us for brave leadership.

And so it is for all of these reasons we have taken the following actions this year:

This year, our 50 councils in 25 states and D.C. responded to COVID-19 by providing quality programs in the form of emergency childcare for essential workers, food distribution programs, a Camp-in-a-Box (focused on environmental education) that allowed youth to get a physical box in the mail while joining the program virtually, family resources and activities, and other virtual programs. Some of these creative virtual programs led by Camp Fire staff include a Dungeons & Dragons club, and virtual movie nights and game nights. Youth and their families have been so grateful for these opportunities to connect, have fun, and feel supported by caring adults during a hard, ever-changing year.

We expanded our existing Statement of Inclusion to include abilities and disabilities, gender identities and expressions, citizenship and immigration status, and religion and non-religion: Camp Fire believes in the dignity and the intrinsic worth of every human being. We welcome, affirm, and support young people and adults of all abilities and disabilities, experiences, races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, citizenship or immigration status, religion and non-religion, and any other category people use to define themselves or others.

We added our personal pronouns to our email signatures because Camp Fire actively welcomes our transgender and non-binary co-workers, young people, volunteers, and donors. Sharing our personal pronouns affirms our belief that every individual has the right to define their own identity. This is another small step in our long tradition of inclusivity. Using names our youth choose for themselves is not new in Camp Fire. We’ve been doing it for over 100 years! https://campfire.org/pronouns/

We created an Equity in Programs Task Force that included multiple internal and external stakeholders, including alumni, youth, experts in youth development, people from other youth organizations, and members of indigenous communities. They came together to explore Camp Fire programs, curriculum, practices, and the word WoHeLo (which stands for Work-Health-Love) with the lens of cultural appropriation and to determine where it lives within our organization. The result was a full report that made recommendations for responsibly rectifying cultural appropriation and where we need to do further exploration. They wrapped up their work and shared their findings in October. Addressing this is one of our core strategic goals and we plan to share more on this topic in the near future.

The organization underwent a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) audit from The Mouse & the Elephant in Fall 2019. In 2020, the national staff underwent four months of DEI training (July – October) and executive leadership continues to receive 1:1 coaching through June 2021.

In June we launched the Belong Here training course for councils. After completing courses, councils will earn a badge that shows their programs are a safe space that confidently affirm and support LGBTQ+ youth.

We developed a new strategic plan that encompasses all of these values. First, we held four different Town Halls with specific audiences: Camp Fire CEOs and board members, program staff, marketing and development staff, and youth to provide direction as we began our organizational strategic planning. Second, we created a Strategic Planning Task Force made up of different stakeholders across the organization nationally (including youth) to determine our Five-Year Vision and top strategic goals for January 2021 – July 2022 (18 months). With the goal to become an equity-focused organization that leans into nature, youth voice, and DEI, our topline goals include:

• Advance diversity, equity, inclusion and access
• Engage in actively antiracist practices
• Address and end cultural appropriation
• Honor the power of young people with meaningful participation in decision-making
• Promote environmental stewardship and action

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, there is more work to be done, and it will never be finished. We are committed, not only because we believe it is right, but because it is what our young people are asking us to do, and we believe if we are to be truly inclusive, welcoming, and best serve today’s youth and families—it has to be done. 

We recognize we will not always get it right. But we are committed to doing it with grace, and without shaming anyone. We invite you to join us on the journey and in this process.

This is a key moment to listen – especially to young people. It’s an opportunity for us to strengthen youth-adult partnerships, support young people, and collaborate with them amidst multiple pandemics. And so we move forward with joy and excitement, our feet firmly planted in this work, and for the sole purpose of lifting up all young people: so they can thrive. 

Thank you for your support. If you’d like to participate in our future and sustainability, please consider donating $21 to our #Hopefor2021 fundraiser.

Wishing you Work-Health-Love,

Greg Zweber

The post Letter from Camp Fire’s CEO Greg Zweber: Reflecting on 2020, Hope for 2021 appeared first on Camp Fire.