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.

Your FREE digital learning hub!

Created for youth, parents/caregivers, and program staff, anyone in the Camp Fire ecosystem can sign up for The Achievery for free!

Access activities by grade and videos with your favorite tv characters to learn STEM, SEL, and more. Printable lesson plans included.

Sign Up Below!

Social Emotional Learning

Youth develop life skills to be kind, face their fears, practice self love, set goals, deal with stress, and more.

Digital Literacy

Youth learn how to act responsibly on the internet, deal with cyberbullying, manage screen time, and communicate well with others online.

Environmental Education

Youth learn more about how the environment functions and how to care for it and protect it.

About the Partnership

As part of AT&T’s Connected Learning® initiative, AT&T aims to narrow the digital divide by providing high-quality digital learning resources that engage and support students in underserved communities and help them to fully participate in the digital world.

This collaboration with AT&T supports online learning outside the classroom through Camp Fire’s national out-of-school time program. AT&T’s contribution means STEM and other engaging learning content from AT&T’s free digital learning platform, The Achievery, will be available to 10,000 students served by Camp Fire.

Learn More

Join the Challenge: Sign Up For The Achievery!

Help Your Affiliate Win $5,000

Use your affiliate’s URL below to sign up for your Achievery account.

We will award $5,000 to the top two affiliates with the most Achievery sign-ups.

Be sure to sign up before April 30th to help your affiliate!

Find Your Affiliate & Sign Up!

ignite thriving

Together we are stronger, and we can always adapt to the changes, crises, and needs of our communities that come over time. Your support keeps us going.

Donate now →

The post Achievery appeared first on Camp Fire.

What is an accomplice? 

An accomplice is someone who holds power in an oppressive system and actively uses it to help others and change the system. 

“An accomplice is willing to be involved, not just sit on the sidelines and observe,” explained Kira. “An accomplice takes action. An accomplice unapologetically names how systems of oppression are operating, how they might be benefitting from those systems of oppression, and then actively works to disrupt and dismantle them.” 

As people in oppressed groups began to feel the word ally was too basic and linked to performative actions without true impact, accomplice became a compelling and illustrative alternative. Kira said that some people have said the word makes them nervous: It sounds too naughty, too dangerous. 

“I encourage them to think about how dangerous it is to live in systems of oppression,” said Kira.

“The idea of moving from ally to accomplice is to push people to actually be in the fight.” 

Joining the fight

Being “in the fight” looks different for every accomplice and every situation. It could be a public act of power-shifting support, like how James Tyson stood between police and the protestor Bree Newsome as she scaled a flag pole at the South Carolina state capitol to remove the Confederate flag in 2015. 

“Bettina Love talks about this example in one of her books,” said Kira. “That man understood the assignment. He understood that his systemic value as a white man would literally change the dynamic in a collaborative, accomplice sort of way.” 

But being an accomplice can also take more everyday forms of action.

“A classic example is you’re in a meeting when someone with less power or with a marginalized identity speaks up, but their idea isn’t given attention or the appropriate response,” Eric said. “An ally might go up to that person after the meeting and say, ‘I heard you and feel like you had something important to say. I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you.’ At least that’s recognizing the power disparity. But an accomplice stops the meeting to say, ‘This person is saying something really important, and I think we all need to take a second and listen.’” 

The common accomplice denominator is discomfort. It’s not comfortable to challenge the status quo! Being an accomplice usually means feeling discomfort — and making others in power feel uncomfortable, too — in order to push for systems change. Accomplices remember that people being oppressed are already uncomfortable, at the very least. In many cases, their lives are at stake.  

“Accomplices put themselves into the fray to not let that person be uncomfortable alone,” said Eric. 

Accomplices for youth

As adults, in most systems, we hold more power than children and teens do. We can use that power for good, to both be accomplices for young people and help them learn to cultivate an equity mindset (see Kira’s video on raising “equity nerds”) and be accomplices for others. Here are a few ways to join the fight for and with kids and teens: 

Name systemic oppression

“As we enter a heightened political campaign season, we have to increase our tolerance for having difficult dialogues about naming what is, seeing the broader context and allowing space for nuance,” said Kira. Don’t be afraid to dive way past sound bytes, headlines and memes to help youth understand how systemic oppression works, especially during heated political contests. 

Celebrate differences in identity 

Kira emphasized that now is not the time to shy away from talking about identities. Instead, highlight how valuing each other’s differences can create strong, dynamic relationships. 

She explained: “If I say, ‘I see you in your identity, I value you, and I’m looking for ways to help you get what you need.’ And you are hearing my experience as a Black woman and asking what I need — that’s how we do community.” 

“We need to be able to talk to young people about what they are hearing,” agreed Eric, “so that they understand that in many cases people are using identity for political purposes — that they are trying to create an us versus them. But there are also adults who are working to create communities where all young people can be cared for and included.” 

Have action-oriented conversations

“Adults can pose questions to help empower young people to be accomplices when they see something happening,” said Eric. When you and/or the children and teens you know witness someone using their power to harm others, we can call it out as wrong and ask: 

• What is happening?
• Who is being hurt?
• Did we do or say anything? 
• If not, why? 
• What can we do next time? 

“Those kinds of questions can help young people understand what it sounds, feels and looks like to be an accomplice,” said Eric. 

Be willing to be uncomfortable

This means not only being willing to take action that might make you or others uncomfortable but staying open when the young people in your life seem to be pushing too hard or too fast for systemic change. 

“We have to remember that most change isn’t comfortable,” said Kira, citing how many leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, were criticized for being too radical. “As young people are playing with how they want to engage in movement building or change, we need to catch ourselves and not squash their exploration simply because we’re uncomfortable.” 

Camp Fire’s latest Increasing Accessibility and Inclusivity report showcases examples of pressing through discomfort to create more equitable experiences for young people. Affiliates across the country listened to young people’s calls for change and took action, even when it meant doing things differently; investing extra time, energy and money; and risking upsetting people in positions of power who might not agree with the changes. That’s exactly what it takes to move toward being an accomplice!

Pace yourself 

We’re not only in the middle of a contentious political season, but in a decades-long era of change. Choose your battles, practice daily self-care and settle in. Being an accomplice is a marathon that never ends, not a sprint to a clear finish line. 

“This doesn’t stop when the election is over,” said Kira. “Having conversations with young people about shared humanity is key to supporting them not just in this season, but in this society.”  

Read more about becoming an accomplice: 

• How Civil Wars Start: And how to stop them by Barbara F. Walter
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
• We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina L. Love. 
• “White Folks: It’s Too Late for ‘Allies,’” by Rev. Dr. Stephany Rose Spaulding in Colorlines 
• “White Shame: How to Convert Guilt Into Action,” by Ali Pattillo in Inverse (Kira is quoted in this article)
• “White Allies, Let’s Be Honest About Decolonization,” by Kyle Powys Whyte in Yes!

The post From Allies to Accomplices: Get uncomfortable!  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.

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.

Child development experts emphasize the importance of setting realistic expectations for the holidays, sticking to a normal schedule as much as possible, getting time outside and practicing gratitude together. Simplifying gift-giving, practicing social skills before get-togethers, giving teens space to be moody are also solid strategies.  

What else can you help the young people in your life this winter? Use the same guidelines our staff and volunteers do to build strong relationships at Camp Fire! Follow the Search Institute’s framework for positive developmental relationships to bring some consistency and affirmation to the season. 

These tips are relevant whether you are trying to encourage kids and teens you are raising, related to, and/or in your wider chosen family. We’ve taken the Search Institute’s framework and given it a holiday twist below to create 20 ideas for supporting young people through the holidays. Let’s go! 

Express Care

1. Be dependable: The holidays are no time to play the flakey funcle card. Follow through on your commitments. If you say you’re going to be there, be there!
2. Listen: Join the kids’ table (metaphorically or literally) and have a real conversation. You might be surprised by what you learn!
3. Believe in me: If you’re giving gifts for the holidays, consider one that feeds a young person’s sparks — the skills, commitments or qualities that are lighting them up right now. If you don’t know what they are into, ask!
4. Be warm: Don’t forget to individually greet kids at your next holiday get-together. Make sure they know they are welcome and that you’re happy to see them, not just their accompanying adults. 
5. Encourage: Specific compliments go a long way. Look for opportunities to call out a young person’s unique point of view, persistence, or character as you’re going about your holidays.

Challenge Growth

6. Expect my best: Experts agree that the holidays are a good time to let the small stuff go. But when it comes to the big things — your community’s shared values, for example — keep standards high for yourself and young people. 
7. Stretch: Helping a young person take their next spark step can be as simple as working on a robotics project after a holiday dinner, gifting a book one reading level up, or teaching them a new phrase in a language they are learning. 
8. Hold me accountable: If you lose your seasonal cool, model how to deliver a timely, sincere apology and any necessary restitutions. Expect the same (in developmentally appropriate ways) from any young people you’re responsible for. 
9. Reflect on failures: If a holiday event or activity doesn’t go as planned, debriefing calmly (and with humor, if possible!) can help young people learn failure is part of growing, not something to be scared or ashamed of. 

Provide Support 

10. Navigate: Stressful holidays situations looming? Help young people brainstorm solutions and strategies to manage. 
11. Empower: Get time with your favorite young person to ask what their goals are for the new year — and if there’s anything you can do to give them an assist.  
12. Advocate: If any holiday gatherings have become potentially harmful for the young people in your life (if family members aren’t affirming of an LGBTQIA2s+ teen, for example), take action. If you’re the primary caregiver, you can set protective boundaries for your family, including not attending potentially harmful events. If you are an extended family member or friend, ask the young person how they’d like to be supported and make a plan for how you’ll intervene. (This Parents article has some great resources!)
13. Set boundaries: If it’s within your control, set limits on the seasonal schedule. Help young people prioritize their favorite activities instead of getting overwhelmed. And keep sleep at the top of the to-do list! 

Share Power

14. Respect me: If you’re getting resistance to a particular holiday tradition or gathering, stop and ask why. Even if you ultimately ask for their participation, try to clearly understand their concerns first and come to a fair solution. 
15. Include me: Include kids and teens as you’re building your holiday schedule. What gatherings, activities or traditions mean the most to them? What are their priorities for the season? Give them a say in the decisions that affect them. 
16. Collaborate: Can you create a new holiday tradition with the young people in your life? What fun, new December adventure can you come up with together?  
17. Let me lead: Consider asking the kids and teens in your family if they’d like to lead a holiday activity traditionally headed up by an adult. What would change if the kids took over?

Expand Possibilities

18. Inspire: Do you know a young person who shares some of your sparks? Can you schedule some inspiration time (a work tag-along or a hobby session) with them this holiday break? 
19. Broaden horizons: Stuck in a holiday rut? Take the young people in your life on a mini-adventure. It could be as simple as visiting a new park or trying a new kind of food — the point is novelty! 
20. Connect: Do you know a child or teen who hasn’t tried Camp Fire yet? Find an affiliate or program near you. There’s no better gift than helping a young person connect to nature, others and themselves!

The post Supporting young people through the holidays: 20 ways to help this season 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.

When we talk about equity at Camp Fire, we’re not talking about an unreachable ideal. We’re not focusing on a simplistic, everybody-gets-the-same-size-slice-of-pizza approach. We mean an inclusive value that is alive, nuanced and, frankly, difficult. 

We’re committed to fairness that does the hard work to remove barriers. We’re working towards equity that wants everyone to have what they need to thrive—but also understands all the diverse places we start from and the very different things that get in our way. We mean we are committed to taking action to bring awareness to and change to systems that promote racism, sexism, white supremacy and other oppressions. 

We’re focused on equity in action. We want to be a more equitable organization, and that takes work! We wanted to highlight some of the changes our Camp Fire affiliates have made recently to create more equitable camping opportunities. Pay attention to how much cooperation, conversation and communication it took for each of these camps to become places where more young people can belong. That’s hard-working equity! 

Building inclusive and accessible cabins

Camp Fire Columbia

Since 1924, Camp Namanu has been a summer home for Oregon’s young adventurers. In the past few years, Camp Namanu has made belonging a priority by asking how they can better welcome campers who have physical differences, financial limitations or come from traditionally marginalized communities. The camp took a methodical approach to recent updates, using audits and focus groups to narrow in on the changes that would make the most impact. They were supported by committed leaders, an experienced board, diverse funding sources and transparent communication with their whole community. Those intentional conversations led to three transformational projects: 

1. ADA-accessible updates: In the progress-not-perfection mindset, the camp wanted to make their cabins more accessible for campers with disabilities, even if the camp itself couldn’t be completely ADA-compliant because of its mountainous location. They added shower and toilet bars, ADA ramps, and an accessible, electric golf cart for easier transportation. 
2. Gender-inclusive features: Namanu designed new cabins with private changing, showering and toilet spaces to help reduce camp stress for trans and non-binary campers. 
3. Neurodivergent considerations: Campers who are sensitive to sensory input now have more comfortable cabins with thoughtful elements like dimmable, sound-free lighting and windows that open.  

Camp Namanu said these changes helped bring new families to camp, welcome more trans and non-binary campers and staff into their community, and maintain strong alumni relationships. 

Creating an inclusive swimwear policy

Camp Fire Heart of Iowa

Camp Fire Heart of Iowa has been creating places of belonging since 1919 and is looking for ways to make camp safer and more affirming for all campers. The camp was welcoming more campers identifying as LGBTQ2S+ and wanted to create a swimsuit policy that would be inclusive, not body shaming, and embraced by families with diverse backgrounds and financial means. 

Camp Fire Heart of Iowa collaborated with Camp Fire National Headquarters and Iowa Safe Schools to craft the new policy: Everyone at camp would wear swim gear that covered their tops, clavicle to stomach, and some kind of swim bottoms. The Friendship Fund helped the camp purchase extra swim shirts for campers who needed them, and the camp led an effective communication plan that emphasized the inclusion, safety and health benefits of the new policy.

Camp Fire Heart of Iowa reported that the new policy helped trans, non-binary and other LGBTQ2S+ campers feel like they belonged. As promised, the brightly colored swim shirts also increased water safety and reduced sunburns!  

Expanding leadership program access

Camp Fire Alaska

Camp Fire Alaska has been helping campers experience the wilderness at Camp K since 1966. Recently, the camp noticed that many older teens were opting to get summer jobs instead of returning to camp. With a grant from the American Camp Association, Camp K developed a month-long Leadership in Training (LIT) program with young people from rural and Indigenous communities in mind. In its first year, Camp K flew in LIT participants from around the state and provided room, board and a $500 stipend — essential for reducing participation barriers. The LIT teens learned the basics of youth programming, built their leadership skills, and discovered their individual leadership strengths. 

Camp K said LIT participants appreciated having a safe space for self-exploration, practicing new skills and growing in confidence. The camp wants to continue to deepen collaboration with rural and Indigenous communities, increase cultural competence and relevance, and continue to raise awareness of the program. 

“By design, the hope is that we are not only diversifying the camp environment for campers and for staff, but also building workforce pipelines for both our sleepaway camp as well as our rural program that’s working on the local workforce development.”

—Melanie Hooper, CEO, Camp Fire Alaska     

These are just three ways Camp Fire affiliates are working to create more equitable camp experiences, where all are welcomed and all belong. Are you passionate about equity, inclusion and belonging? Help us continue to build equitable, accessible and inclusive youth programs. Donate to Camp Fire this Giving Tuesday, November 28. 

Want to learn more about the work these affiliates did to create more equitable experiences for young people? Read the full case studies!

Dive into the full changes and learnings from each affiliate and what they reccommend you take away to apply to your own programs.

Download The Report

Recommended Citation

Camp Fire (2023). Increasing Accessibility & Inclusivity in Summer Outdoor Programs.

Available at: https://campfire.org/blog/article/equity-in-action/

Learn more about how Camp Fire is becoming a more equitable organization: 

• But what does belonging feel like?
• Dear Young People
• CAMPER 2.0: Increasing camp accessibility for historically excluded groups of young people
• Why equity is essential for developmental relationships
• Advancing Equity at Camp 
• Building Equity with Social Emotional Learning 
• Questioning Power & Repairing Harm: Addressing Cultural Appropriation in Our History

The post Equity in Action appeared first on Camp Fire.

Camp Fire: How has an understanding of nature led to your work and where you are today?

José González: The most recent element that has shaped my work is how nature heals severed connections. The land can be instructive for creating the conditions, structures, and elements for people to have a livelihood and to relate with each other. If we continue via a reductive, mechanistic approach, then all we’re doing is perpetuating harm. How can we be truly revolutionary? The root of the word revolutionary means revolution — cycles. If we were to design a workforce with regenerative cycles, it doesn’t mean money disappears overnight. It doesn’t mean you can’t have an iPhone. But you now have to approach work with different responsibilities and logic. It allows us to see people as complex, not just elements in a pipeline, and imagine a career path more like a braided river.

Camp Fire: How does making the shift to a nature-based metaphor for work help young people imagine different futures?

José González: I think it’s having a sense that there’s an agency of co-creation in that vision versus just taking what you inherit and playing the role. But it’s a both/and. I understand the frustration, the urgency to say: “Burn it all down! This capitalist, colonial, extractive, consumer-based economy and structure is no good. Be gone!” I say, “Yes, and…” Just like prescribed burning, there’s an intention and an approach. Here’s that mentorship from the land again: You have to look at the conditions we’ve inherited. If any spark makes the whole forest go away, that’s not good. At the same time, you can’t ignore all the underbrush and the necessity for prescribed burning. What does it mean to be a responsible fire tender? What does it mean to burn to create a healthy landscape? For young people, I say channel it. Help others envision this solar punk future that you’re so excited about. What are the careers? What does it mean to have a livelihood with roles that give your life meaning and don’t just treat you as another bit of the productive, mechanistic infrastructure? 

Camp Fire: What are some ways you’re seeing “responsible fire tenders” create careers and livelihoods for themselves? 

José González: A lot of young people are moving back on the land, so to speak. They are working with environmental justice, renewable energy and fossil fuel consumption. They are looking at the challenges around affordable housing and creating more community-oriented types of living. I think it’s important to ask the question: How does this job give meaning and serve my community, versus only being driven by a paycheck? 

Camp Fire: What are other ways nature metaphors are playing out in the organizations you consult with? 

José González: I tell people nobody is going to a meadow and saying, “You’re not meadowing enough today.” What does this tell you about how you can move with cycles of productivity? You can’t always be in the blooming and fruiting stage. And yet think about how often that’s exactly what’s expected or demanded of you! It’s like saying to a tree, “You know, what your issue is, tree? You’re suffering from burnout.” And the tree is like, “Yeah, it’s called fall. I’ll see you next year.” We can ignore these cues from our non-human kin, but it’s perpetuating a separation from nature. I’m not going to be exactly like the squirrel or exactly like the raven — being human is its own beautiful mess. But if I ignore what some of those natural relationships are, then I’m only deepening harm. What is the healing process? What does it mean to reconnect all of these different elements?

Camp Fire: How can we reconnect with cycles and seasons of rest, especially when our macro-culture isn’t supportive of that? 

José González: Step one is struggling with (and having grace for) the question: Where’s the urgency behind this coming from? Am I treating work like an emergency room situation as a default? Second: actually getting out in nature. I have to challenge myself to go for that walk, go for that jog, spend time in the garden, talk to the tree. The last part is acknowledging privilege. I can’t callously say to someone: “You need to go out in nature and chill!” And they’re like, “Yeah, can you pay my rent?” Don’t be fooled by thinking it’s only an individual choice. I applaud and support self care, but I don’t want us to ignore community care and structural care, so that the onus is not just on individuals. So when people say, “Hey, the outdoors is for everyone,” that’s an invitation to say, “You’re right, but why does not everyone feel that’s true?” We can ask what are the social constructs that we have agency to change.

Interested in “planet, inclusion and adventure”? Take the Outdoorist oath. 

The post How can nature help us reframe ‘work’?  appeared first on Camp Fire.