Toolkit: Organizing a Summer Social Justice Camp
In Summer 2023, we hosted our first Summer Social Justice Camp for middle and high school students in Chittenden County. It was a two week camp held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 11am-4pm. There were three youth facilitators transitioning to 10th and 11th grades who planned and led the camp with the support of EdJ staff.
When youth applied, they were asked what they’d be interested in learning about discussing. This helped the planning team decide on a different topic for each day of the camp. There were guest speakers, art, poetry, community building activities, discussions about youth organizing, and more. Young people’s time is valuable, so campers were given a small stipend for each day they attended camp. You can read more about the camp here.
What makes it a Summer Social Justice Camp?
It’s led by youth for youth!
We cover social justice topics that youth are interested in
We not only learn about issues, but talk about what we can do to change them.
The goal of the camp was to not only create an incredible learning experience for youth in Chittenden County, but to also provide a framework so youth across the state have access to a camp like this. EdJ’s goal is to reach youth and impact changes in schools throughout all of Vermont. We created this toolkit to inspire folks in other areas of the state to start something similar to this. We led this as a camp, but our format could be adapted into an afterschool program, in-school club, etc.
We hope this toolkit encourages both youth and adults to provide courageous spaces where young can engage in meaningful learning and conversations which can lead to action, so please feel free to share widely! As capacity allows, we are willing to help folks set this up along the way. Check out the full toolkit here.
