“You can be yourself and learn so much about social justice.”

We hosted our third annual Summer Social Justice Camp (SSJC) July 22-31 in Chittenden county. SSJC is a two-week day camp hosted by youth for youth. We had seven youth facilitators this year who reviewed applicants, planned out each day, and then facilitated the camp. When the 25 participants applied, they chose topics they’d like to learn about and discuss and skills they’d like to build and then facilitators designed the curriculum around it. 

Here is what some young people have said about camp:

• “I enjoyed the connection activities and the community we formed.”

• “It’s a great space to learn in. The youth are all here for the same reason you are. The guest speakers are very engaging.”

• “It’s a fun learning experience, and a good way to meet new people.”

• “Camp is a really welcoming space where you can be yourself and also learn so much about social justice.”

We began each day by reviewing our co-created agreements and asking a connection question. We also did a connection activity like interests tic-tac-toe, rock paper scissors train, and where the wind blows. Then, we went over 3 global headlines, 2 from the U.S., and one from Vermont and discussed how it’s relevant to our topics. We ended the day with a chance to share anonymous feedback that the facilitators could incorporate into the planning for the next day of camp. We had three main focuses on camp this year and spent two days on each topic. Here’s a summary of what we did with each topic:

Connections through Media

Our guest speakers were Julia Todd and the Vermont Student Anti-racism Network. Julia had participants analyze how Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity Campaign utilizes social media to educate the public, get people involved, and push for change. Facilitators presented on how activists communicated before social media mentioning things like phone trees, zines, posters, and more. Participants created their own posters or social media posts for issues they care about. Facilitators also shared about ways to stay safe as activists using social media.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our guest speakers were Winooski superintendent, Wilmer Chavarria, and a panel from the Vermont Equity Educators Collective including Dana Decker, Jamilah Vogel, Mary Gannon, Stephanie Sleeper, and Tracy Curtin. Participants discussed their own experiences with DEI in their schools. They played Quiz, Quiz, Trade to learn important concepts like capitalism, intersectionality, and abolition. Small groups made a collage of what a liberated world would look like. 

Immigration

Our guest speaker was Mae from Migrant Justice who shared about issues many migrant workers faced and then led a trivia game for the participants. Participants also watched a documentary called Inside Immigration. They also did an immigration law timeline matching activity where they received an event about immigration like when the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed or when congress removed homosexuality as a reason to disqualify foreigners from immigrating and then they added it to a timeline guessing when it happened. Facilitators also presented about the Education Justice Coalition’s work to promote sanctuary schools. 

At the very end of camp, we made a community web and hosted a showcase where we invited parents, caregivers, educators, and community members to learn about what we did at camp. 

Huge thank you to the Dad Guild for cooking lunch for us one day. Other lunches were cooked by Alyssa and volunteers, Susie and Rose. We also supported businesses impacted by construction by ordering food from Mountain Valley and Tiny Thai and we got food from Le Bon GoûT. We also had many volunteers help drive participants to camp including Tessie, Théo, Lowry, and Phil. Thank you to the Vermont Women’s Fund and Vermont Children’s Trust for supporting this camp! And thank you Outright Vermont for letting us use your space!

This summer, we’re also supporting camps in Washington county, Addison county, and the Northeast Kingdom. If you’re interested in holding a camp in your area next summer, let us know so we can support and check out our Summer Social Justice Camp Toolkit.