An Article by Russell Neufeld, 1964 CA

An Article by Russell Neufeld, 1964 CA

EFC alum Russell Neufeld shared this article with us. He is reflecting on humanism — a timely topic. In addition, since it is an articulate and compassionate exploration of what he learned at the Encampment and its long-term impact on his life, it also a kind of “alum story” so we are sharing with you.

Alex Tom: Nourishing the Seeds of Democracy

Alex Tom: Nourishing the Seeds of Democracy

“The Encampment transformed my world view and continues to plant the seeds of justice, resistance and change. To put it simply: We are here to build a better world and we need each other. As you know, the need is especially urgent in these times for all of us to work together to defend and strengthen our democracy and prepare future leaders.

Interview with Nzingha Primus 2013+

Interview with Nzingha Primus 2013+

How has the Encampment influenced your life? I’m more connected to social justice movements, for sure. I’m always thinking about the Encampment in the back of my head when I’m involved in movement meetings or protests. I’m very aware of the dynamics and the players. When I see younger folks there, I think it would be really great if they could go to the Encampment. For instance, along with leadership skills, I learned about how to be with conflict — the Encampment prepared me for some of these events by the process where we debated different topics together. It’s important to learn how to address issues – not going for the jugular and not side-stepping issues because you don’t want to confront them, either.

Week Three of the 2024 Encampment

Week Three of the 2024 Encampment

Synthesizing and Sharing the 2024 Encampment: In the last week of the 2024 summer Encampment, the Encampers continued to learn and synthesize the lessons they were taking home. There were some new experiences and deepening of the critical thinking and community-building processes. At the end of the week, they welcomed parents, alums, and supporters to the InterGen Weekend.

Week One of the 2024 Encampment

Week One of the 2024 Encampment

One overall sentiment that was heard a lot during the daily debriefs and that sums up an underlying theme of this first week is, “I’m going to vote and I’m going get my friends to vote. I see the sacrifices that were made to get the vote and I can see the connections to what is going on now.”