“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.
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.
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.
Highlights of the second week of the Encampment summer program in Montgomery, AL. The theme was “Making the Connections to Today.”
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.”
The June InterGen Café was a sneak peek into the summer program curriculum and a chance to experience a key part of the EFC approach: small group discussions centered on different aspects of voting. Jane Sapp, education director, started off the presentation by explaining why Montgomery, Alabama, is the site of the 2024 Encampment.