EFC's Community Gathering to Meet Dr. Faith Kares

Our latest InterGen Café took place on February 21 ushering in new leadership and kicking off a new chapter of the Encampment. We had a whopping 72 participants! 40% were alums and more than half of those alums were youth 30 years-old and younger. Also, 25% of the gathering’s participants were brand new to the Encampment. This is how we build our base and remain strong for another 80 years. Did we share that this year we are celebrating our 80th year?! That’s 80 years of developing youth leadership, cultivating intergenerational communities, and working for social justice.

Whether you are new to the Encampment or have been involved for years, we are so happy to have you with us on this journey. We have our work cut out for us – EFC Co-founders Al Black and Nanny Pollitzer understood that resistance to fascism required countering it with an alternative. Hence, the establishment of the Encampment, which since 1946 has drawn young people from all over this country and from other countries to learn and connect across differences; step into their leadership and power; and acquire critical tools with which they could return to their communities to fight for social, economic, and racial justice and change in their own ways.

EFC’s “InterGen(erational)” Cafés, are a series of virtual national gatherings that join people of all ages and backgrounds in conversations regarding the urgent issues of the day. These gatherings (and conversations) build community, foster hope, and provide concrete tools and strategies to enact change.

SAVE the date for our next InterGen Café, on Saturday May 9 from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Eastern. We will dive in more deeply, collectively sharing strategies (however big or small) to navigate this current moment and offering stories of hope and resistance from our community members ages 16 to 98. See below for a sample of a resource a community member is offering now.

This summer at the 2026 Encampment, young people from across the U.S. will be meeting the moment by building solidarity, power, and resilience. We are already up 50% in applications from this time last year! Help us to spread the word by circulating our program flier to your network. We will continue to accept applications until March 15.

Community Members Sharing Resources

Click here for a flyer created by longtime EFC supporter Sandy Weil which includes several ways to take action.

Join us on May 9 for more community support and resource-sharing.

The Encampment is an intergenerational community-building organization with a profound approach to social justice education. It’s a unique space where young people (15-18) meet peers from different backgrounds, and live and learn together. Together, they find and develop their leadership and organizing skills. This community-building nourishes the seeds of democracy. You can help build support for the EFC’s work by sharing this post with your network!

Click to DONATE ONLINE or send your gift to The Encampment, P.O. Box 1210, Aptos, CA 95001-1210. Our Federal EIN is 30-0694938.