“If we are going to see progress in the future, we must nurture young people today.” — Jason Warwin
I’m Jason Warwin, an EFC alum from 1989 and co-founder of The Brotherhood Sister Sol in Harlem, NY. I’m writing with Adriana Diaz (EFC 2019 and former Pesticide-Free Soil Project community organizer) to ask for your support for the Encampment’s work. If you are concerned about the future of democracy, your support is critical to the Encampment’s ability to meet the needs of today’s young people.
The Encampment taught me the model for youth empowerment that I have practiced for the past 30 years: bringing together young people and helping them to build community, define their values, develop critical thinking, and establish a commitment to social justice. Youth have always led movements for change in our society. If we are going to see progress in the future, we must nurture young people today!
The Encampment taught me the model for youth empowerment that I have practiced for the past 30 years: bringing together young people and helping them to build community, define their values, develop critical thinking, and establish a commitment to social justice. Youth have always led movements for change in our society. If we are going to see progress in the future, we must nurture young people today!
What more can we do? In 1989, when I returned home from the Encampment, I was tremendously inspired and ready to take action. However, I also felt alienated. I had an awakening over the summer, and my friends and community had not. I needed help to figure out where to point the passion that had been ignited in me. Today, the Encampment is working to develop this bridge by providing year-round programming and linking older alums with recent ones in our intergenerational network. It’s on all of us to stay connected with the Encampment and continue to offer our resources, our knowledge, and our experience to this younger generation.
Adriana: My experience as a recent Encamper is one example of the kind of programming that the EFC has been developing. The summer program helped influence my thinking about social justice and start thinking about ways I can contribute to my community. One way was to become an intern and later a community organizer in one of the EFC’s year-round programs, the Pesticide-Free Soil Project here in Oxnard, CA. I helped plan and implement Compost Tea Parties, where hundreds of elementary school children and their teachers apply compost tea to the playgrounds — the first step away from using toxic pesticides that endanger their health. I also developed a training about pesticide drift, helping school children and teachers identify and report pesticides drifting on to their campuses when nearby fields are sprayed.
During this time, I graduated from college and began my career as an agriculture community labor relations assistant for Ventura County. I help break down complex terms about pesticide safety and interpret them to the farmworkers who face the linguistic barriers of not speaking English or Spanish — agriculture workers who are not fluent in English and sometimes not fluent in Spanish, either. I also provide training about field worker safety, including what their rights are when working around pesticides, in a manner they understand; I do trainings in Mixteco and Spanish. I know that I can count on the EFC as a resource, and EFC people are always supportive.
Adriana (pictured at left with fellow alum and community organizer Sarahi Noyola at a recent Compost Tea Party.)
We are asking those of us who believe in the Encampment’s work to make a commitment. Of course, we all have a different capacity for what we can give, but a long-term commitment (monthly or annual) makes a real difference to our ability to develop programming that provides the kind of support young activists need. This way, the Encampment knows it can depend on our contributions and, if enough of us make that commitment, we have a pool that creates a sense of stability that can grow the organization. The donation form offers some options for sustainable giving: one-time, monthly, annual and more. We ask you to give generously. Every gift is appreciated!
In community,
Jason Warwin, 1989
Adriana Diaz, 2019
P.S. One of the most powerful elements of the Encampment experience is knowing that another world is possible! Spending a summer among a diverse community of youth from across the country, with various experiences, perspectives, and beliefs, and working together to develop a community that was supportive and uplifting, was an unparalleled education. That lived experience of creating an intentional community, is something that Encampers carry with us throughout our lives. And it is something we can always hold onto when it feels like things are hopeless.— Jason
Inspired? Click to invest in the future of democracy!
Or send a check to EFC, P.O. Box 1210, Aptos, CA 95001
All donations are tax-deductible. Our federal EIN is 30-0694938.
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What is the Encampment?
- Young people ages 15–18, from the U.S. and beyond, living and learning together for three-plus weeks in a summer program focused on experiential learning, critical thinking, community, and social justice in action
- A follow-up program that supports them to take action when they go home
- A nationwide network of committed alums and partner organizations, working for social justice in their home communities.
- An option for local Ventura County alums to intern with our year-round Pesticide-Free Soil Project
Adriana, far left above, was an intern at the 2023 summer program
Have questions? Ask us at Contact EFC.