Thank you for helping us meet our $10,000 match! We still have a ways to go to fund 2023 Encampers. An alum has come forward with another match, so if you haven’t yet donated, now is the time!
EFC alums are the best way to share the value of the Encampment’s youth leadership program. Click to hear Imani, a 2022 Encamper, who is returning this year, talk about critical thinking and community.
Change that lasts a lifetime
EFC alum Jeff Shannon, 1971, (circled) echoes Imani’s words about the importance of listening to different viewpoints: At the Encampment, creating our own community and self-governance arrangement made me see the importance of listening to other peoples’ viewpoints before making decisions. EFC activities within the local county showed me that private individuals could have a positive impact on the community at large. These two principles determine much of the way I interact with the world to this day.
We have another match! Help us fund every 2023 Encamper whose family cannot afford the full program fee. Jeff and Salley Shannon have stepped forward to provide another match to get us toward our sponsorship goal for this year. They will match all donations up to $10,000 through June 15.
Inspired? Click here to donate now.
Or send a check to The Encampment, P.O. Box 1210, Aptos, CA 95001-1210.
What will youth activists learn at the 2023 Encampment?
This summer, Encampers will work with and learn from grassroots organizers in Ventura County. This is key to the EFC’s educational approach: exploring the community and meeting with activists who are working for change. In addition, we find ways to contribute to community projects that promote justice. For instance, this summer, we will work at a local community garden that grows and distributes organic produce.
A highlight of last summer will continue this summer as we learn from indigenous elders from the Central Coast about their culture and our connection to the natural world in multiple ways. The Encampers will do another tomol (indigenous canoe) paddle and may be able to join a work day on Limuw Island, removing non-native plants. This will be combined with learning about current Chumash Tribe justice issues.
Our core Arts as Activism component helps youth activists ignite the power of their imaginations to make change.“When it comes to activism, being true to yourself is super-important, and the best way to truly understand a topic is to express it through art. Art can challenge someone to think differently, or could educate people in a single glance. Art is a tool that should be mastered, and allowing a space for that is crucial.”
— Ariella, 2022 Encamper
“It’s been so important for me to meet people from across the country because I’ve been able to make connections with people who I probably wouldn’t have been friends with at home. I am grateful to have met people from the South, SoCal, Mexico, and New England, because they have all changed my perspective of people from those places and helped me understand the issues in those areas.” — Maribel, 2022 Encamper
Give to our Spring Sponsorship Fund today to make a difference for the newest Encampers whose families cannot afford the full program fee. The cost for this year’s program is $3,500 per person (includes room and board, staff, field trips, materials), but every donation helps. Give by June 15 and your donation will be doubled up to $10,000.
Invest in young people who want to use their skills to address climate change, economic inequality and violence against people of color/women/LGBTQIA+, among other concerns. Working with them is our best hope for democracy and justice.
All donations are tax-deductible. Our federal EIN is 30-0694938.
Have questions? Ask us at Contact EFC.