by Jane Keating
What a wonderful Camp week we had at the 2024 Leaven Climate Justice Camp! 20 amazing youth aged 6-13 participated in Leaven’s third climate justice summer program, and our first weeklong camp! There was an abundance of inspiration, joy, and goodhearted play!
OUR BELOVED NEIGHBORHOOD
Our 2024 theme was "Our Beloved Neighborhood; Resilient and Thriving". We began with our connection with one another and with our Earth. We put attention on our interconnected diversity, both above and below ground!
On our walking field trips we found connective creativity and love in action surrounding us. Our camp met with Leaven Common House Partners Portland Fruit Tree Project, Cascadia Wild and The Collab to engage with them and their work. We visited more neighborhood leaders with the Mutual Aid Mini Mart, PDX Storybook Garden, Sabin Community Orchard and PPR Summer Free for All. Below ground, we learned about the networks of tiny wildlife needed for carbon storing healthy soil with Forest Aged and soil educator Cheryl Lohrmann.
The Leaven Climate Justice Camp brought young people together to recognize their agency and collective power to affect change through climate education and community building.
A LEAVEN ORGANIZING STORY
Part of Leaven’s strategic plan for 2024-2025 is our exploration of becoming a Community Resilience Hub through Leaven’s practice of relational organizing. A climate justice lens guides our connection with neighbors and organizations practicing community resilience in the neighborhood and beyond.
At our Spring Leaven Quarterly Gathering, there emerged a strong member interest in making a climate justice program for elementary aged youth happen this summer. The camp was created by community from the grass roots.
Foundational to the camp is fun cooperative experiences and youth leadership. We continued our collaborative process with a Camp Planning Night dinner with families. While having vegan+ tacos we shared our thinking about Climate and Justice. With group input, the themes that emerged from campers: Food Making and Eating; Water Play; Games Together; and Creativity and Art.
We gathered all of these threads to weave together our week. This looked like learning about the work of Youth and Indigenous Climate Activists; Getting our hands in the group through composting and planting; Music; Art and Mural Design; Book and Mutual Aid Drives; Meditation with the Land and Rest under the trees; Cooking Together; Free Play; and a highly anticipated epic Water Fight as part of our Friday Celebration!
WHAT CAMPERS SAID
Before wrapping up our camp, campers met in small groups to reflect on our week. Here are some excerpts that stood out in our evaluations:
Our Highlights & Most Fun: “Fun with our friends” -William; “Making Friends” -Quinn; “Mini Mart” -Alex; Living microbes under the microscope were, “Extremely interesting” -Evan; “Pancakes” -Zoey & Ray, Tovik; “Planting seeds”-Alana.
What did we did well as a group?: We worked well together; planning and planting; “Proud of my group’s gardening skills”; Sabin Orchard; compost pile build; bracelet making; free choice time; giant group painting; having fun; water fight; “fields trips-we stuck together”; everyone participated and collaborated.
Better understandings and wonderings: Learning about what microbes do, microorganisms, composting, how animal skulls are found intact, “Why we have to pay to live and animals don’t. I want to live as an animal sometimes”and “I want very much to learn more [about microbes]".
Ideas you want to do next?: Learn about plants in a field trip; work together planting & watering; “make signs and put them outside”; “recycle and reuse”; having the camp again; group “helping” activities.
MANY THANKS TO…
Thank you to Camp Volunteers (and snack providers): Cheryl, Carrie, Ty, Jenny, Micah and Barb. Much appreciated community members Deedee Hopkins at Mutual Aid Mini Market, Heather at Portland Fruit Tree Project, Teri Lysak at Cascadia Wild, Nicole Sandoval, Bree and Wendy at PDX Storybook Garden, Maria Loper at Forest Aged, Soil Educator Cheryl Lohrmann, The Collab artist Zimu Li.
Our Fantastic Counselor Team: Prior to camp, we worked in collaboration in generating the curriculum and daily camp schedule. Big Appreciations for Aubree, Milan and Mia who announced that they want to come back next year!
Many thanks to grants from East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, Regional Arts and Culture Grants and Oregon Synod ELCA to support our ability to offer an affordable summer camp option to our members and neighbors.
In our beloved neighborhood, we found ourselves a part of this thriving network of connective creativity and love in action. Thank you to all for Making Camp Happen!