Summer Camp For Transgender - Queer Youth!

This is a great opportunity for queer youth. I have very fond memories of summer camp even if I was not living as my authentic self at the time. Fees are on a sliding scale basis. If someone living outside of Vermont is interested, I bet financial arrangements could be made to cover travel costs. Outright and YWCA Vermont Announce a New Summer Camp for Queer Youth! Contact: Melissa Murray Outright Vermont, (802) 865-9677 Rebecca Gurney YWCA Vermont, (802) 862-7520 This August, Outright Vermont and YWCA Vermont will operate a new residential summer camp program for queer and allied youth. Camp Outright will run from August 14-20 at YWCA Camp Hochelaga in South Hero and is intended for youth ages thirteen to twenty-two. The camp will combine a traditional summer camp experience with arts and crafts, nature, sports, boating, and drama programs with special workshops focused on positive youth development and community building. While full tuition is $350 (and includes all lodging, food, materials, and some transportation assistance for youth in Vermont), the camp is offered at a sliding fee scale, and no interested youth will be turned away due to inability to pay. Registration and information are available online at www.campoutright.org. Garth Vest, a youth helping plan Camp Outright, states, "This camp is going to be a great opportunity. Many queer youth don't get a summer camp experience due to the fear of not fitting in or being harassed. This will be a safe space where we can swim, camp out, have camp fires, and really just have an authentic summer camp experience with people who share stories similar to our own. I think it's going to be a great opportunity for Vermont youth and I hope it grows even bigger in the future." Patrick Maguire, another youth helping in the planning, states, "Camp Outright is a huge step for Vermont, Outright, and the youth who will experience it. The program is a safe space where campers are free to be themselves--without the additional pressure of labels. Camp is so exciting because Outright has created an experience where queer and allied youth can be what is most important in the summers: just regular campers." The camp is a collaborative project between Outright and YWCA Vermont, and has received funding from the Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as well as individual private donors. Camp Outright is still seeking donations to offset the cost of camp for youth that cannot pay. To donate directly to camp, please visit: http://www.campoutright.org/overview/ and click DONATE. Adults interested in volunteering with this program should visit the Volunteer section of the camp website,http://www.campoutright.org/volunteering/ or contact Outright Vermont at (802) 865-9677