July eNews: Smile! YES Family Camps are back!
Dear Friends,
Last week marked the official beginning of summer and we at YES are thrilled to return to a full schedule of outdoor programming for youth and families. After months of careful planning, youth are returning to hiking, backpacking, and camping. At the same time, families will kayak in the Bay, participate in two upcoming sessions of Family Camp, and explore local and regional parks.
It’s also a time to celebrate the many graduations this season, including the Youth Engagement Team, the Coastal Conservancy Corps (C3), the Young Adult Program, our Three Bridges Scholarship award winners, and the many YES youth transitioning from high school to college and beyond. We hope you enjoy reading some of their reflections in this newsletter. Want to leave a note of congratulations for our YES youth? Reply to this message with one. We and they love hearing from you!
Lastly, we invite you to donate now to double the impact of your contribution to the Summer Campfire Campaign. The Campaign raises funds for Family Camp, the Resilience Fund, and the many outdoor trips our youth will embark on later this summer. We are currently 69% to our goal of $50,000. Today and tomorrow are BONFIRE DAYS, which means donations will be matched by an anonymous donor for the next 48 hours. If you’ve already contributed, thank you for your generous support! If you’d like to make a gift, please click here to help YES double your donation.
We’re thinking of our YES community of supporters with much appreciation and gratitude. We share with you here some of the many things that your support makes possible.
Warmly,
Eric Aaholm, Executive Director
Family Camps are Back! YES Families will zip, climb, laugh, sing and build community under the redwoods
After a year-long hiatus from in-person camps, YES will return to hosting its overnight, weekend Family Camp starting in July. Up to 30 YES families and 24 volunteers will come together for two sessions of Family Camp at YMCA Camp Loma Mar in the Santa Cruz mountains - the site where we hosted our first Family Camp nearly 17 years ago. These weekend retreats cultivate a connection to nature, self-reflection, and strong bonds among campers. YES’s youth and adult participants also practice leadership by volunteering or by leading activities within a strong and supportive community. This year’s activities include team-building, archery, wall-climbing, ziplining, campfire, night hikes, drumming, arts and crafts, Zumba, and environmental education.
This year’s Family Camp will feature some special guests. Richard Salazar, a local artist whose murals grace many public spaces in Richmond and beyond, will facilitate an art workshop. He will also work with YES later this summer on a mural in Nicholl Park thanks to a Love Your Block Mini Grant from the City of Richmond, which YES received earlier this year. Other exciting guests include a Geospatial Environmental Consultant, who will lead a map-making and cartography session for adults, and a botanist from the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.
What is the impact of Family Camp on families? This short video from a few years ago sums it up pretty well we think.
If you’re a YES Family interested in attending camp from July 9-11 or July 23-25, please email Blanca Hernandez, Programs and Partnerships Director, for more information.
Congratulations to All Graduates! Graduations highlight the power of the YES Leadership Pathways
YES Youth and Adult Leadership Pathways develop community leaders through a continuum of leadership programs from age 8 through adulthood. Each year, we come together to celebrate the achievements of our graduates, whose voices highlight the power of community, the impact of our programs, and their visions for the future. This year, graduates called attention to the wide range of issues that motivate our programming, from the connection to community and the beauty of teamwork to the deep-rooted effects of racism in our community. It’s our honor to share with you some reflections from our amazing youth and staff.
Take Action Today!
YES seeks your support to raise $50,000 by July 23rd, and to welcome 10 new members into our Sustainers Club of monthly/quarterly/annual donors.
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, gifts made in the next 48 hours will be doubled!
In this newsletter and in subsequent newsletters, we will feature 3-5 articles, books, or podcasts recommended by staff, board, participants, or partners, which are relevant to the YES Family.
Reply to this email to share your recommendations and your list may be featured in a future newsletter!