“Before attending the Encampment, I was lost; I felt as though I didn’t have the power to change anything around me, nor did I know where to start. The Encampment showed me three things: community, hope, and purpose. It was the first time I was truly immersed in a community with passionate, driven, caring, and brilliant people who inspired me and taught me more than I thought I could learn.” — Piper, Camarillo, CA
We are Piper (from Camarillo, California) and Jason (Harlem, New York City). We are writing to ask you to donate to keep the Encampment alive for our generation of social justice activists. Your generosity will ensure that the life-changing experiences we had at the 2022 Encampment will continue.
I came to the Encampment to meet other leaders to network with and to learn as much as possible to take information back to my school and neighborhood community. — Jason
When I first arrived at camp, I had the mindset that nothing will ever be fixed; that all of the systems must be torn down and rebuilt, and that I didn’t have any power. I was seeing the increase in violence against people of color, an attempted takeover of the government by armed insurrectionists, restriction of women’s rights, and increasing climate disasters. I did not know where to start. — Piper
We had life-changing experiences at the 2022 Encampment
We met 27 other young people from across the nation who cared just as much as we do about the world around us. We lived and learned together at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. The Encampment creates an atmosphere of compassion and openness so that we could get to know each other beyond societal divides — ethnicity, geography, economic background, and gender, to name a few. We discovered the intersectionality of social justice issues that seem to divide us — but not if we work together.
This experience was so eye-opening — it allowed me to leave my comfort zone to explore more about my personal identity and the identity of the native people. it also supplied me with the ability to organize communities to fight for a greater cause. — Jason
I learned a lot from people around me, and from my interactions with them. I learned how everyone is affected by social justice. I learned how important education is. I learned about immigration issues, the power of voting, and social justice history. I learned about the people native to the land I live on. It was so powerful to be there with people who come from the land and participate in the songs, rituals, and customs they perform when together to honor the land and our presence. — Piper
We were also profoundly moved by the Holocaust and Japanese American museums and La Plaza de Culturas y Artes in Los Angeles — interactive environments that reveal social justice history that is not taught in our schools.
Why it’s important that you contribute to keeping the EFC alive
You become part of a community of like-minded people — a social justice community — but people who don’t have the same backgrounds as you. We all have different stories to tell, but we have one common goal: to give ourselves whole-heartedly to the goal of everyone having equal rights and doing the work to make that happen. Having that goal makes it possible to make a deeper connection. Since returning home, I’ve been organizing our school to raise funds for the people in Puerto Rico devastated by Hurricane Fiona. — Jason
I have become a stronger and more dedicated leader in the communities I am part of, taking both direct and indirect action to solve issues, such as pesticide use and food insecurity. I work with the Pesticide-Free Soil Project to educate people about pesticides and how to find alternatives. I have helped organize events at schools and festivals. On Saturdays, I work at the Community Roots Garden in Oxnard, where I help grow and harvest food for the community. — Piper
Please give generously today to make sure that the Encampment is here for our generation — and future generations. You are actively helping us to build a better future, and a better world. Thank you so much.
In Community,
Jason and Piper