Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments (STRIDE)
Camps help children feel in control of their lives. Children who experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new situations. We also know that not everyone has the same access to summer learning opportunities. Genuine diversity changes us and makes us stronger. A community is not something we join, it’s something we build. STRIDE is our camp's commitment to building the community we hope to see in the world. By actively including and elevating youth of color, we hope to create an environment at camp that is transformative for all participants.
We do this work not only through material means, but also by assessing the culture of the camp to make it an inclusive and welcoming place. This requires a willingness of camp culture to be malleable - open to change, so each new member of the community can express their truest, most loving and loved self. BYM camps provide opportunities for enrichment and leadership building in a wilderness environment and STRIDE is committed to ensuring that young people from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have the opportunity to benefit from such an environment. In addition, we feel strongly that the young people we support contribute much to the communities they are a part of and that all benefit from their presence at the camp. We have STRIDE groups in Baltimore, Philadelphia, the Greater DC Area that work to:
1) Create access for youth in each of these cities to attend Baltimore Yearly Meeting summer camps
2) Create communities of genuine diversity, equity, and inclusion in these youth serving programs and
3) Support campers and their families invest in the life of Baltimore Yearly Meeting summer camps now and in the future
To this end, we provide tuition assistance, gear, transportation, care package and orientation to families in the program as well as inclusion and equity training and consulting to camp & organizational staff. Everyone has ownership of the space - we are building a community together.
Radical Inclusion
The “radical” means that we expect the community to be changed and shaped by the inclusion we are seeking rather than simply asking people to join and conform to what already exists.
Access
More equitable distribution of resources (we have influence over how the money, space, labor, and time of BYM camping programs are allocated and feel we have a moral/spiritual responsibility to expand the pool of people these things are allocated to).
Camper and Family Contributions/Strengths
We believe in an assets-based model. That is to say we believe that families and campers who participate in STRIDE not only receive benefits from being part of camp but that (like all community members) their unique perspectives, personalities, strengths and spiritual leadings contribute much to the broader camp community.
Benefits for Campers
We believe that participating in camp is great for young people. It builds friendships, new skills, self-confidence, and leadership. We will ground our advocacy in this belief, making every attempt to make our work “person-centric”, that is based on what is best for individual young people and families in our program.
Improving the Environment for BIPOC and Families Experiencing Low Income in Our Communities
Though largely made up of white people, our camp community already includes people of color. We aim to support and acknowledge them, recognizing that not all people of color in our program are “new” and that efforts that make the program work better for people of color are integral to our pre-existing community as well as the one we hope to create.
WAYS TO SUPPORT STRIDE
CAMP GEAR
To support access to attending camp STRIDE provides each STRIDE camper with the following:
- Hiking packs (internal frame, 40-75 L capacity, adjustable hip belt)
- Sleeping pads for the trail (lightweight, foldable or rollable, NOT inflatable or thick foam)
- Sleeping bags (lightweight, compressible, synthetic, mummy-style, NO down or cotton)
- Compression sacks (synthetic, 20-40 L capacity, with drawstring and tightening straps)
- Ponchos or rain jackets (lightweight and compressible)
- Mess-kit bowls (soup/cereal sized, lightweight, durable, can hold hot liquid)
- Mess-kit sporks/spoons (lightweight, durable, won’t melt in the oatmeal)
- Headlamps (at least 200 lumens, with strap, water-resistant, durable)
- Water bottles (BPA-free, reusable, dishwasher-safe, 32-50 oz capacity)
- Wool socks (ONLY if unopened)
We are often seeking these items for our STRIDE campers to be donated as gently used or new. We seek to keep an updated and clean gear library and we ask that you do not donate outdated gear to the program including external frame backpacks. You can reach out to the STRIDE coordinator for supportive pick up or drop of your donation at the BYM office.
Volunteering
During the camping season there are many ways to support STRIDE though a donation of your time. Please use this link to learn more about our current volunteer opportunities.
Camp Work Granting in support of STRIDE
Each year, the three residential camps seek out work grant volunteers to help out in the kitchen, in the infirmary, or on maintenance tasks for a week. One week volunteering at camp provides financial aid for one week’s tuition. Before signing up, please contact Rachael Carter our STRIDE Coordinator, to ensure that funds can go toward STRIDE tuition.
Black Brown and Indigenous Diverse Staff Recruitment
Do you know someone that identifies as Black, Brown or Indigenous and might need some support with applying to work at camp ? Please reach out to us for more information and further assistance on these types of opportunities. Our hope is to support the long term success of all of our campers in continuing to be a part of this community.
STRIDE COORDINATOR
Rai Carter, STRIDE Coordinator for Baltimore Yearly Meeting, was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up spending much of their free time outside, connecting with natural environments in both the city and on the trail. Over the past decade they have specialized in Racial Equity work by supporting organizations and individuals in building spaces in which everyone can thrive. They have spent numerous years working with youth and young adults and cultivating communities of practice with these age groups. Rai has had a focus on Peace and Social Justice, Labor Rights, Food Justice and Religion which has meant cultivating an understanding of the intersections of many experiences. In their free time Rai enjoys gardening, cooking new recipes for friends and family and indoor climbing.
Above: STRIDE members, families, and friends participate in a family barbeque, a bowling fundraiser, a practice hike, and a volunteer jarring day. As we represent the many people and groups affected by this work, we remind ourselves to approach these depictions not as tokens, but as moments in the unique experiences of integral members of our community.
