feminist summer camp
Feminist Summer Camp 2011 is an intensive week-long program for college students interested in meeting with progressive leaders and national feminist organizations in New York City. Our program emphasizes career development and will include a day-long internship and opportunities to network with professionals and learn about career and internship opportunities.
Our contract and questionnaire can be downloaded by clicking here.
What is Feminist Summer Camp?
Feminist Summer Camp is an activist bootcamp that includes hands-on adventures in New York to learn about different approaches, strategies, and skills of social justice organizing. We meet with two to three organizations each day and our meetings are interspersed with debriefing sessions with Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards. You can expect to participate in path-breaking progressive campaigns launched from NYC, tackle fundraising and other practical but necessary skills for your cause, and learn about what professional and seasoned activists do day-to-day.
With three great years of programming behind us, we offer a transformative week of feminist immersion that can't be found anywhere else. Your guides will be seasoned activists and Soapbox co-founders Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner, authors of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future and Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism We build the sessions with the interests of our group in mind and have been able to honor individual requests for meetings or speakers each year. Many of the speakers, writers, and activists you see on our website live in New York and can be integrated into the session, from Katha Pollitt to Leora Tanenbaum to Marcia Gillespie to Courtney Martin and we have unique relationships with dozens of organizations with whom we have worked over the years. The inspired young women we have hosted were able to explore issues such as sexual rights, reproductive justice, sex work, the arts, trafficking, media, and peace and human rights; a hands-on once in a lifetime experience. Each year the week culminates with a networking party that invites all our workshop hosts and other young feminists to join the students informally at the end of the week.
A typical day at Soapbox Feminist Summer Camp might go as follows:
Morning Meeting: Meet with Third Wave Foundation and learn about their grant-making strategies. Meet Third Wave grant partners and learn about young feminist philanthropy through their innovative Why Give? program.
Lunch: Brownbag Discussion with Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner
Evening Entertainment: Mix and mingle with young New York feminists at a reading at the radical bookstore/collective Bluestockings.
Please also see the list of organizations we have met with in the past at the bottom of this page.
Who Should Attend Feminist Summer Camp?
Feminist Summer Camp is open to all college students, but is especially recommended for juniors, seniors, and recently-graduated individuals. We've hosted a huge diversity of students and welcome all genders, students who are of nontraditional ages, students who are parents, students of various levels of ability, and we encourage students of color to join us. Students attend Feminist Winter Term for varied reasons including making connections for internships and future employment, getting ideas for thesis projects, course credit, networking and bonding with other young activists, or just flexing their feminist muscles.
What's New This Year?
This is our second Feminist Summer Camp and we're certain it will be even better than last year! In addition to all the usual great meetings and adventures of Feminist Winter Term, Summer Camp promises all the wonderful offerings of visiting New York City in the warmer months. Summer Camp will also include the following:
- A work-ready intensive day with a session with concrete advice about entering the professional world as a feminist and a one-day internship with a leading feminist organization.
Experience has shown us that many students attending Feminist Winter Term want to know how to put their feminist values to work in the professional world. This includes learning how to stand out, networking with employers and other young professionals, and exploring professional avenues you are interested in. We will also continue to highlight internship and job opportunities at our host organizations and compile a list of these opportunities for you to take back with you.
- We will be increasing the scope of our outreach and expect to host young feminists from many campuses. This will give you the opportunity to network and bond with other activists and hear about what is going on at other campuses.
- We will have two "breakout sessions" focused on Reproductive Justice and on Feminist Art. These sessions will allow students to break into smaller, intensive groups for a meeting within our theme, then will allow the larger group to come together for a collaborative discussion. These sessions generate more intimate conversations and cover a spectrum of issues within a theme.
How Much Does it Cost? Are Room and Board Included?
The approximate cost of the week will be $800 per student. This will include accommodations with our group at Hosteling International New York, our program fee, your weekly metrocard, breakfasts, and lunches on the days we are together (approx. 5). This fee does NOT include your transportation to New York City, dinners and some lunches, and other entertainment you choose to pursue on your own.
We recommend that you stay with the group in the hostel to get the full experience, but if you already live in NYC or want to stay with a friend, we can adjust the cost accordingly.
We understand that the cost of this program is not easy to meet for many. Here are some ways you can find funds for your excursion to NYC:
*Write a fundraising letter to your family, friends, community members, and clubs. Explain why learning more about feminism is important to you. Remind them that they are investing in your bright future; both your career and your future as someone who will make a difference in the lives of others by learning about social justice. Think of ways that you can pay it forward to your community; offer to host an infoshare or slideshow of your week for your fellow campus activists, promise your career services office a resource packet of internships and job information as a resource for other students, or promise your family you'll work a certain number of hours for a cause that is important to them. Another strategy is to make a creative pledge sheet -- like for a run or a dance. Ask people to sponsor a day of Feminist Summer Camp and let them know that they will also be sponsoring your future by giving you such an important opportunity.
*Ask for funding from your career services office, women's studies program, school of arts and sciences, or winter term office. We have heard from students that such funding is often available, especially for programs that offer help with internships and career training. If there isn't a formal grant available, make a few phone calls to campus offices and see if there is any discretionary funding available.
* Travel cheap by looking for flights in advance, finding ride-shares, or asking friends and family to donate their unused frequent flyer miles. We have found that Kayak.com is a great site for finding the best deals. Don't forget that you can book flights to La Guardia, JFK airport, or Newark; sometimes it makes a huge difference in cost. Also look for local airports that may be an hour drive away but will save you cash on airfare by traveling from a different city. Closer to June, we can also help get folks in touch for ride-shares. For example, if we several students in Virginia who are planning on coming -- we will get you in touch in case you decide to share the drive. Finally, we will do our best to help transport those arriving on similar flights from the airports to the hostel to save you cab fare. We can also put you in touch with each other once we know your travel plans so you can share a cab, which will be more cost-effective.
How Do I Register!
Registration is now open and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Click here to apply. Feel free to email jenandamy@soapboxinc.com with any questions.
Organizations that we have met with in the past include:
The Feminist Press
BUST Magazine
The Women's Media Center
UNICEF
Women's International Health Coalition
Midwives For Choice
National Advocates For Pregnant Women
The Sackler Center for Feminist Art
Bluestockings Bookstore
Planned Parenthood NYC
The Girl's Project
Third Wave Foundation
Babeland
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Coalition
The Art Club
AIR Gallery
Equality NOW
Sweet Things Bake Shop
Anna, a woman-owned and designed dress shop
The Museum of Sex
The Sister Fund
Barnaba Institute
Choices in Childbirth
CHOICES Women's Medical Center
The Alan Guttmacher Institute
And individuals such as:
Writer/activist Gloria Steinem
Gynecologist/ACTIVIST Virginia Reath
Sex Education Activist Shelby Knox
Radical Lawyer Lynn Paltrow
Midwife/Activist Stacey Rees
Abortion clinic owner/activist Merle Hoffman
Click here to apply. Please email jenandamy@soapboxinc.com with any questions.
Deposit is due April 9th and program fees are due May 7th.
Click this button to pay the deposit of $100 now.
