Camp Pride Tree: Providing LGBTQ+ Youth With a Camp Experience for Two Consecutive Years!
Back for its second annual Camp Pride Tree, Pride Tree Las Vegas recently hosted a successful summer camp in Mt. Charleston at the end of July. Pride Tree is a local non-profit providing after-school and summer programming for LGBTQ+ youth in the greater Las Vegas area.
Camp Pride Tree is a program offered by Pride Tree to provide a camp experience to LGBTQ+ youth and allies who may not otherwise get the opportunity. In addition to providing all the benefits of a traditional summer camp experience without the typical gender norms, this program allows kids to freely express themselves and their identity in a safe, inclusive environment.
According to The Pride Tree’s website, “Camp Pride Tree builds self-esteem, leadership skills, a sense of community, confidence, self-reliance, the opportunity to meet lifelong friends, escape the pressures of school for a while, and a chance to be a kid!”
“We kicked off at the Neon Museum Boneyard Park,” said Soleil McCants, Director of Communications. “We registered kids, provided COVID testing, and had lunch before packing up the bus for the drive up to Lee Canyon.”
Thanks to the support of community donations over the past year and partners like the Neon Museum and Area 15’s Omega Mart sponsoring the event, Camp Pride Tree 2023 was a resounding success.
Camp Pride Tree 2023 Highlights
Growth From 2022
Last year, 28 campers attended Camp Pride Tree at its inaugural event. Showing substantial growth this year, The Pride Tree had 49 kids registered for the program, with 44 who attended.
According to McCants, there were several additions and changes to this year’s offerings.
“We listened to our 2022 Post-Camp survey and added a few things to meet the needs of our campers and volunteers. One of the biggest additions was having a Mental Health specialist available for the duration of camp. They were available for scheduled group sessions and one-on-ones,” McCants explained. “We also built in more rest/free time than the year before. This allowed campers and volunteers [the] opportunity to recharge during camp.”
She also added that in addition to the increase in the number of campers, the camp also saw an increase in volunteers. And, thanks to community donations, Pride Tree raised enough money to offer more camp scholarships to kids this year.
“In 2022, we had [six] counselors and 12 adult volunteers, but this year, we had 13 counselors and 24 adult volunteers,” she said. “We were also able to award triple the amount of scholarships this year compared to last. We believe financial circumstances shouldn’t prevent a youth who wants to attend from coming to camp.”
Camp Activities
Along with the new features of the camp this year, campers got to experience a wide range of activities.
“The kids had traditional camp activities such as arts & crafts, tie dying t-shirts, and nature walks but also got to participate in Pride Tree Olympics, Family Feud, Ice Cream Human Sundae, Pilates, Fashion Hour, Expressive Arts, among other activities,” McCants explained.
Guest Speakers
The campers also heard from several guest speakers throughout the program, with community leaders from various backgrounds who came to speak this year.
“Among them were Nevada Assemblywoman Erica Mosca, Miss Nevada 2019 Tianna Tuamoheloa and Miss Nevada 2021 Kataluna Enriquez, Percy Neavez from the LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada, Christy Sakamoto from Meow Wolf, Dr. John Brosious & Dr. Sara Jordan Physical and Mental Health professionals to name a few,” McCants said.
Dream Catcher Workshop
One of the camp activities also included a dreamcatcher workshop led by Holly Reese, the Director of Community Support Services at the LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada. As a Two-Spirit Choctaw Native American, Reese discussed what being Two-Spirit means in Indigenous culture and shared the history of dream catchers according to one Native American legend during the workshop.
What Does Two-Spirit Mean?
“Two-Spirit is a modern umbrella term to describe Indigenous people who embody both a feminine and masculine energy and have traditionally held a number of important social and spiritual roles in their tribes,” Reese said. She also included some additional information from other sources discussing what Two-Spirit means to Indigenous people.
According to the Indian Health Service website, “Tribal nations have their own terms for and understanding of what it means to be Two-Spirit. Some individuals prefer to use words from their Indigenous languages, rather than adopting the pan-Indian term “Two-Spirit.”
Cherokee Two-Spirit musician Tony Enos spoke to Huff Post to discuss the topic as well. “The traditional place and role that we held among our people was taken from us and deemed an ‘abomination,’” Enos said. “The modern Two-Spirit movement is a reclamation of that traditional role and place among our people.”
Per the Huff Post article, “Before colonization, Native communities embraced the Two-Spirit identity. But the Europeans’ homophobic attitudes and binary understanding of gender led to its erasure.
(Article continues after the ad)
Please follow our fantastic site sponsors! They make content like this possible! 🙂
Extra Safety Precautions
In addition to the standard safety measures to protect those attending the camp this year, Pride Tree took additional precautions to ensure everyone’s safety, given the growing violence against the LGBTQ+ community as of late.
“The safety of our kids and volunteers are of the utmost importance so there were discussions amongst the board members in the months leading up to camp regarding safety. We solicited the input from Lee Canyon security and a former Metro Police Lieutenant and determined the protocols in place were sufficient,” McCants explained. “We will continue to evaluate the social climate and our safety protocols for future camps to ensure a safe experience for everyone involved.”
Looking Forward to Camp Pride Tree 2024
With this year’s camp in the rearview mirror, Pride Tree is already working on making Camp Pride Tree even bigger and better for 2024.
According to McCants, the Pride Tree team will analyze their 2023 Post-Camp survey to see where they succeeded and where areas of improvement are.
“We anticipate a step up for our third annual Camp Pride Tree,” she said. “We have the advantage of data and experience to improve the camp experience in the coming years.”
#GetinMotion with The Pride Tree
According to McCants, “While Camp Pride Tree 2023 has come and gone, The Pride Tree is still hard at work for LGBTQ+ youth in the community.”
McCants gave special thanks to “The Pride Tree Board of Directors and our volunteers for their work making Camp Pride Tree possible.”
Follow on Social Media
The Las Vegas community can help support The Pride Tree in several ways, including donating to the organization, volunteering with them, and following them on Instagram and Facebook.
Sponsor a Child
To specifically help with next year’s camp, consider sponsoring a child who will receive a scholarship to the camp.
“The need for a camp like this is evident, and our kids are being enriched by the experience. We believe in providing scholarships to those who ask, and the community can help us continue that goal by donating… any amount, small or large,” McCants said. “To sponsor one child is $400, and nearly all of the [44] who attended this year received either full or partial scholarships. We are looking to expand our corporate sponsorships/partnerships, whether it is sponsoring a cabin or providing food or swag during camp.”
Volunteer
People can also sign up to volunteer for Camp Pride Tree 2024 and be camp counselors.
“Camp Pride Tree would not exist without sponsorships and volunteers. We anticipate growing in the years to come, so volunteers are essential. It is just as rewarding for volunteers to be a part of this as it is for the kids,” McCants said. “It is an easy way to give back to the community and encourage kids.”
Thank you to our supporters and sponsors!
As always, we want to thank our Patreon’ Cultivator’ supporters and sponsors who help make content like this possible.
The following Patron(s) supported the production of this article:
Crystal Gropp
The following sponsors supported the production of this article:
Viva La Compost & LunaKai Lash
