As Camp Out is coming into to it’s fourth year, we thought it was about time we found out a little bit more about this great organisation and what they are providing for LGBTIQ youth. We caught up for a chat with Daisy, a high school teacher who has been involved with Camp Out for four years. As she tells us, Camp Out is all about building confidence and strong connections between young people from all over NSW.

Tell us a little about Camp Out?

Camp Out is a 5 day annual camp for LGBTIQ young people aged 13-17. During the camp, young people have the opportunity to participate in workshops, art activities, dance, games and sports and much more. Camp Out provides LGBTIQ young people with a fun, safe and supportive environment where they can learn new skills, meet other like-minded individuals and connect to the broader queer community.

Why is Camp Out important?

At this time when the LGBTIQ community is receiving a great deal of negative attention in the media, and LGBTIQ young people are receiving negative messages regarding their identities and who they are, it is more important than ever to provide spaces where these young people can feel valued and respected.

Who are the team behind Camp Out?

Camp Out began in 2010 when a group of politically active queers from different backgrounds came together with the aim of creating a space for young queers to be themselves and build community. We felt like we needed a camp like this when we were teenagers, a place to talk openly and honestly about our emerging identities and be proud around other LGBTIQ young people, without the fear of being bullied or discriminated against.

What’s most important to you and camp out right now?

I’m really passionate about making our 2016 the biggest, sparkliest and best Camp ever. I’m also passionate about our values as an organisation: we are a totally volunteer-run organisation which is feminist, diversity positive and non-hierarchical.

How are you going about achieving that? what do you do on a day to day basis to accomplish your goals?

All of us Camp Out crew have day jobs so in the lead up to camp we have a lot of meetings to decide on workshop content, logistics and other vital stuff. We also keep in touch over email. We promote Camp Out through the Facebook page and encourage our friends to donate to the Pozible. We participate in training and workshops to develop our skills and ensure that we can meet the needs of the campers.

How are things going with it? What struggles or successes have you had?

Struggles: We’re currently sorting through the applications for the 2016 Camp and have more applications than we have places. So that’s really hard because there’s a real need for Camp Out and we hate turning people away. In the future it would be great if we could have a larger venue or run 2 camps so that every LGBTIQ young person who wants to come to camp has the opportunity. Fundraising is always a challenge but we’ve managed to meet our fundraising target for the last 5 camps so we’re hoping that 2016 will be bigger and better than ever. Successes: Seeing campers grow in confidence during the week at camp, meeting past campers and hearing them talk about what a positive difference Camp Out has made in their live.

Where would Camp Out like to be?  What are the long term goals?

We recently had our 5 year anniversary and it was great to meet with past campers and hear about the positive changes that have taken place in their lives. We hope than Camp Out can continue to provide a fun, safe and supportive environment for young people, now and into the future.

How can people get involved?

Visit our website, Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Instagram (@campoutforever), Send us an email if you would like to be involved (Recruitment starts in October 2016) or if you can donate money or other items that we need.

How can people support?

People can support us by donation to our Pozible. We have 16 days to go and our target is $15,000. We charge campers on a sliding scale, and no camper is turned away for lack of funds. We receive no government funding so we rely on donations from the community. Please donate today to ensure that we can continue to create a space where young LGBT people can find their strength, courage and fabulousness