Virtual camp hosted by Rainbow Resource Centre

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/08/2020 (2146 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cross-stitching, cooking, drag on a dime and vogue dancing are some of the activities youth are taking part in at a summer camp this weekend, hosted by the Rainbow Resource Centre.

Due to pandemic conditions, the usual overnight camp had to be replaced by a virtual version, according to camp co-ordinator Mateo Llanillos. It wasn’t a difficult decision to make, given that the youth looking forward to meeting their peers and mentors identify as two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more (2SLGBTQ+).

“We know that during COVID, all youth are experiencing challenges. But we know that 2SLGBTQ+ youth face these same challenges, plus the amplification of discrimination they may have already been experiencing. Without the availability of affirming environments like Camp Aurora, 2SLGBTQ+ youth can feel especially isolated on an emotional, mental and physical level. And that’s why Camp Aurora is so important this year.”

Thanks to financial support from the Payworks company, Camp Aurora staff packed supply kits with crafts, headphones, masks, recipes and art supplies, which were shipped to the 35 youth aged 13 to 21 ahead of the camp, being held online Aug. 14 to 16.

Payworks president and CEO JP Perron took part in packing the camp kits at the Osborne Village resource centre, adding that the company donated $15,000 toward the virtual camp. “We’re proud to support initiatives in the community like this,” he said, adding the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary by donating several million dollars to groups that support people with addictions, in the arts, environment and health.

According to Samara Luprypa, a regular year would have seen the campers meet in person at Camp Brereton, participating in everything from outdoor sports to making new friends in the community. “We would raise the rainbow flag and the transgender flag to show that it is a safe place where youth can be themselves,” said the camp co-ordinator. “We wanted to move that feeling to the virtual world this year, to create that space where youth feel comfortable, including those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour).”

The camp includes a BIPOC circle of support and a Two Spirit Lodge for youth to connect with community members who identify as Indigenous.

The virtual camp does have one positive difference, according to Llanillos: more rural youth are able to take part. “Thanks to a donation from Tokyo Smoke in the village, we were able to include headphones in each package,” he said. “The headphones allow the campers to discretely join in. There are many youth who are socially isolated. They don’t know anyone who is like them. We wanted to focus on the protective factors here.”

Rainbow Resource Centre summer student Tia Oberoi is leading the cross-stitching workshop.

“I’m going into my bachelor of social work studies this fall, and I’ve worked as a counsellor for Camp Aurora,” she said, adding she worked with the BIPOC advisory committee, and on finding community members for the workshops.

“Being surrounded by people who understand you, who are comfortable in their own identity is so powerful for youth,” Oberoi said.

“To meet people who have gone through finding themselves when they were young and queer and awkward and out, is so valuable.”

For more, see rainbowresourcecentre.org