Is Camp Inherently Political? - with Allison Klee & Laura Kriegel - Beyond Camp #24
We often call camp a place apart from the “real world”. But what happens when it isn’t? And should it be different? How do we navigate social justice, politics and other sensitive subjects all within the camp experience?
Is social justice inherently political? Do politics have a place at camp? What if we took it back to our why, ‘why are we doing these things or holding these values’ and placed campers at the center of our work?
This work isn’t easy, it can be messy and we can stumble. Join us as we chat with Laura Kriegel and Allison Klee from Stomping Ground about how we can create spaces at camp for challenging discussions that welcome all viewpoints as we teach campers how to listen with radical empathy.
Tune in to this episode to hear about:
How do you identify and what privilege do you carry?
Social justice is a hot-button issue these days. How does social justice present itself at your camp?
Do you think social justice always means getting political? Maybe go to Klee for this one totally
Do politics have a role at camp?
How do you address people who say politics don’t belong at camp?
How do you deal with differences in political outlooks or perspectives on social justice issues between campers? Between staff?
Active radical empathy, extended time
Superpowers staff have
Partnering with kids vs powering over them.
Do people need to share the same perspective/outlook to work at your camp?
How can camps expand their camper population while still taking a stance on social justice issues?
How do we build bridges with those around us as an organization?
It sounds like Stomping Ground does a great job of integrating social justice issues. What advice would you give to camps that are just starting their journey?
What do you think? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.
There are many fantastic consultants of color in the camp community to help you navigate these “political” situations. Check out Simone Gamble of OAAARS or Brianna and Mickela of S'more Melanin.
Your Hosts:
Cassie Bloy, Consultant & Freelance Camp Director - Stephane Richard Development Consulting
Rachel Kent, Coordinator, Member Risk - Girl Guides of Canada
Guest Bios
Allison Klee wears a ton of different hats at Stomping Ground. While overseeing parent communications, managing social media, content and marketing, her connection to our camperbase is always kept a top priority. With infallible determination and deep love for her community, she spends her time coming up with new ways to bring people together and advancing the camp industry to the standard she envisions. This year she’s hosted The Inspiring Radical Empathy Podcast, pioneered our virtual platform Hometown Stomping Ground, and created a forum to drive what she believes is most important at camp through facilitating Restorative Justice Trainings.
Klee will begin working on her Master of Social Work in the fall of 2021.
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Laura Kriegel - The commitments to equity and inclusivity at Stomping Ground are a direct result of co-founder Laura Kriegel’s passion and constant work for creating the spaces she knows the world needs more of. Laura’s creativity and background as an artist is felt by everyone who steps foot on camp and informs our program and new forever home outside of Saratoga Springs in all aspects. A recent graduate of the Masters in Social Work program at Columbia University, Laura shares her devotion to the correction of social issues with the larger camp community by being a thought leader and facilitating trainings on Restorative Justice.