(music)
-this is camp ten trees!
-i like camp ten trees
-camp ten trees is LGBTQA/non-traditional family- valued

camp that honors Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered,

Transexual, Queer, Questioning, Allied Youth and their

Families.
-some of us has parents that are gay and lesbian and

some of us are gay and lesbian and we're all fine with it.
-it's just like other camps except for it's kind of promoting

the fact that tons of people from everywhere else,

wherever you can come from, are gay, and there's nothing

wrong with that and stuff.
-(writing)
-for some of these kids it's the first time they've ever been

around other kids from these kinds of families. it's the first

time in their lives they've ever been able to talk about their

two moms, their two dads, their trans parent, their three

moms, whatever.
-cause i've been asking around and everyone's like "i have

two moms" "i have two dads"... WHOA!
-i think that it's really cool how like they don't have to date

just like one, female or male, but they can date all these

other kinds of people. it's fun... to have a queer mom.
-it's kind of like a magical place that's away from

everything else where we can just hang out with a lot of

people who are like us.
-it's fun and you get a break of home, so you like meet

new friends and sleep outside. like nature.
-camp ten trees is number 1!
-(writing)
-what made me want to come to camp ten trees is where i

live, i don't know anybody who is like me and i don't really

live in an environment that accepts people like me
-there's not many gay people where i come from so just

meeting other gay people that i can talk to and know they

understand me
-a lot of kids come here because they can't feel supported

outside of this community so they come to camp ten trees

so they can feel comfortable with themselves and with

other people.
-girls get to have their own programming, boys have their

own programming, with also mixed programming.
-and that's all about self-identification, right? so if you're a

female-bodied individual and you're questioning your

gender and you're not sure if you want to be with a lot of

female-bodied girls, you can go live in genderlandia, and

that means your'e going to be living and having

conversations with other campers that are questioning

their gender or that their gender is really fluid. because it

is older youth we understand that they are more equipped

and well equipped to have conversations about their

identity, their orientation, various things that are affecting

them.
-queer media; sex, dating, relationships;
-racism and we talk about social justice and class, sexism,

and ageism, all the -isms you could think of
-and to then have those youth leave the camp and then go

back into their communities be it at school be it at home,

in their small towns, to feel empowered to make change.

to continue camp ten trees outside of camp.
-since i've come to camp i've grown a lot. i'm much more

happy with myself and who i am now. when i first came i

didn't know what anything meant. but since then i'm like,

"i'm this, this, and i identify as this" and i'm happy.
-it's a safe space for people to do all the traditional things

that a camp offers: archery, boating, arts and crafts, all

those fun things that you do at camp but the focus is

based around it's a safe space for these people to be here

and be themselves fully and freely.
-what!
-so it's not just about being gay, it's about being human,

it's about being young it's about being free
-tip me over and pour me out!
-it is run all on volunteer time. we have doctors, we have

mental health specialists, we have teachers, we have social

workers, just an array of talented people
-people come back year after year because it's home
-camp is kind of an example of what the world should be

like. people shouldn't have to worry so much about where

they can feel safe at, where they can be accepted. youth

and staff alike have immense courage to go to our camp

and to be that safety to be that acceptance for each other.
-it's kind of like a safe haven
-everybody's welcome
-it's just a wonderful place
-a great time here. it's worth it to come to Camp Ten

Trees
-you get changed at camp and it's a good thing
-i love you camp!
-it's a separate family.
-the future of camp ten trees? i envision the campers of

today coming back and running the camps of tomorrow. i

envision the future of acceptance of gbltq families and

gbltq youth.
-in my eyes, camp ten trees is social justice in the making.
-it needs to happen. it's working. it's growing every year.

people are donating more every year because they believe

in it. and even though we're not supposed to exist, we're

not supposed to be able to stand up in a world of hatred,

we do!
-i think that's it!