It’s always a good time to feature great resources for queer youth, but maybe especially right now, in this moment.
I’d like to recommend a few of my favorites. First, I would be remiss not to mention Queer Camp, a summer camp we host here in Northwest Arkansas each summer. July 10-14, 2023, for campers grades 5-12. Our camp has been featured on National Public Radio and in the New York Times, is an outstanding resource for queer youth in the South (although campers attend from all over the country).
Another camp hosted in Minnesota each summer is also a fantastic resource for queer youth. Unlike Queer Camp (which is intentionally non-religious in order to provide safe space for a community who has experienced significant religious trauma), The Naming Project is a faith-based camp. It takes place July 23-28 at Bay Lake Camp. This camp is primarily for high schoolers.
Camp just not in the cards this summer, but you just need a wonderful resource right now that’s fun and interactive? Then check out Perfectly Queer: An Illustrated Introduction by Victoria Barron. Find it wherever great books are sold!
Is queer a badge of honor in the LBGT community? If not ( and maybe even if so) you need another term for your camp. From an outside perspective it sounds and is perceived as derogatory. Perhaps this could be a goal for your camp.