CampOUT! lives, learns, and breathes on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Watuth), Stó:lō, Shíshálh (Sechelt) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations of the Coast Salish peoples.
We are grateful to the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island who have cared for these lands since time immemorial. We hold our hands up to their amazing resistance, resilience, and strength in the face of ongoing dispossession and colonial violence.
Unceded land was never given to settlers; it was stolen and continues to be occupied and governed by settlers today. We believe it is important to continue reflecting and speaking about this colonial violence, and to keep it in mind as we interact with one another.
CampOUT! firmly believes in holding up the resistance of Indigenous peoples and the voices of queer, trans, and Two-Spirit Indigenous folks in our communities. We are always striving to support anti-/de-colonial initiatives and move toward reconciliation and Indigenous sovereignty.
CampOUT! strives towards allyship in all forms, always working to do better through an ever-learning, and sometimes imperfect, process. We aim for accountability and transparency by listening to and centering Indigenous voices and voices of colour in our organizing.
We know that the work we do in supporting queer, trans, and Two-Spirit youth must come hand-in-hand with uplifting the Indigenous Nations upon whose land we play, collaborate, and build communities.
We see ourselves doing that work by:
- Holding space for Two-Spirit/Indigenous leaders
- Reaching out to Indigenous youth
- Building relationships with Coast Salish people and communities
- Acknowledging territory and educating campers about land, land theft, the origins of the land they are on, and decolonization
- Centering Indigenous voices at camp
- Facilitating anti-/de-colonial and intersectional training for Cabin Leaders
- Making space for QTBIPOC and Indigenous community building at camp
- Making space for anti-racism education and allyship training
We know this work is ongoing and are always open to hearing feedback, suggestions, and critical comments. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Currently, CampOUT! learns and works with our friends at:
We are always keen to learn more and build new relationships with Indigenous people and organizations to work towards decolonization in queer and trans community development work.
Here are some more amazing Indigenous organizations that we look up to and recommend checking out: