In kin•dom campfire chats, we asked camp participants to think of a question that they wish someone would ask them about their life journey. With a friend and in their own words, the campers tell their stories of struggle, love, support, and a community found.
Episode 8:
Camper 1 - 15 yo - He/Him
Camper 2 - 13 yo - She/They
What would you say to your younger self?
Find out more about us by visiting our website, kindomcommunity.org. There you can find information about kin•dom camp and consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kindomcommunity to keep up with all the important information.
music 0:00
[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build, let's build a place we can go”]
Narrator 0:09
Thank you for tuning in to kin•dom campfire chats, a podcast of kin•dom community. This podcast features the voices of LGBTQIA+ persons, both youth participants and adult staff who attended kin•dom camp in Texas in the summer of 2023. We asked the camp participants to think of a question that they wish someone would ask them about their life journey with a friend. And in their own words, the campers tell their stories of struggle, love support, and a community found, we invite you to listen with an open mind and an open heart.
music 0:50
[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "This is the place”]
speaker 1 0:57
What would you say to your younger self, knowing what you know now?
speaker 2 1:01
I would probably say to my younger self that what I'm feeling isn't just taboo, and it shouldn't be viewed that way. I would also say that it doesn't matter what my father's thinks, because ultimately, it's not going to be his decision who and who I don't like and what– who I am. Once I'm 18, there's nothing really that he can say. There's more than just me, I'm not the only person that feels the way I feel in my body and about other people. It's not just a one person thing, there's hundreds of thousands of people, and we all kind of feel alone. But I also know that there are resources for people like me, and people who think that– who– people who view themselves differently than what they see in the mirror, and people who view other people in a more way than platonic that's not, quote, normalized. It's completely okay to feel the way that you do. And it's completely– it should be normal to feel the way you do.
music 2:13
[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: “Oh let’s build”]
speaker 1 2:18
How's your family slash friends supported you throughout your journey?
speaker 2 2:23
Um, a lot of the family that supported me has been my mom and my stepdad and my grandfather and of course, my oldest brother. They've always, especially my mom and stepfather, they've always made me feel like I wasn't alone, they've always taken care to make sure that I knew what I was feeling wasn't solitary, that I wasn't growing up in isolation, because I was feeling this way about myself and about other people. They've, they've made sure to make me aware that I'm not the only one that feels this way.
speaker 1 2:59
mhm
speaker 2 3:01
My oldest brother came to me one day, and he noticed that my my parents were using they/them pronouns around my dad, because my dad doesn't support me. So they just decided to go neutral. Um, and he came up to me, and he was like, 'Listen, if you're wanting, like, I understand, why do you mind me asking like, why are mom and babe using them pronouns?' And I was– told him, because he was like, 'Well, you know, it's okay. If you feel like you want to be a guy, you know, I'm not going to hate you for it.' And he almost made me cry by saying that I was a little sad. I was like, 'cute.' Um, and then my friends have been there for me like, thick and thin. Probably my closest friend right now is ace and I don't talk to him a lot about my emotions, but him just being there and going through the same thing that I'm going through knowing that I– he feels the same way I do about certain things that get passed in Texas, and he's also scared about the laws and things that are going– taking place in Texas right now. They do– they do scare us both, and it's good– I think that it's good that we're going through it together, rather than going our sep– going separately. And then my friend Apollo, he supported me throughout all of it. Like whenever I've had my rough days, he'll help me like he'll tell my teachers for me that I need to step out of the classroom or something like that.
music 4:38
[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build, let's build a place we can go”]
Narrator 4:44
Thank you for listening to kin•dom campfire chats. This podcast is a production of kin•dom community. You can find out more about kin•dom community by going to kindomcommunity.org or by searching kin•dom community on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Baylee 4:49
Hi y'all, it's Baylee. I'm the Creative Director of kin•dom community.
Andy 5:04
And I'm Andy, the Program Director of kin•dom community.
John 5:21
And I'm John, the Executive Director of kin•dom community.
Baylee 5:24
We wanted to talk a little bit more about kin•dom camp and how you can get involved.
Andy 5:29
kin•dom camp is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 to 17 to feel safe and free to show up as their full selves. Campers will have the chance to experience all the fun that camp has to offer in a week filled with affirmation community and celebration. This camp is intentionally created to be affirming space. It affirms all genders, sexualities, identities, and varieties and belief. The only thing we expect is a commitment to welcoming and celebrating everyone where they are as they are.
Baylee 5:58
And this isn't just any summer camp - we're talking rainbows and glitter everywhere. kin•dom camp will include plenty of traditional camp activities and recreation, plus some specialized programming to incorporate activities and conversations around mental health, yoga and embodiment, and LGBTQIA+ history and culture. Now more than ever, LGBTQ youth are in need of unconditional love and acceptance. kin•dom camp is a space for just that.
John 6:28
We're always looking for fully affirming, welcoming and loving adults to help us make kin•dom camp a success. This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with, mentor, and learn from our youth. But most importantly, we ask that you are ready to celebrate everyone where they are as they are.
Andy 6:47
Both registration for campers and applications to be on camp staff are now open. You can find these links on our website kindomcommunity.org/camp. If you have any questions you can't find the answers to you can email me at andy@kindomcommunity.org.
Baylee 7:02
Also, be sure to check us out on socials @kindomcommunity on Instagram and Facebook. We post all of our important announcements and fun camp moments so you'll want to follow along.
John 7:13
Thanks for listening to kin•dom campfire chats. We are proud to be a safe space for these campers and we are even more proud of them for sharing their stories. We hope you'll keep gathering around the campfire with us as we celebrate all of the stories that make us this kin•dom community.
music 7:31
[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build”]
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
