Queer Youth Adventure Camps 2026
Huge congrats to REconnect Nature School, our May 2026 grant recipient! They're using their award to help run Queer Youth Adventure Camps, three weeks of outdoor day camp built for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 10-18 right here in Chattanooga.
REconnect is a nonprofit microschool where 80% of students and 60% of staff identify as LGBTQIA+ or gender non-conforming. Last summer their camp planned for 30 campers and got 36. This summer it's grown to three full weeks with room for 45 kids each week, staffed by queer adult counselors who show campers what community and joy look like even when things are hard.
Thirty campers are signed up so far, and half of them need a full scholarship to attend. Our grant goes straight to closing that gap: activity costs for paddling and climbing days, mileage for volunteer counselors, and snacks and water to keep everybody fueled across all three weeks.
Camp runs June 22-26, June 29-July 3, and July 13-17, alongside partners like Four Bridges Outfitters, Chattanooga Queer Climbers, Chattanooga Audubon Society, the Seed Theatre, The Food Forest Coalition, and Reflection Riding. The goal isn't just a fun week. It's proof that Chattanooga's wild spaces belong to every kid, and that being a Park City means being a Park City for all of us.
