Fall Youth Retreat 2019

With one youth retreat under our belt, we felt more excited than ever to return to the beautiful Berkshires for our second annual youth retreat! We expanded our capacity to twenty-five teens, who joined in for a weekend of connection and fun. It was amazing to see many of our teens return for a second year - older and more confident in who they were! Our first-timers brought new energy and together with fifteen trans and non-binary counselors. It was a wonderful weekend! We hiked and built trust through a series of games and an obstacle course. There was also time for arts and crafts, poetry writing, and a workshop on healthy relationships. Some conversations were serious and others were silly.  However, no matter what a teen was doing, they did it in an atmosphere of acceptance and love. 

This year our teens came from seven different states-- one even flew in from California! We also achieved our goal to create safe spaces for BIPOC trans youth. Our resident hairstylist was back helping teens look stylish and feel good about themselves! On our last night roasted marshmallows over a bonfire that glowed the colors of the trans pride flag (really). In just two and a half days the same campers who arrived shy and tentative shed tears and had trouble saying goodbye.

Two attendees pose in the night. The one on the left wears a hat, jacket, and sweater and the one of the right wears a sweater, jacket, and jeans. Their eyes are closed.

A group of 19 pose on a dock in three rows in front of a lake.

Three individuals dressed for chilly weather stand in the bottom right hand corner facing right. They are on a dock overlooking a lake with lush trees on the other side.

15 attendees pose in three rows (3, 4, 9) with Sam and Devorah shirts on in front of rows of trees.

An individual with a trans-flag colored tank top leans over, showing a tattoo on their right upper arm. Another individual stands behind them looking at what they are doing. The shoulders of two other people cover the bottom right and left corners of the image.

A rock is painted onto of a piece of construction paper. A brush with some paint on it lays on the paper. The rock is held in one hand and another brush in the other. The rock has a smily face on it and a trans flag on the bottom.

Three attendees face away from the camera, with the right most one wearing a striped backpack. A couple feet away, an individual holds two pool noodles, facing the three attendees.

Two attendees sit at a table with two magazines and glue sicks. One looks at the camera while the other is focused on the magazine. A third person at the table is cut off on the left side. A table with two more attendees is seen behind them as well as stacks of chairs.

Three attendees walk on a leaf-covered and dirt-covered path between two swaths of green foliages towards tall grass.

A number of painted rocks.

A Retreat Leader with the name tag “Steph she/her” wearing a Sam and Devorah t-shirt cuts the hair of an attendee.

Three attendees hug themselves on the dock of a pond.

The backs of three attendees face the camera. The middle attendee’s sweatshirt has three eyes on the back.

Seven fists of attendees all meet. Each wears the light blue Sam and Devorah wrist bands.

Three attendees walk on a leaf-covered and dirt-covered path between two swaths of green foliages towards tall grass.

An attendee, of whom the back is only seen, with a sweatshirt with three eyes on it holds a trans pride flag. The person next to them also faces away, is wearing a sweatshirt, and holds the trans flag.

Two attendees stand with their arms outstretched on the bank of the pond. On the other side a house and trees are seen.

An attendee faces away from the camera with the trans flag tied around their neck and going down their back like a cape.

A number of attendees hold on to one another and ropes dangling down from a tree. The photo is a close up on their top-half.

Three individuals with Sam and Devorah shirts pose for the camera. The ones on the right and left wear open plaid button downs over their t-shirt. The one in the middle wears an open plain button down.

A picture of holding hands.

Testimonials from the 2019 Youth Retreat

“I was surrounded by love and support that I’m not usually around.”

“The counselors were extremely helpful. It meant a lot to have them to look up to.”

“I met new friends that will improve my life.”

“Being in nature allowed me to connect to my body in a better and different way.”