Colonial Ableist Space and the Production of the Camp Experience

Note (edit September 12, 2015):

The views of this blog post are mine, Bridget Liang and my experiences and love for Project Acorn. This is not representative of the organization. 

I came back from my third year attending Project Acorn and I’m still unpacking/catching up on sleep/scratching all the mosquito bites.

For those who don’t know, Project Acorn is a leadership camp design for queer and trans youth (16-24). I attend as a R.O.C. (Roots of Our Communities) which is the “adult” (25+) attendees that support youth, help facilitate/monitor workshops, and providing their knowledge and experiences to everyone.

I’m in camp withdrawal as I usually am after coming back. I feel this sense of loss over being away from all these brilliant, vibrant queers that made up the camp population. I’m fortunate enough to return back to a queer home unlike many of the youth in attendance. It is such a privilege for me to be able to continue being me when I go home and not just for a few days out in the forest.

I’m writing this piece because a couple participants had to leave after the first day. I know the one left because the space was just not physically accessible to them. And because of that, I feel like I failed.