Jared – growing with others

Jared learned about the camp from a relative who believed he would benefit from the opportunity of working with marginalized youth.

“Here I am, six years later, still doing it every summer. It’s the only consistent thing I’ve had in my life.”

Most campers come from homes with incarcerated parents, live in foster or live with grandparents.

“Because of this, we strive to provide them with the most consistent, accommodating, loving and supportive environment possible. Working with marginalized youth, it’s so important to give them an experience that they can feel comfortable and be a part of.”

Many children coming to camp are missing a strong connection to an adult in their lives. Jared knows that having a sense of belonging and a strong community of support is important to all children, but especially those who are at-risk or living in vulnerable situations.

Empowering youth

“Often times, when you are missing the security of knowing that you’re safe or of having a stable home, the most inviting thing for marginalized youth is crime.”

“There is a strong link between having a parent that is incarcerated and their children ending up in the justice system,” says Shawn Bayes, Executive Director of Elizabeth Fry Society. “Camps like JustKids help break the cycle. Participating youth come out with a new sense of community, of responsibility and of belonging. They believe in themselves and their capacity to help others.”

For Jared, the benefits don’t stop there.

“I owe a lot of my life to this program. It’s helped me realize how important it is to help others, to grow with others and your community, and the impact we can have on youth.”