Appalachian camp works to connect girls with nature
MILLFIELD — The morning fog sat heavy in the air and rain clouds hung low, but energy was still high on a recent Thursday morning as girls rolled into Solid Ground Farm for another day of camp.
“Lila, Lila! Look at it!” Mya Schultz, 9, of Nelsonville, said as she bolted toward the main cabin, eager to show off the little black tadpole she had scooped out of a nearby pond.
Another gaggle of girls played a game of scramble (think free-forall dodgeball without teams) in the front yard. Others swung on Sara Jade Harrell, 12, feels the elderflowers sprinkled through her hair during RAW Camp.
a porch swing, chatting with excitement about feeding the chickens yesterday’s compost during the morning’s chores.
Before long, the girls — a group of 20 vibrant 6- to 12-year-olds — split up into groups and set off for a day of foraging, playing in the mud and self-defense lessons.
Welcome to Women of RAW Camp.
RAW Camp — short for Rising Appalachian Warriors — is a summer day camp 5 miles north of Athens that aims to teach kids life skills and a hands-on knowledge about the wonders in their own backyards. Founded in 2010, RAW was designed to let kids be kids while also meeting relevant social needs, said Weston Lombard, the camp’s founder.
Many of those social needs, said executive director Kent Orr, are specific to southeastern Ohio, like addressing poverty and decades of environmental abuse.
“Appalachia faces a lot of difficulties and barriers,” Orr said. “But there is a strong sense of community in Appalachia. We want people to feel like this is their land; this is your community.”
Camp sessions include classic activities such as obstacle courses and crafts, as well as lessons on sustainability and living off the land. But for the last two years, Orr said, his mission has included increasing the number of female campers.
Studies show fewer girls participate in outdoor and recreational activities nationwide.
In 2018, participation rates among girls ages 6 to 12 was 58%, and 54% among girls ages 13 to 17 — numbers that have been declining over the last five years, according to the Washington-based Outdoor Foundation. Boys in those same age groups had 64% participation rates.
Two years ago, Orr noticed that only about 20% of RAW campers were girls. So he sent out a survey to parents to see what constraints might be holding their girls back from coming to camp and used the results to create a program just for them.
Some girls feared violence from others when playing outside, so self-defense training was included.
Cheryl Cesta, a certified self-defense teacher in Athens, led each group through a lesson in personal safety.
“Who does your body belong to?” Cesta asked. “You! Who has the right to touch your body? Nobody unless you let them!”
The 8- and 9-year-old girls practiced kicking and jabbing, making ferocious faces and yelling for help.
“This is so fabulous for the girls,” Cesta said. “By the time they get to this age, girls often feel self-conscious and boys
want to show off. Having an all-girls camp gives them a safe space to feel empowered.”
Other girls said they worried about speaking up, so music lessons give them an opportunity to use their voices and express themselves creatively.
Tessa Evanosky, a musician and events coordinator for the Athens-based community arts group Arts West, taught about female-centric country songs of singer Loretta Lynn.
With guitar in hand, she walked the girls through chords and strumming techniques. She challenged them to write their own songs together.
Sydney Hanley-norris, 8, of Athens, and Lila Dishong, 10, of Nelsonville, worked hard to compose a song all about their time at camp.
“Welcome to RAW Camp, there’s lots of stuff to do. Just make sure a chicken doesn’t poo on you,” they sang, much to the enjoyment of their peers.
Morgan Mccament, 15, of Athens, has attended RAW Camp for the last three years and was thrilled when she saw all-girls sessions were offered.
“The things we learn are more specific to women and girls growing into women,” she said. “Girls have different needs than younger boys, and we mature a lot faster.”
Mccament said being one of the older girls at camp is great because she’s hoping to be a counselor herself one day and appreciates the chance to mentor the younger campers.
After just a week of camp, Orr said he and counselors have seen a reduction in some of those fears and constraints girls had expressed.
Female participation rates are up, too. This year, almost half of the campers at RAW are girls.
With so much success from Women of RAW, Orr said an all-girls, three-day kayaking expedition will be available for girls 12 and up in August.
“It changes the way they see going out into the world and it changes those decisions they make of what to do,” Orr said. “It’s giving those girls that opportunity and showing them it’s worth it to play outside.”