Yesterday was the first day of our 19th session of Feminist Camp!
We kicked off with an orientation breakfast and then dove directly into an exploration of philanthropy. Have you ever thought about what it means to be a philanthropist? Does philanthropy encompass more than giving or raising money? How does power and money play into activist and social justice work?
We started our conversation at the NoVo Foundation, one of the largest funders of women and girls' programming across the globe. We learned about nonprofit office culture, challenges in determining distribution of funds, and how different foundations are able to take different levels of risk with their grants. Campers were asked to brainstorm about how they would choose to grant a billion dollars, and projects spanned from physical spaces for empowering survivors of domestic violence to addressing the deficiencies of the American education systems. So many great ideas!
Following our trip to NoVo, we headed to NEO Philanthropy where we learned about the role of a regranting organization, specifically one that works to create collaborative funding opportunities. While there, we screened the film The Hunting Ground. After watching such a powerful and fascinating investigation into the issue of campus sexual violence, we left with heavy hearts, but even more sure that our feminist work on (and off!) campus is essential.
We closed the day with a healing, energizing workshop with spoken word poet (and Soapbox speaker) Kelly Tsai. Stretching, free writing, and a delicious dinner helped balance and unite the group, and we left the evening ready for the rest of the week!