What is Camp Hope?
With over 15 years of work in the San Quintin Valley of Baja California, our volunteers have built more than 130 homes, completed dozens of water storage projects, and even built a 1.5 acre community for single moms escaping violence. But part of our strategy has been to stop the cycle of poverty before it begins.
This is the purpose of Camp Hope.
When the average Oaxacan teenager drops out of school at 14 and begins a family by 17, the cycle of poverty is difficult to overcome. The abuse of women is also a very concerning issue, as is the emergence of gangs.
Through sports, activities and amazing adults ready to invest their lives in Oaxacan teens who feel forgotten and undervalued, we can change things.
In the summer of 2023, Camp Hope will begin with more than 1,000 people impacted.
We need your help.
You can change the world.
You can give HOPE.
Project Overview
Progress on Amount Raised: 85k
The San Quintin Valley of Baja California is an agricultural area about 200 miles south of Tijuana. An estimated 90,000 indigenous people have moved from Oaxaca in Southern Mexico to this valley.
With average pay rates around $1/hour, more than 20,000 families live without adequate housing, sanitation, nutrition, education, and access to human rights: especially women’s rights.
These people live under the UN’s definition of extreme poverty. Over 60% of indigenous teens drop out of school before High School, and often develop problems with drugs, alcohol, gangs, and unwed teen pregnancy.
Our strategy to stop the cycle of poverty is 2-fold:
- Using StudentReach’s Connected Coaching with students in schools, weekend intensives and sports camps. Connected Coaching has been used with over 3,000 at-risk students in California, Oregon, Kenya and Zambia.The program emphasizes health in 4 areas: Mental, Social, Physical and Directional. This program is used as a bridge between students and caring, faith-motivated adults.Intensives, conferences, and sports camps will utilize Camp Hope. Over 500 students have already been reached at Camp Hope.
- Networking with Local Leaders to build youth networks and use Summer and Weekend camps as a primary tool for Outreach. We estimate reaching over 1500 youth and families through Camp Hope events in 2023.
Purpose
- Expand strategic outreach to teens and pre-teens through year-round and summer youth camps
- Effectively communicate ethical values to teens to increase:
- Ethical treatment of women
- Stable two-parent families to raise children
- Economic potential to reduce multigenerational poverty
- Expand networking with local leaders, youth-focused individuals, and non-profits to reach youth
- Provide on-going support to network of local leaders
Project Breakdown
Phase One: A summer camp facility that includes:
- 20 10’x10’ Tents that sleep 2 each
- Central bathroom/shower facilities
- Activity facilities (go kart track, ropes course, baseball field, disc golf, etc.)
Housing: 30 tent cabins:
- 8’x8’ and 8’x10’ rustic, portable cabins that sleep 4 youth
- 120 bunks and bedding
- 3 central bathroom facilities with 3 showers, toilets, and sinks each
Meeting facilities:
- Amphitheater
- 30’x50’ Tent for eating/meeting
Infrastructure:
- Storage building (integrated with Camp bathrooms)
- Electrical service for tent cabins
- Walking bridge from Volunteer base to Youth Camp
- storage
- bathrooms for amphitheater
- propane service for phase two
Activities:
- Baseball/Soccer field (partially complete)
- Basketball/floor hockey court (partially complete)
- Volleyball sand court
- Zip lines
- Disc golf course