Support Camp RYSE, a Summer Camp for Refugees!

Camp RYSE's mission is to foster joy among refugee youth through five weeks of literacy, learning, and laughter. We rely on generous donations to purchase student classroom supplies and pay staff annually.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to cancel Camp in 2020 and do a hybrid Camp in 2021. This year, Camp RYSE 2022 is FULLY BACK IN PERSON!

Starting July 5th, we will host 80 campers for five weeks of educational and recreational programming Monday through Friday! In the mornings, our campers will be in class learning Math, Reading, Writing, and Speaking skills! And in the afternoons, we will host sports events, art workshops, swimming days, cultural performances & dances, and fun learning activities for all age levels!

Fun Facts About Camp RYSE:

- HUMBLE BEGINNINGS: Camp RYSE was founded in 2011. Back then, the Camp was thirty kids and a few college students meeting for half days in the basement of St. Michael's Church on Oxford Street, reading photocopied books, and going to the park to play. We were small, scrappy, and full of joy.

- AMAZING STUDENTS: Our campers come from all over the world, span 1st to 8th grade, and speak over 15 different languages, including Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, Karen, Burmese, Nepali, Hindi, French, Sango, Wolof, Pashto, Dari, and Kunama!

- AMAZING STAFF: Half of our staff is Camp alumni - high school and college-aged refugee youth representing our youth's identities, lived experiences and language skills. Our staff is almost all people of color and first or second-generation immigrants.

- YEAR-ROUND LOVE: Most campers become tutees in our partner program, BRYTE (Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment). BRYTE matches kids to college and graduate students for one-on-one, in-home tutoring and mentoring during the school year. BRYTE has about 200 tutor-tutee pairs!

- IN THE NEWS: Many people have written beautiful things about Camp RYSE (formerly known as BRYTE Camp) and BRYTE. You can read about one here and here !!

--=--WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT--=--

Every year, we rely on generous donors to make Camp RYSE happen. We are so so so grateful for your support over the past 10+ years; we could genuinely not do this without you. Every dollar goes towards providing resources and supplies for our students and paying staff.

Some items that your generous support will go towards: