A Message From Lilo Woodsey
During my 2nd year, I was so excited to become a counselor for UCLA's primary philanthropy of 85 years, UniCamp. Unicamp has given thousands of underserved youth in LA County an incredible week of camp every summer. My first session was specific to foster youth in the area, which was especially important to me, as a former foster youth myself. Understanding what it is like to be in "the system," I knew that a camp such as this would have been extremely beneficial to me and my little sister. After my week of camp, I even went back up to help with another session. There are many important things I have learned from my involvement with UniCamp, and, first and foremost, I found some of my closest friends. I can officially say that Unicamp is my favorite organization at UCLA, and that it has been one of the most rewarding volunteering experiences I have ever been involved with. I started volunteering in the 7th grade at the Special Olympics, went on to volunteer at multiple homeless shelters, middle schools, blood drives, etc. I can confidently say that UniCamp will remain one of my favorite college experiences, and I am looking forward to another year!
That brings me to the good news-- last year I was selected as a member of leadership! While we were disappointed that camp had to be done virtually, we still trained 40+ UCLA students as volunteers and helped them lead a week of camp for the Horace Mann school. Our AcademiCamp session focused specifically on teaching youth Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL. This year, I returned to camp, but as a Session Program Director (SPD), and am in charge of the 6th camp session! This session, CFE (Camp Fostering Equality), aims to serve LGBTQ+ and foster youth in the Los Angeles area. While training our volunteers, we have specifically focused on how to work with youth impacted by the child welfare system, microaggressions toward LGBTQ+ & foster youth, and much more. Similarly to the last couple years, I need your help to fundraise $450! The money helps subsidize the cost of camp for each camper, to make the experience more accessible to these youth. Any amount you are willing to donate is helpful, and I am so thankful for your contributions! It truly means the world to me :)
MWL,
Lilo
