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Juny Ardon ’23 is one of 31 student fellows who completed research with a community-based organization in upstate New York this summer as a part of the Upstate Institute Summer Field School. She describes the project below in her own words: 

As a recent ºÚÁÏÍø grad with experience in learning about justice and equity in education, queer and gender studies, arts,
and the outdoor industry, being received in the world of Fiver has been a gift. In my first week of staff training, I was captivated by the Fiver values that were imbued in lessons, drills, and team-bonding activities that taught counselors and leadership staff how to be truly holistic, environmentally conscious, and caring leaders for youth. Our training is centered around perceiving camp as not an idyllic space, but the microcosm of a world with social issues we must not run away from, but confront and be prepared for with the right skills. This is where Fiver comes in.

The Fiver Children’s Foundation is a one-of-a-kind place that seeks to cultivate the lives of youth with its 10-year commitment to children from underserved communities in central New York and New York City. Fiver starts mentoring a child when they are 8 years old and stays with them until they are 18 — a significant transition age for youth.

Since 2000, Fiver has aided more than 1,200 youth. Through its programming, Fiver focuses on cultivating youths’ self-esteem, leadership, and proactive character traits. Such programming is Camp Fiver, its two-week award-winning summer camp session, that has served over a thousand youth since it started. I joined the Fiver family this summer as a communications associate, which entailed using photography to capture the magic of Camp Fiver happening in Poolville, N.Y., just five miles away from ºÚÁÏÍø. Such magic that I experienced and captured was youth jumping out of their comfort zones through activities such as: preparing for a wilderness trip in the Catskills, developing public speaking skills, forging relationships with peers from diverse backgrounds, creatively expressing themselves through weaving, courageously horseback riding, and simply committing to their self-autonomy.

Outside of camp, Fiver is based in New York City and keeps a connection with youth through an active relationship with their families and provides opportunities for older youth to be proactive in their search for the next step after college, with recent visits to Google and Microsoft and possible pathways.

At Fiver, I felt their mission immediately as I walked into a field of people from diverse walks of life that felt passionate about cultivating a nurturing space for youth. In my time in training, we learned how to have tough conversations about queerness, conflict resolution, and gender violence and to embrace conflict when it comes to being a team player. In my position, I was able to learn and witness the stories of children and youth from ages 8 to 18 years old who are just figuring out themselves in this complicated world and helping each other in getting there.

Through this fellowship, I felt the honor of arriving in the early mornings and leaving at late evenings capturing the high moments of camp life. It was fulfilling to see what fuels youth and their development by being truly confident and empowered. The media produced, organized, and distributed will hopefully aid Fiver in spreading awareness of its mission and impact on youth development. So far, it has helped parents feel fulfilled in seeing their children enjoy themselves and transforming in the summer.

I would like to thank the Upstate Institute for offering me this opportunity as the first huge step in my life after graduating from ºÚÁÏÍø. I am fortunate enough to spend another summer in Hamilton, participating in life-changing work happening in upstate New York. I am excited to continue on my journey of service and use this to help more nonprofits and organizations like Fiver in transforming the lives of youth and overall the future ahead of us.