Just Communities of Arkansas

Leadership Camp Our Town for Teens

(ages 15-18 year olds)

Our Town for Teens

Our Town is a fully funded, four-day residential leadership camp for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (ages 15–18), held at either Ferncliff Camp or the Arkansas 4-H Center near Little Rock. Designed to empower teens to become inclusive and courageous leaders, the camp focuses on developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and strong communication skills through interactive activities like role-play, group dialogue, and storytelling. Participants explore issues of identity, equity, prejudice, and discrimination while learning to advocate for their values and build inclusive communities. The program is highly selective, with only 20–24 participants per session, allowing for deep connections among peers from across the state. There is no cost and all lodging, meals, materials, and even a camp t-shirt are provided. The 2025 session runs from October 17–20, with applications due by July 31. This nationally recognized camp is ideal for teens ready to grow emotionally, challenge their perspectives, and lead positive change in their communities.

Our Town for Teens application can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNsjdaTi8usG6KDM25hQHLpWjviMV-lcJthXmcrEhWcbNnTA/viewform

Date October 17-20

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nico Lang (they/them) is a nonbinary award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience

covering the transgender community’s fightfor equality. Their work has appeared in major

publications, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, The New York Times, Vox, The Wall Street Journal,

Salon, Harper’s Bazaar, Time, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.

Lang is the creator of Queer News Daily and previously served as the deputy editor for

Out magazine, the news editor for Them, the LGBTQ+ correspondent for VICE, and the

editor and cofounder of the literary journal In Our Words. Their industry-leading

contributions to queer media have resulted in a GLAAD Media Award, 10 awards from the

National Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA), and three awards from the Los Angeles

Press Club, including the 2023 Online Journalist of the Year. Lang is also the first-ever

recipient of the Visibility Award from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund

(TLDEF), an honor created to recognize their impactful contributions to reporting on the

lives of LGBTQ+ people.

ABOUT THE BOOK

American Teenager

How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era

by Nico Lang

Abrams Press / October 8, 2024

U.S. $30.00 / CAN $38.00/ Hardcover with jacket / 272 pages / 6 x 9"

ISBN: 978-1-4197-7382-2

Also available as an e-book abramsbooks.com