Where Youth Grow, Connect, and Belong: Partner Summer Camps Make a Lasting Impact  

Each summer, youth step into camp experiences that offer more than activities, schedules, and shared meals. For many young people, summer camp becomes a place of belonging, discovery, and transformation—a space where they can learn more about themselves, build confidence, and form relationships that often last long after the season ends. Through the work of NBA partners Camp Sunflower and Be The Neighbor, summer camp becomes an opportunity for young people to encounter community, deepen their sense of purpose, and imagine new possibilities for their lives.  

Camp Sunflower, situated in Wichita, KS, creates safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth through summer and year-round programming. Its camp experience supports youth in developing self-awareness, practicing coping and advocacy skills, and building meaningful connections with peers and mentors. For young people who may not always experience full affirmation in their schools, homes, or communities, Camp Sunflower offers a life-giving environment where each camper can be celebrated for who they are and reminded that they are not alone.  

Be The Neighbor offers youth mission and poverty education experiences that invite young people to engage issues of food justice, housing, advocacy, culture, gender, and poverty in urban communities. While based in Fort Worth, TX, Be the Neighbor expands its summer experiences to several U.S. cities, connecting youth with local nonprofits, community leaders, and learning opportunities rooted in justice and compassion. Participants are encouraged to see service not only as a weeklong experience, but as part of a lifelong commitment to advocacy, relationship-building, and systemic change.  

While these two ministries serve different communities and address distinct needs, both demonstrate the powerful role summer camps can play in the lives of young people. Camp can be where youth discover their voice, practice leadership, encounter difference, and experience the kind of care that helps them feel seen and valued. These moments can shape how young people understand themselves, their communities, and their capacity to contribute to the world around them.  

Summer camps are also places where lifelong connections are formed. Around campfires, service projects, shared meals, small-group conversations, and reflection, youth build friendships and support systems that can continue well beyond camp. Through partners like Camp Sunflower and Be The Neighbor, NBA celebrates ministries that create spaces of compassion and care—spaces where young people are nurtured, challenged, affirmed, and empowered to carry what they learn into their everyday lives.