Campout updates—we’re less than a week away!

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Hey, campers!

We’re under a week away from creating Queer & Trans magic in the woods together!! 

Registration

A huge thanks to everyone who registered! Registration is now closed.
This campout is gearing up to the biggest yet with over 170 campers of all ages signed up to join at some point throughout the weekend. 

If you won’t be able to join us, please cancel your registration by completing this form. 

Communications

This is our last planned public update post before the September campout. 

If you’re a camper joining us in Tijeras next week, you should have received an email from us yesterday evening. For the sake of safety, some of the info provided in this email is intended only for registrants, so please:

  1. make sure you got it,
  2. read it through, and
  3. don’t share it with anyone else.

Two final emails will go out to registrants a couple of days before camp: one with final details about what you need to do before leaving for camp and when you arrive, and the second with driving directions to the campground.

Questions

If you have any questions for us, please submit them by Tuesday September 5th. On Wednesday night, we’ll log off to pack and prepare ourselves! 

To further prepare for camp, please check out the Information for Campers page and Info Hub/FAQs.

Sept QCO: General Registration & 8/27 Planning Potluck!

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Queer Campout is in Tijeras from September 8–11! Check out the September Campout Overview for more details.

General registration is open until 8/28 (or capacity is reached)

Registration is open for all campers. Click here to register.

Save the date for the volunteer planning party ✨

We’re having a planning potluck in Albuquerque on Sunday, August 27th at 11am. This will be an opportunity to get to know your team and role, as well as collaborate with other teams. Location and other details will go out about a week prior to those signed up as volunteers.

  • If you already signed up for a volunteer role, stay tuned for more details about the planning party via email.
  • If you indicate on the registration form that you’d like to sign up for a role before camp, the Volunteer Coordinator will email you directly.
  • If you registered already and want to sign up for a role before camp, there is still time! Email hello@qcampout.org and let us know.
  • If you cannot commit to a role before camp, you will sign up for shifts at camp check-in.
Whether you’re a new camper or a seasoned camper, there’s a team for you:

Do you love logistics?

September campout needs two Team Leaders and multiple coordinators for the Onsite Resources team.

Do you have medical or first aid training and wanna help keep us all healthy?

September campout needs two Health and Safety Team Leaders + more medics. 

If leading a team isn’t a fit for you…

DART, Care Bears and Onsite Resources need Helpers! Helper roles have the support of Team Leaders and Coordinators. 

We can’t wait to camp together in just 25 days!
Registration is open for all campers. We are at 34% capacity.

REGISTER NOW

After Registering:

  • Log into your QCO account (or register to make one!) to access the forum and other information
  • If you can join a volunteer team before camp, please monitor your email inbox for an email from the Volunteer Coordinator.

Early Registration for 2023 Sept Campout is Open!

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Queer Campout is in Tijeras from September 8–11! Check out the September Campout Overview for more details.

If you are BIPOC*, a trans woman or trans fem/femme, and/or disabled**, you can register now. Otherwise, please register after August 14, when general registration opens.

*BIPOC: People who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, multi-heritage, Indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialized as ‘people of color.’

**Disabled: those excluded from aspects society due to lack of accessibility (read: social model of disability) and/or those with physical, cognitive, psychiatric, sensorial, and undiagnosed conditions necessitating accommodation, including those who do and do not self-identify as disabled 

REGISTER NOW

After Registering:

  • Log into your QCO account (or register to make one!) to access the forum and other information
  • If you can join a volunteer team before camp, please monitor your email inbox for an email from the Volunteer Coordinator. 

September Campout Overview

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Campout is just 41 days away! We’re looking forward to seeing many of you! 

Queer Campout is in Tijeras from September 8-11. We hope you can join us–come for as many days or nights as you want! 

We’re trying out a few new things this year, so please see the info below and review the QCO Values & Community Participation Guidelines so you’re prepared to co-create our time together.

We’re continuing our tiered registration process. Emails are sent out at the start of each registration section and the link is below.

Registration Timeline:

  • August 1: Registration opens for QTBIPOC*, trans fem/women, and disabled** folks
  • August 14: General registration opens—all queers can register!
  • September 1: Registration closes (will close earlier if we reach capacity before this date)
  • Sept 8–11: Campout weekend

*BIPOC: People who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, multi-heritage, Indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialized as ‘people of color.’

**Disabled: those excluded from aspects society due to lack of accessibility (read: social model of disability) and/or those with physical, cognitive, psychiatric, sensorial, and undiagnosed conditions necessitating accommodation, including those who do and do not self-identify as disabled; identity-first language intentional

Families

Youth are welcome at the September campout! When an adult registers themself and one or more young people for Queer Campout, our Family Coordinator will reach out to touch base and make sure everyone has what they need. 

QCO is a body-positive space, which means that attendees can expect some nudity.  Families should ensure their young people are prepared for and comfortable with this. (Kink and play activities will take place in designated 18+ areas.)

No family-specific activities are currently planned, but we welcome campers of all ages who are interested in coordinating a youth-friendly activity to let us know! 

Furry Friends

Trained service animals who will be working while at camp are welcome, but please leave ESAs and pets at home.

Volunteering

In the spirit of co-creation, everyone who attends Campout should plan to volunteer for at least one shift. Campers can sign up for role(s) before camp or at camp:

  • Before camp → We’re recruiting for roles that require varying levels of commitment. From Helpers to Team Leaders, we are looking for campers to join the following teams and prepare together before camp starts: Camp Greeters, Care Bears, Disability and Access Resource Team (DART), Camp Setup & Teardown Crew, & the Medic Team.

If you’re interested in taking on one or more of these roles, please contact us or let us know when you register. Our Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to you directly.

  • At camp → At check-in, campers can sign up for shifts on crews that don’t require commitment before camp such as Camp Upkeep Crew, Campfire Crew and Answer Keepers. Folks are also encouraged to help out with empty shifts throughout camp if they can.

We make QCO happen together! Learn more about Volunteer roles and what they entail.

Activities

Campers have hosted all sorts of fun games and activities at QCO, from kink workshops and play parties to dance parties, talking circles, and topless watermelon eating. If you are interested in hosting an activity, please let us know on the registration form and the Activities & Engagement team will reach out directly to help coordinate.

COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to present a very real and serious risk to many people, including members of our community. Queer Campout is an anti-oppressive space committed to inclusivity and accessibility, which means practicing community care through continuing to take COVID-19 precautions although they were lifted across the country and much of the world. Please plan to take a COVID test before traveling up to Tijeras and make sure to have a mask with you at all times.

Read more about QCO’s COVID-19 Precautions.

Accessibility

QCO was–and is continually–created to offer an opportunity for those with less access to nature/camping to enjoy the outdoors in safe, inclusive community. This means prioritizing accessibility for disabled** campers. In addition to using campsites with ADA-compliant features, the QCO Disability and Accessibility Resource Team (DART) is prepared to collaboratively develop accommodations for those with a range of disabilities and accessibility needs.

Learn more about QCO accessibility and let us know if you have specific questions/needs.

**Disabled: those excluded from aspects society due to lack of accessibility (read: social model of disability) and/or those with physical, cognitive, psychiatric, sensorial, and undiagnosed conditions necessitating accommodation, including those who do and do not self-identify as disabled; identity-first language intentional

RVs & Campers

Space for RVs and campers is extremely limited at the Tijeras campgrounds. We ask that only those who need to use RVs and campers do so and that all others plan to car camp or use a tent. The QCO Disability and Accessibility Resource Team (DART) will reach out to those who note in their registration that they hope to use an RV/camper to make appropriate arrangements.

Donations

This year, we will collect donations at camp. We ask that all campers who are able to make a contribution to help cover the costs of the campground rental and supplies needed for the weekend and suggest a sliding scale of $10-25 per camper. 

No one will be turned away for lack of funds. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the weekend regardless of their ability to contribute financially.

We’re so excited to be in the woods with you so soon!

P.S. If you have IG, follow us! And, if you have any questions or feedback, please email the Organizing Team at hello@qcampout.org ♥️

We have reached capacity for the May 19–22 campout!

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Registration has ended. If you are on the waitlist, we will let you know by Sunday, May 14, if a spot has opened up.

If you registered but won’t be able to join us, please cancel your registration so that we can open your spot to someone on the waitlist.

Visit the Information for Campers page to prepare for the campout.

Fill out this form to volunteer and/or host an activity. Once you’ve received your role assignment(s), visit the Resources for Volunteers page to select your shift(s)

May Registration Is Open & Other Announcements

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Queer Campout is in the Jemez mountains from May 19th–22nd. Want to join us? We’re trying out a few new things! Find the link to register below. 

The May Campout Will Be 18+

One of our values at QCO is creating an inclusive space. That means providing necessary support and resources within our capacity to those that attend. We’ve realized that making QCO a genuinely family-friendly event requires us to have a Family Coordinator and a team of folks who are willing and able to create a space for children to be entertained and cared for during the campout. We don’t have enough capacity to coordinate this for the May campout. Please let us know if you want to make this happen for the September campout in Tijeras! 

Registration Is Open! 

  • April 3: Registration opens for QTBIPOC, trans fem/women, and disabled folks
  • April 17: General registration opens—all queers can register!
  • May 5th: Registration closes
  • May 19–22: Campout weekend

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Already registered? Visit the Information for Campers page to prepare for the campout.

Fill out this form to volunteer and/or host an activity. Once you’ve received your role assignment(s), visit the Resources for Volunteers page to select your shift(s)

Celebrating our first grant!

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We’re so excited to receive our first grant ever! QCO co-founder León was one of the Summer 2022 recipients of the Reclaiming the Outdoors grant. These funds will allow us to compensate a small team of queer folks with marginalized identities to help us lead the growth and direction of Queer Campout NM, purchase camping equipment to loan folks who otherwise cannot afford it, and pay for website hosting and other ongoing expenses.

Reclamation Ventures is a venture studio and fund that invents and invests in companies building a better future for all of us. Each quarter, they grant $50,000 in non-equity, direct support funds to under-represented leaders making wellness more accessible. A million thanks to Reclamation Ventures and their fantastic founder, Nicole Cardoza!

2023 Campout Dates Announced!

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May 19-22 in Jemez
September 8-11 in Tijeras

Registration opens a few weeks before each campout.

Read our About page to learn more about Queer Campout and our Frequently Asked Questions to get an idea of what to expect. Sign up to stay in the loop via email updates. You can also follow us on Instagram.

To prevent our emails from going to your spam folder, please add the following email address to your contacts, and ideally, create a rule or filter for this address:

Campground for August 2022

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We will be camping near Los Alamos, about 1 hour from Santa Fe, and 2 hours from Albuquerque. The campground is not wheelchair accessible, but it is fairly accessible otherwise: the parking lot is right next to the campsites, the community pavilion, and the restrooms.

Need to Know

  • Sites are tent-only, but car camping is possible in the parking area
  • We need all the parking spaces available, so there will be no RV camping (pop-up trailers count as recreational vehicles)
  • Parking is limited, so carpooling is highly encouraged! use the forum to coordinate ride shares
  • We will be able to have a campfire!

Campground Amenities

  • Drinking water
  • Picnic shelter (which will serve as the Community Pavilion)
  • Picnic tables
  • Campfire rings
  • Three vault toilets (with no running water)
  • Firewood is available for sale ($1 per stick)
  • Bearproof food & scented items storage lockers
  • Bearproof trash bins (recycling must be taken back to the city)