Social Work Graduate Spends Summers at Camp Changing Lives for LGBTQ+ Youth
Growing up, Sophia Hastings looked forward to attending summer camp every year. Now, Sophia still goes to camp each summer helping LGBTQ+ youth.
- College of Health & Human Services
- College of Arts & Sciences
Growing up, Sophia Hastings looked forward to attending summer camp every year. Now, Sophia still goes to camp each summer helping LGBTQ+ youth enjoy the outdoors while learning valuable community and leadership skills along the way.
After completing a dual degree in social work and gender, women, and sexuality studies in 2018, Sophia had planned to return to camp for one last year while they figured out their next step.
“I got my degree in social work because I was always interested in helping people,” they said. “I never really wanted to go the clinical route. I was looking to develop community and the sense of fondness and that I’m a part of something really special, and I always found that in camp.”
Hastings now serves as camp director at Camp Brave Trails, a leadership-focused summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth ages 12-18 with locations in California and Maryland.
“We are basically a traditional summer camp with archery, swimming, arts and crafts, all that stuff but with a queer and leadership focus.”
Activities include drag workshops, helping campers to understand their rights and learn how to advocate for themselves, teaching them how to become engaged in school clubs, and helping them to become leaders in their communities.
Activities and education don’t end when summer is over, though. Camp Brave Trails also offers year-round programs to serve as a resource and safe space for their campers. They also provide programming for LGBTQ+ families and youth as a way to strengthen family connections by having fun in nature.
“It’s really cool to hear [the kids] talk about what camp means to them and seeing them come back year after year,” they said.
Sophia transferred to Widener after their first semester at another institution because they were looking for a smaller-school experience. Widener also offered a dual degree in social work and gender studies which made it the best fit for them.
They credit their faculty from both programs and hands-on experiences for their success.
“I had absolutely incredible professors. The social work department and the gender studies department are both made up of just really wonderful humans,” they said, naming faculty members Marina Barnett, Robin Goldberg-Glen, Brent Satterly, and Analisa Castaldo as people who made a particular lasting impact.
Sophia also completed their internship at a local K-8 charter school and took faculty-led class trips into Chester to become connected with the community.
“It was really fun and cool to work at a school. I’m obviously not working at schools anymore, but it was definitely a good learning opportunity,” they said. “I think that was one of the coolest things about the social work program is that they really encouraged me to get involved in the Chester community.”
“I had a great time at Widener, and I love the work I’m doing now." -Sophia Hastings '18
"Camp has always been such a big part of my life and it’s always been something I’ve been really passionate about doing, and I think the education I got through Widener really helped me to fuel that passion and helped me to make connections that I didn’t know could have been made.”
