Camp fYrefly is a summer camp and leadership retreat designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified, two-spirited, intersexed, queer, and questioning youth, (LGBTQ2S+) and planned in part by a committee of the same youth it seeks to serve. Founded in 2004 by Dr. André P. Grace and Dr. Kristopher Wells, Camp fYrefly is designed to help youth develop the leadership skills and personal resiliency necessary for them to become agents for positive change in their schools, families, and communities.
Camp fYrefly was created based on the belief that all youth are entitled to a world that embraces diversity, and appreciates them for it. Each year, the camp's educators help the youth they work with create a world where they can live truth. FYrefly is actually an acronym that our first camp came up with, which stands for: fostering, Youth, resiliency, energy, fun, leadership, yeah! Camp fYrefly's philosophy and programming emphasize a by-youth-for-youth approach where older youth and adult facilitators mentor and help to support younger youth.