Youth Camp 2025 – Celebrating 10+ Years

This was a drug- and phone-free time in which participants were invited to explore themselves, their relationships with others, and open honest dialogue about the pressing issues of our time.

The camp offered a range of subgroup experiences focused on different themes, including water, love and sexuality, healthy masculinity, and theatre work. Each group allowed participants to delve deeply into specific areas of interest and personal growth.

Subgroups

Water
Together with water engineer Guilherme Castanha, this group explored how to care for and conserve water in sustainable and life-supporting ways. Participants learned a variety of techniques for transforming landscapes to retain water and enable it to infiltrate the earth, nourishing ecosystems and supporting long-term regeneration.

As a hands-on project, the group built a small-scale model of a water retention landscape, applying what they had learned throughout the week. The importance of proper water management was also discussed as a critical solution to the global climate crisis, connecting personal learning to a broader context.

Love School
The Love School group explored the topics of love and sexuality in greater depth. A safe and open space was created where participants could speak from the heart, share what they were busy with internally, and ask questions that are often considered taboo.

The group facilitators brought in a political and social perspective, highlighting why it is essential to consciously address these topics in our lives and communities. Participants left with a greater sense of clarity, trust, and connection.

Theatre
In this group, participants explored self-expression through theatre, discovering creative and intimate ways of showing who they are. Humor, improvisation, and play were used as tools to explore deeper themes, including feminism and what it means to grow up as a girl in today’s world.
The group’s final performance was both powerful and moving, offering the whole camp a glimpse into the emotional journey and collective insights that had emerged.

Healthy Masculinity
This group brought together young men to explore the question: What does it mean to be a man in today’s world? They reflected on healthy masculinity, emotional expression, and solidarity among male friends.
Activities included a beach trip, playful wrestling and intimate exercises such as long hugs – offering space for embodied connection and trust. Honest conversations around love, sexuality, vulnerability, and boundaries were central to the group experience, helping to redefine what masculinity can look and feel like.

Special Events

In addition to subgroup time, the whole camp gathered regularly for shared experiences. At the beginning, the group received an introduction to Tamera and its founding ideas and principles.

A hike to “Pego das Pias,” a beautiful nature place, along with group exercises and games, helped form a strong sense of community and trust. This was deepened through the practice of Forum (a circular sharing method), where participants had the chance to show themselves honestly and be seen by the group. This created a unique atmosphere of belonging and emotional safety.

One afternoon, Martin Winiecki gave a talk on the current political world situation, offering a systemic analysis of capitalism and its socio-cultural implications. He concluded with his personal vision of a post-capitalist life on Earth, which provided new perspectives and was very inspiring for many of the youth

Another day was fully dedicated to love and sexuality. Participants explored how our upbringing shapes our views, how history influences our ideas of love and consent, and what it means to set personal boundaries. Sharing circles gave space for participants to reflect on and share their own experiences with great honesty and courage.

Final Presentation

On the final evening, after more than a week of deep experiences, we invited the Tamera community, friends, and families to a closing presentation. This evening was a moment of gratitude – an opportunity for the youth to share what they had done and give something back to those who supported them.

The event included interactive exercises with the audience on the emotions of sadness and joy (led by the Healthy Masculinity group), a demonstration of the water retention landscape model, and a performance of the feminist-themed play created by the theatre group.

Participants also shared poems, reflections, a rap song, and a samba performance. The final evening made it clear – both to the audience and to the group themselves – how much had been learned and experienced. The mutual support within the group was visible, and there was a strong feeling of joy, pride, and togetherness.

Conclusion

This year’s Youth Camp marked another powerful chapter in the ongoing story of youth work in Tamera. It provided young people with a unique opportunity to experience themselves in a living community, while also exploring essential life topics that are rarely addressed in schools.

One can definitely say the youthcamp 2025 was again a great success. Deep connections, creative expressions, and meaningful conversations enriched us all. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this special time possible – youth, team, Tamera residents, and guests.

We look forward with excitement to the next Youth Camp, and to continuing this extraordinary journey together.