Project Avary in the Marin Independent Journal

Marin Camp Comforts Youths with incarcerated Parents

By Keri Brenner | Marin Independent Journal

When he first attended a summer camp run by San Rafael-based Project Avary at age 10, Chris Conte didn’t know it was designed to ease the grief, despair and loneliness children can feel when their parents are incarcerated.

“It just felt like a regular camp at first,” said Conte, 21, of Terra Linda. “I didn’t know about the healing process until way later.”

Conte, now associate camp coordinator at Camp Avary and a student at Sacramento State University studying criminal justice, said the program allowed him to share his sadness in a safe and supportive space. He said he was able move on successfully, hone his leadership skills and rise from Terra Linda High School to college, where he plays on the varsity rugby team.

“This program exists to heal and support these children to overcome the intergenerational cycles of incarceration,” said Zachary Whelan, executive director of Project Avary. “This is about supporting these kids, who, through no fault of their own, have adopted this pipeline.”

The camp encourages children like Conte to become “leaders and agents of change” so they can help younger children heal as they were able to do, he said.

“They can then create a cycle of hope and healing and opportunity,” he said.

The camp’s newest location is at the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center at the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Project Avary, a historic Marin nonprofit in existence since 1999, and the nonprofit Point Reyes National Seashore Association created a partnership in 2020 to open up the environmental education center to the camp for four weeks in the summer. Prior to that, the camp had been held in other Northern California locations.

“Our ‘Youth in Park’ partners help us connect youth from communities historically not welcomed on public land to this incredibly healing and inspiring place,” said Donna Faure, executive director of the Point Reyes National Seashore Association.

The summer program is funded through a three-year California Outdoor Equity Program grant and contributions from donors, Faure said. The grant and donations cover the cost of food, site use and staffing for both organizations, she said.

According to Faure, the Point Reyes National Seashore Association provides naturalist programs and operational support for the site, while Project Avary provides the staffing to run the camp programs.

Whelan said about 130 kids are attending the camp this summer. In addition to naturalist programs, activities range from games and sports like volleyball or handball to trips to the beach.

The heart of the camp, however, is the group circles around a fire that are held twice daily at about 7:30 a.m. and again at around 5 p.m.

Campers are invited to share as much as they want about thoughts or feelings that might be coming up. Conte attributes the fire circles to a major part of his healing.

Ahtziri Zamora, 22, a staff member of Project Avary who came to the program at age 16, said she could have used the fire circles and supportive friends and mentors during her childhood, when both of her parents were incarcerated.

She said the chance to share one’s feelings — and be heard — is invaluable.

“These kids are so vulnerable that they can open up so well,” said Zamora, a Santa Rosa resident. “They really know how to connect with themselves and how they’re feeling.”

“When you’re given the opportunity, these kids are able to become so empowered and grateful,” she said. “I wish I had that when I was 5 years old.”

Before she found Project Avary as a teenager, Zamora was experiencing extreme anxiety and depression, she said.

“It wasn’t until I joined Avary that I finally found my purpose and what I wanted to do,” she said, citing her goal to “give back to the community that gave to me.”

In addition to working as a full-time office manager in Project Avary’s office in San Rafael, Zamora is also helping with kitchen operations for the summer camp. She is also attending Sacramento State University.

“Project Avary helped me heal the wounds that I didn’t know were still open,” Zamora said.