Camp 1 Rootz’s mission is to offer children, families and communities a holistic, loving and nurturing environment in Port Gibson, MS, that fosters self-determination, self-sufficiency and sustainability through adventure, learning and building skills. Camp 1 Rootz seeks to establish sustainable communities built from the ground up through hands-on contributions from campers and participating communities. The camp focuses on the development of body, mind, heart and spirit. Programs :includes classes on food and nutrition, arts and culture, agriculture, building trades and survival skills. During the eight-day sleep away camp, children ages seven through 17 participate in physical fitness, martial arts, healing arts and various recreational activities such as hiking, archery and swimming, rafting and boating, as well as sustainable living, urban gardening, water purification, composting and plant identification. Educational courses focus on nutrition, journalism and entrepreneurship.
During Camp 1 Rootz’s eight-day sleep away camp, children ages seven through 17 participate in a variety of activities, including horseback riding. (Photo courtesy of Camp 1 Rootz)
The West Jackson Organizing Committee of Camp 1 Rootz serves the rural Mississippi counties of Claiborne and Jefferson and the West Jackson, MS community in Hinds County. The group operates with a board, staff, a nine-member planning council and more than 30 volunteers throughout the United States, Jamaica, St. Croix and Belize. The group takes pride in operating the camp on 15 acres of land that the organization now owns. In addition to the yearly youth sustainability camp in Claiborne County, the group also hosts a water sustainability well project and a food sustainability garden and program in Hinds County. Mississippi faces a number of environmental issues, including pollution, with the Mississippi River being named one of America’s most endangered rivers due to pollution, habitat loss and climate change. The state is also affected by human-caused climate change, which has led to Mississippi experiencing more frequent and severe storms, floods and dry spells.