Activating Filipinx youth and families to know self

Sama Sama Summer Camp is a 4-week outdoor day camp for children ages 5-11 years-old. Located in the East Bay, our summer camp is designed to provide children a fun, engaging and critical way of exploring the intersections of culture, arts, and ecology. With Tagalog language immersion, indigenous music, dance, and exploration of our ecological heritage, Sama Sama is a summer camp experience unlike any other.

Sama, means “All together” in Tagalog. As a cooperative-run camp, families contribute their time, resources, and talent to create an enriching experience. Sama Sama is also a space for intergenerational learning and teaching. Our young people and elders have much to share with one another, and through dialogue, interactive learning opportunities, we can better understand ourselves, our history, and our part in the Philippine diaspora.

For information on camp registration or upcoming events, please check our Events page.

In 2014, a group of five Pilipina mamas came together to talk about the possibility of creating a summer camp where their children could learn Tagalog, learn about their culture, and be outdoors. We wanted our children to learn about their rich history and heritage!  We envisioned a learning environment that would “fill the gaps” of their formal school education. We also recognized the power of learning in community  and so the idea of Sama Sama Cooperative was born.

We are a collective of first, second, and third generation Pilipinx-American parents, community organizers, artists, activists, professionals and educators living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Together, we are creating meaningful learning experiences rooted in what it means to be Pilipinx and Pilipinx-American.

We Value Justice

By teaching our kids that our fates and well-being are intertwined, we foster a sense of responsibility to each other, to community, and to the land. In doing so, we build individual and collective strength to pursue a world that is fair and equitable to all.

We Value Culture

We acknowledge the incredible breadth of Philippine culture in language, arts, foods and social norms. Through music, movement, visual arts, and storytelling we reconnect to our roots within the current and historical context of the Philippines and the United States.

We Value Language

We believe that language unifies people and is a cornerstone of culture. When we reclaim Philippine-rooted languages, we foster our own healing and resilience from colonization and assimilation.

We Value Life-Long Learning

We value child and youth-centered and intergenerational learning, using an inquiry-based approach.

We Value the Interdependence of People and Place

We believe that our migration story is tied closely to the land and sea. We strive to nurture children’s intrinsic curiosity for their natural environment while uncovering the wisdom of our ecological heritage.

We Value Legacy

The stories of our ancestors, our elders and their migration experiences influence our emerging identity as individuals and a community.

We Value Bayanihan

We are a family cooperative, pursuing intergenerational healing through curriculum, community building and engagement. Our families are multigenerational, and self-defined.

We Value Plural Identities

Sama Sama is a space for the plural identities of being Pilipino, Pinoy/Pinay, Fil-Am, Filipin@ and/or multiracial. We encourage and support children to find their own identity.