Why We Practice VOMP at Brave Trails: Building Repair, Accountability, and Collective Care

At Brave Trails, we believe that growth doesn’t happen by avoiding conflict.
It happens when we learn how to move through it, together.

That’s why we practice a restorative justice approach at camp we call V.O.M.P.ing.

V.O.M.P. is a structured, consent-based tool that helps people navigate conflict in a more just and thoughtful way when hurt feelings are present and there is a need for honest communication. It is only used when participants feel emotionally safe and ready to engage, and it is never used in situations involving violence or serious safety concerns.

Through four intentional phases

Voice (“I feel…”)

Ownership (“I own…”)

eMpathy (“I relate…”)

and Plan (“I need…”)

...young people learn how to listen deeply, take responsibility, build understanding, and collaborate toward repair.

These practices teach that mistakes don’t define us, but how we respond to them does.

Learning Through Relationship, Not Punishment

Traditional discipline systems often rely on punishment, isolation, and shame.
At Brave Trails, we choose something different.

Through restorative practices, campers and staff are supported to name harm honestly, listen with empathy, take accountability, make meaningful repair, and rebuild community.

V.O.M.P. gives young people structured ways to communicate through conflict. It reminds them that misunderstandings are not failures, they are opportunities for growth.

Rooted in Black Queer and Trans Wisdom

So much of what we practice at Brave Trails is rooted in the leadership, resilience, and brilliance of Black queer and trans communities.

For generations, Black organizers, artists, and healers have modeled how to build community without erasing differences, hold one another accountable with love, and create safety through relationships.

Our approach to healing, repair, and leadership is shaped by these traditions. We honor that lineage in our daily work and in how we care for our campers and staff.

DEI in Practice, Not Just Policy

As part of Black History Month, the Brave Trails Leadership Team deepened our DEI learning through workshops led by Simone Gamble (they/them) and Isake Smith (she/her) from Organizer, Activist, Artist, Advocate Referral System (OAAARS).

OAAARS is a people-of-color–led consultancy that provides social-justice-centered training to help organizations build safer, more inclusive, and more accountable environments.

Through this work, our leadership team is strengthening shared understanding around Brave Trails’ DEI commitments and examining how power, identity, and responsibility show up across every level of camp life. From volunteer staff to senior leadership, we are learning how our choices, systems, and relationships shape the culture our campers experience.

This learning supports our commitment to building a camp environment where young people feel seen, protected, and empowered and where accountability is practiced with care.

Our restorative work is woven into staff training, camper support systems, leadership development, and community agreements.

Why This Matters

We live in a world that often teaches young people to avoid conflict, suppress feelings, or respond with harm.

We teach something else.

We teach that communication is courage.
That accountability is care.
That repair is powerful.
That community is worth protecting.
That healing is possible.

When young people learn these skills early, they carry them into families, schools, workplaces, and movements.

A Call to Our Community

We share this work not only to reaffirm our commitments, but to invite other organizations to go deeper.

True DEI work requires investment, time, humility, and ongoing learning. It is essential to building healthy cultures for youth, staff, and communities.

We are proud to be learning, growing, and practicing alongside our campers. 

Because a better world isn’t built by avoiding harm. 

It’s built by learning how to repair it—together.