The First Earth Battalion at Fort Worden
The First Earth Battalion — a year-round youth camp at Fort Worden for the generation that will transform the planet
The First Earth Battalion is the youth anchor program of the Spaceship Earth Campus. Affiliated with the CoNGO Institute and PEAC Institute and sponsored by all UEN partners at Fort Worden, it runs camp residencies throughout the year that bring local, regional, national and international young people to the Fort. Campers train in three disciplines — citizen journalism, environmental stewardship, and spiritual and inner development — and leave as a connected corps of young leaders for planetary transformation.
Project snapshot
At-a-glance facts for funder calls. Budget and enrollment are working estimates for the pilot year.
- Project lead
- Marc Katsky, Strategic Director, UEN · [email] · [phone]
- Affiliated institutes
- CoNGO Institute (civil society & citizen journalism) · PEAC Institute (peace, education, arts & culture)
- Sponsoring partners
- All UEN partners at Fort Worden: BFI, HubCast, Global Earth Repair Foundation, Meta Center, Geoscope Studio
- Location
- Fort Worden Historical State Park, Port Townsend, WA
- Ages
- [13–18 camp · 19–24 junior counselors and fellows] — confirm
- Year 1 enrollment
- About 300 youth across 7 residencies
- Reach
- Local (Jefferson County) · regional (Pacific Northwest, tribal nations) · national · international
- Year 1 budget
- $900,000 (estimate) · tuition income target $150,000
- Current gap
- $750,000 after tuition
- Timeline
- Curriculum, staffing & licensing Q1 2027 · first residency spring break 2027 · summer sessions · fall and winter residencies
- Scholarship policy
- At least 50% of campers on full or partial scholarship
- Fiscal sponsor / EIN
- Buckminster Fuller Institute for United Earth Networks, SPC — confirm · EIN [00-0000000]
The opportunity
Language ready to lift into a letter of inquiry or proposal narrative.
Need
Young people face climate anxiety, social isolation and a flood of unreliable information, yet few programs give them real skills, time in nature, and a sense of purpose together. Most youth programs teach one thing — media, or the environment, or leadership — and last a week. Few connect a teenager in Port Townsend with peers from other states and countries working on the same planetary questions.
Our approach
A residential camp that trains the whole person. Each day weaves three disciplines: citizen journalism with the CoNGO Institute — reporting, interviewing and ethical storytelling; environmental stewardship — restoration work on Fort Worden's forests and shoreline and Salish Sea ecology; and spiritual and inner development with PEAC — contemplative practice, peacebuilding, music and the arts, respectful of every tradition. Campers publish their work through HubCast, present it in the Geoscope dome, and return as correspondents and counselors.
Who it serves
About 300 young people in year one: local students from Jefferson County and the Olympic Peninsula; youth from tribal nations and communities across the Pacific Northwest; national participants; and international youth, including CoNGO-network delegations. Older alumni return as junior counselors and fellows.
Why now
Every UEN program at Fort Worden launches in 2027 — the CoNGO Institute's journalism lab, PEAC's curricula, the Meta Center studios, the Geoscope Studio and the Design Science Retreats. The First Earth Battalion brings them together for young people and gives the Spaceship Earth Campus a year-round youth anchor from its first year.
Camp residencies & curriculum
Pilot-year calendar. Every residency includes all three disciplines.
| Residency | When | Length | Campers | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring break camp | March–April 2027 | 1 week | 40 | Local and regional youth; interviewing and forest ecology |
| Summer session I | June–July 2027 | 2 weeks | 50 | Regional and national; shoreline restoration and field reporting |
| Summer session II — International | July 2027 | 2 weeks | 50 | International and CoNGO delegations; global issues and peacebuilding |
| Summer session III | August 2027 | 2 weeks | 50 | National; music, arts and storytelling for change |
| Fall weekend camps | Sept–Nov 2027 | 3 weekends | 60 | Local schools and tribal youth; watershed stewardship |
| Winter solstice camp | December 2027 | 5 days | 30 | Reflection, spiritual practice and year-end showcase |
| Leadership fellows | Year-round | Ongoing | [20] | Alumni ages 19–24 as junior counselors and correspondents |
Citizen journalism
Research and verification, interviewing with consent, audio, video and photo stories, solutions reporting — taught with the CoNGO Institute and published through HubCast and the Civil Society Media Desk.
Environmental stewardship
Forest and shoreline restoration, Salish Sea ecology, Indigenous knowledge shared by tribal partners, design science challenges with BFI, and nature journaling.
Spiritual & inner development
Contemplative practice, council circles, peacebuilding, music and the arts with PEAC. Non-sectarian and open to every faith and none.
Funding opportunities
Sponsored jointly by the UEN partners, with room for outside sponsors, grants and families.
Sponsorship tiers
| Tier | Amount | Recognition & benefits | Slots | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding battalion partner | $150,000 | Founding credit on the program for year one, recognition across all residencies and published camper work | 1 | Open |
| Residency sponsor | $50,000 | Named summer or seasonal residency; credit on its showcase and media | 6 | Open |
| International delegation sponsor | $25,000 | Brings a delegation of about 8 youth from one country; named delegation | 4 | Open |
| Discipline sponsor | $20,000 | Underwrites the journalism, environmental or spiritual track for the year | 3 | Open |
| Camper scholarship | $2,500 | Covers one camper's two-week residency; named scholarship | 60 | Open |
| UEN partner commitments | In-kind | Faculty, studios, dome time and curriculum from CoNGO, PEAC, BFI, HubCast and GERF | — | Confirm |
Grant targets & pipeline
| Funder type / target | Program fit | Request | Deadline | Stage | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth development & camp access funders | Scholarships and residential camp operations | $150,000 | [Rolling] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Environmental education & outdoor learning funders | Stewardship track, restoration, nature immersion | $100,000 | [Cycle TBD] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Media literacy & youth journalism funders | Citizen-journalism track with the CoNGO Institute | $75,000 | [LOI-based] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Peace, interfaith & international exchange funders | Spiritual track and international delegations | $100,000 | [Cycle TBD] | Cultivation | PEAC + GMA |
| Washington State outdoor school & tribal youth programs | Local, rural and tribal youth access | $75,000 | [Cycle TBD] | Eligibility check | UEN |
Crowdfunding
Goal: $50,000 — “Send a Young Earth Guardian to Camp” · Window: [spring 2027]
Tiers at $50 (camp supplies), $250 (a weekend camp), $1,000 (a week of camp), $2,500 (a full two-week scholarship).
Major & recurring gifts
Named endowed scholarships within the Spaceship Earth Campus endowment, multi-year residency underwriting, and monthly sustainers. Stewardship: showcase invitations and camper stories.
Earned revenue
Sliding-scale tuition — about $1,800 for a two-week residency at full price — plus school and district contracts for weekend camps. Year one target: $150,000.
Budget & use of funds
Pilot year 2027 — $900,000 (working estimate).
Assumes about 300 campers across seven residencies. Partner faculty, studios and dome time are in-kind and additional.
Committed
$0 cash. Partner in-kind support to be confirmed.
Pending
No requests submitted yet — first LOIs targeted for Q4 2026.
Gap to close
$750,000 after tuition. If funded in stages: spring camp and two summer sessions first (~$400,000).
Impact metrics
Pilot-year targets.
Measurement method
Pre/post surveys on journalism skills, environmental knowledge, wellbeing, sense of purpose and connection; stories published and their reach; restoration hours and sites; camper origins and scholarship share; alumni returning as fellows and correspondents. Data owner: [name].
Reporting cadence
A report after each residency, a quarterly sponsor update, and an annual impact report with a showcase reel produced by the campers.
Document library
Link each item to the live file in the UEN shared drive.
Fundraising package
Contacts & next steps
Named owners for every ask, plus what has to happen before this brief goes to funders.
Project lead
Marc Katsky · Strategic Director, United Earth Networks
Fort Worden, Port Townsend, WA
[email] · [phone]
CoNGO & PEAC Institutes
[Names, titles]
[emails]
Roles: journalism curriculum; peace, arts and spiritual curriculum
Grant Management Associates
[Consultant name]
[email] · [phone]
Scope: youth, environmental and exchange grants
- Hire or name a camp director with youth-camp experience, and apply for a Washington State youth camp license.
- Finalize age bands, safeguarding, medical and emergency plans — youth funders and parents will ask first.
- Frame the spiritual track as non-sectarian and optional where needed; some public and school funders restrict religious content.
- Consider the program name: “First Earth Battalion” comes from Lt. Col. Jim Channon's 1979 concept for a New Age-inspired military unit. Decide how to present that lineage, and whether military language suits parents and funders.
- Get written commitments from each UEN partner on faculty, space and in-kind support.
- Plan visas, travel and chaperones for international delegations well ahead of summer.