How would you like to start your Sunday morning with a gourmet organic breakfast, followed by yoga on the beach, a challenging team workout, and an inspiring lesson on nutrition and sustainability? No, this isn’t an expensive wellness retreat. It’s a free program called Natural Leaders Camp for Kids, which brings L.A.’s inner city kids out to Venice Beach for days filled with healthy fun, delicious food and eco-education.
The events also feature art, music and live DJs—all the things Jon Nash, cofounder of Natural Leaders Camp for Kids, says he was interested in when he was growing up as one of three children in a low-income, single-parent household in Compton. While the nonprofit camp encourages a diverse mix of kids from all social and economic backgrounds, Nash says that for the most underprivileged kids, the program can help instill a sense that they can take control of their futures. “I tell the kids, nobody is coming to save you. You have to save yourself. And how you save yourself is by taking care of yourself first, by doing what we’re doing—eating healthy, working out, taking care of the planet and yourself.”
Natural Leaders Camp for Kids aims to help L.A.’s 7 to 14-year-olds do just that. About 30 to 50 kids—many bussed in from Compton, South Central and Watts—come to each of the camp’s events on Venice Beach. There they pick up the tools for healthy, empowered living from local yoga masters, sports coaches and such raw gourmet chefs as Chef BeLive and Meghan Doherty, who volunteer their time and skills for the camp.
One of the camp’s central features is the Kids Venice Basketball League, in which basketball player and coach Ron Carr takes the kids through training and drills. This kids league is a natural outgrowth of Venice Basketball League, a TV show featuring professional outdoor street basketball players that Nash and his production company partner, Nick Ansom, started creating in 2007. A year later, the kids league was added, and quickly expanded into a camp program.
The camp has some sponsors that provide free items like reusable water bottles and snacks, but funding for the program comes out of Nash and Ansom’s pockets. Nash says he hopes his work with Venice Basketball League will eventually provide funds to sustain and expand the kids’ programs without having to bring in corporate sponsors.
Regardless, the camp is evolving from a 10-week program to a year-round series of events that even includes urban gardening outings to connect kids to the food they eat. Want to get a child you know involved—or volunteer your own time and skills for the camp? Visit the Kids Venice Basketball League website at kvbl.org, or email Nash at jon@veniceball.com.
—Siel Ju
