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WHAT IS "RISE UP" YDF CAMP?
A unique summer camp program for youth in the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility (YDF)!
CAMP DESCRIPTION
Description:
A unique summer camp program for youth in the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility (YDF). This is the first-ever program of its kind at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall! We're incredibly excited about this opportunity to bring a positive summer camp experience to the youth!
During the camp, youth will participate in educational workshops focusing on academic skills, vocational training, and life skills development. Therapeutic sessions and counseling will be available to support their emotional well-being and promote healing. Physical activities and sports will encourage fitness and healthy lifestyles, as-well as teamwork and play.
Spiritual health will be nurtured through reflective discussions, inspirational - relative - powerful messages during the main sessions, and opportunities for personal growth. Fun and recreational activities will promote social interaction and positive peer relationships, ensuring a holistic approach to development.
Participants will also receive resources and information about local churches, youth programs, and community services that can provide ongoing support beyond the camp experience.
Rise Up Youth Summer Camp aims to empower youth to break cycles of adversity, discover their potential, and build a brighter future. Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of these young individuals.
RISE UP 2026 THEME
THE BLUEPRINT
Every building starts with a blueprint.
Before the foundation is poured, before the walls go up, before anyone sees the finished product, there is a plan.
Many of the youth we serve know what it's like to feel off course, overlooked, broken, forgotten, or stuck in places they never planned to be. The people of Israel understood that feeling too. When they were living in exile, far from home and surrounded by uncertainty, God gave them an unexpected message:
"Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." — Jeremiah 29:7
God didn't tell them to wait until life was perfect.
He didn't tell them to sit on the sidelines.
He told them to build.
To invest.
To pray.
To make a difference where they were.
The Blueprint is a reminder that God has a plan, even in places we didn't choose. It's a call to discover purpose, build character, strengthen community, and become people who leave things better than they found them.
This year's camp is about more than surviving your circumstances.
It's about learning how to build a life that matters.
A life founded on faith.
A life built with purpose.
A life that impacts others.
Because when we seek the good of the people around us, contribute to our communities, and follow God's design, everyone benefits.
You were made with purpose.
Designed for more.
And the Builder isn't finished with you yet.
Find Your Why. Build What Matters. Leave It Better Than You Found It.
2026 CAMP DEETS:
Camp Dates:
• Saturday, June 13th
• Sunday, June 14th
• Monday, June 15th
• Monday, June 22nd (Girls Unit Day)
Focus:
The camp will offer engaging activities and experiences for the youth.
Last year, we launched the first-ever RISE UP Camp inside Sacramento County’s Youth Detention Facility — a powerful, unforgettable experience where trust was built, hope was restored, and transformation happened behind locked doors.
This wasn’t just camp though— it was redemption in real time.
From team competitions and workshops to powerful faith moments, young men encountered the truth that in Christ, the old life is gone and a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Together, let’s see rebellion turn to redemption.
Participants: (All units in the facility.)
Youth who have graduated high school.
Younger participants still enrolled in school.
This is the first-ever program of its kind at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall! We're incredibly excited about this opportunity to bring a positive camp experience to the youth!
Do you own a business and are you willing to hire/train young people, especially those who are fresh out of YDF?
Let's connect and talk more!
Pray:
Join us in prayer for all the volunteers, and all of the participants for the camp inside YDF. This has never been done in the Sacramento Youth Detention Center!
Collaborate:
Partner with us in supporting to execute the camp with sponsorships, and supplies and help receive the participants and families when they participate in our programs or receive our resources.
Contribute:
Give through Modern Abolition to help pay for the experience, supplies, and further programs to continue connection and development after camp.
**Please place "YDF Camp" in the memo of your donation.***
Who we are:
We are a group of individuals committed to the rescue and redemption of those who’ve been labeled as lost, throwaways, or just hopeless. We are comprised of people with vast education and experience from pastors and licensed therapists who learned in school, to those who learned in life and even behind bars. Most of us look like the youth we serve and have similar stories.
Hillary Gaines, a dedicated advocate with 20+ years of experience, prioritizes the well-being of children and families. Drawing from personal parenting and overcoming domestic violence, she champions marginalized communities. Having pioneered a Youth Advocacy program, she's now applying her extensive mental health, juvenile justice, and foster care insights to develop student-focused initiatives at her church. As the Family Advocate Director at Midtown Church, Hillary, a mother of three and proud grandmother of seven, fosters inclusivity, blending human-centered design principles with professional and lived experiences to create innovative systems that meet diverse needs. Her inspiring journey with foster youth is showcased in podcasts and the documentary "Jetro's Journey."
Happily married (16 yrs) to his stunning and wonderful wife Stacy Acevedo: Kids: Rocco (13), Knox (11), Bronx (6), Nova (4), Joe (18), Cheyenne (24), and Sokha Chan (27). He has worked with youth for close to 20 years.
He is the Founder | CEO of non-profit Modern Abolition: a lifestyle non- profit brand that uses art and creativity to Inform, Inspire, and Impact the world for the greater good. The Pupil Project is his leadership development program, that Equips, Empowers, and Develops youth and young adults, by providing resources, and skillset training, for personal, social, academic, and career development - cultivating a movement of high capacity leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs. In his spare time he adores his beautiful wife, creates artwork, writes and makes music (gil and the lion - available on all platforms), drinks a lot of coffee, and quotes Nacho Libre.
