campaign to:

Challenge (bigotry)
Act (on values)
Mentor (others)
Promote Unity
 

in skydiving

Mission Statement

CAMP Unity is dedicated to promoting active inclusion within skydiving and ensuring equal and diverse representation of all groups within the sport.

We challenge racism, sexism, homo- and transphobia, and all other forms of bigotry whenever we see it.

We undertake direct action to increase and include diverse voices.

We are building a community where people from all walks of life feel welcomed and supported in the sport of skydiving.

Goals

1

Letter of Support

Publish a full-page letter of support in Parachutist magazine calling on dropzones and manufacturers to make statements of inclusivity and commit to standing against racism, sexism, homo- and transphobia. This advertisement will explain the issue we are combating and would include the names and logos of supporting gear manufacturers, teams, institutions, etc.
2

Establish Programs

Establish an official CAMP Unity sports program similar to SIS to increase diversity in skydiving across the United States. This program will be responsible for mentorship and engagement of new jumpers, providing a network of support to all willing members, organizing boogies and skills camps to attract a diverse group of jumpers of all skill levels.
3

Raise Awareness

Grow CAMP Unity’s Facebook group membership and develop a visible online presence to raise awareness among affected minorities that their concerns are being taken seriously.

Meet Our Volunteers

Alina Borovika

License: B-40868. 6 years in the sport. 450 jumps.
Home DZ: Skydive the Ranch and Skydive Tecumseh.

From Riga, Latvia but recently became a naturalized US citizen. Aside from skydiving, loves to rock climb, dance her butt off, and nerd out on chemistry and data science.

Pronouns: She/Her

Grace Calpus

Grace Calpus

License: C-47029, ~475 jumps, 10+ hours tunnel time, 3 years in sport

Grace's home DZ is up for grabs as she jumps wherever she can, but Skydive Perris is her favorite DZ. Living in Colorado but from Michigan originally, Grace has been an athlete since she was in high school and over the years gained competency in basketball, swimming, rowing, snowboarding, skiing, and of course skydiving. She is adjunct faculty at the University of Denver and is contracted with Cornell and Rice Universities to coach emotional intelligence and leadership planning to students at all levels. Grace is passionate about inclusivity and kindness in the sport, especially because a true culture of safety depends on it.

Brittany Gray

License: D-35767, ~1100 jumps, Coach, Aff-I, T-I ratings, Ten years in the sport
Home DZ: Sky’s the Limit

Has lived in Buffalo, NY all her life, but does her best to see the rest of the world. Brittany believes in growth through challenge, and spends her time skating ramps on her quad skates, playing roller derby, riding her motorcycle, writing, and drawing.

Finds balance in the whirlwind of adventure by (not so) secretly being a D&D/Star Wars/book nerd.

Active in local and national social justice groups, she is excited to bring the beauty of that movement to the skydiving community.

Pronouns: She/Her

Alex Jordaan

License: D-28010. 20 years in the sport. 4500 jumps.
Home DZ: Skydive the Ranch (USA), Johannesburg Skydiving Club (SA), Pretoria Skydiving Club (SA).

Originally from South Africa but has been living in New York since 2013 after a handful of years out in Dubai. Loves to belly fly, angle fly, vertical fly and tunnel fly. Basically all the flys because it's all awesome.

Pronouns: He/Him

WED, 26 MAY AT 5pm PDT / 8pm EST

Next Level Safety - Why Drop Zone Culture Matters

Join the Facebook Live Event

Dropzone Culture

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This favorite adage of CEOs, consultants, and Forbes readers means that no matter how many Stanford MBAs helped write your business plan, a toxic or mistrusting work culture will sabotage it, while a vibrant and loyal one will stick with you through any mess or market downturn.

But what’s that got to do with skydiving?

In our world, it’s community that culture eats for breakfast. Whether your dropzone wants to attract the best camps and organizers or flies a humble 182, the strength, cohesion, and supportive atmosphere among your jumpers will make or break the community you wish to build. 

We all expect the dropzone to be a welcoming place where we can put the rest of the world on hold and just be our weird and wonderful selves…because we feel safe to. But if our dropzone culture feels hostile, we’ll drive an extra hour to find a more welcoming one, or pick up another expensive hobby in which to sink our paychecks.

So how do you take dropzone safety to the next level? What does it take to create a healthy and resilient culture that attracts a community of skydivers of all stripes and sizes and earns a reputation for being an awesome place to jump? Our May 26 FB Live panel features three of the most recognizable veterans of dropzone operations and marketing to dig into the how and why:

Dan BC – Skydive Perris, CA DZ manager and world champion skydiver

Melanie Curtis – Business executive coach and skydiving coach; previously marketing and event director at Skydive Elsinore

Larry Liebler – Skydiving instructor and general manager at Skydive Orange

Moderated by:
Trevor Torreele – Representative for Peregrine Manufacturing

Contest Description

The “A” in CAMP Unity stands for action. This FB Live would be all talk if we didn’t follow up with actionable steps you and your dropzone can take to build a safe, resilient, and welcoming culture. So for this panel, we’re announcing a contest in partnership with Peregrine to help us write a Next Level Safety Code for dropzones.

The world’s most popular companies place a priority on building great places to work by investing in employee happiness and writing down their culture codes and core principles. We’d love to see dropzones take a page from company playbooks and commit to excellence in service of their skydiver communities. 

We want to hear from you! What culture code would you like to see at your dropzone? What core principles do you wish your dropzone aspired to, or already embodies? The best submission, either written, recorded, or in video format, will win $300 toward a Peregrine container!

Rules:

1) To enter into a competition, you must be present at the FB Live.

2) At the FB Live, please contribute to the conversation by commenting on the discussion or asking a question.

The most engaging and thoughtful comments will invite more response and stand a better chance of winning! Oh, and saying “hi” in the comments is polite and very welcome, but give us something more substantive for the competition.

3) After the FB Live, please send us your thoughts (no more than 500 words please – or, even better, a video!) on the following topic:

***What culture code would you like to see at your dropzone? What core principles should we aspire to embody on the dropzone?***

Please be advised that we will share some or all of the submissions on our website and social media. If you prefer your submission to remain anonymous or would not like us to not share your name, we still welcome your thoughts but your submission will not qualify for the competition.

We STRONGLY encourage video submissions. You can message us on FB or email us at team (at) camp-unity (dot) org. Woot!

4) Send in your submission by Wednesday, 6/9 at 11:59 pm.

Please feel free to get in touch with us!

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