Date: March 2022
Amount: $35,566

Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) was founded in 2011 by a small group of young radio amateurs. One of their first activites was the world’s first YOTA camp. The group quickly got the attention of the IARU and became an officially supported advocacy organization for youth in amateur radio. This allowed YOTA to expand the camp and organize successful sub-regional camps throughout IARU Region 1. The first YOTA campe in IARU Region 2 was scheduled for July 2020, but had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic. Instead, it was held in July 2021.

Funding the camp is a challenge each year. Campers are not expected to pay their share of the expenses – only a $100 deposit is asked of them (and scholarships are available from YOTA-R2 as well as sponsorships through local clubs and IARU-R2 member societies). The total cost of the 2021 camp exceeded $60,000, and was paid for with a combination of individual donations (via GoFundMe and direct donations) and generous donations of equipment and time from ICOM America, Heil Sound, and other companies.

The 2022 IARU-R2 YOTA Camp will be held in West Chester, Ohio (Cincinnati Metro North) from June 12-17, 2022. Campers will be invited from all over IARU Region 2, from Canada to Argentina. The grant from ARDC will cover 50% of the camp’s total budget. This year, the youth will be in charge of the schedule, events, activities, workshops, and fun. A small, super motivated crew of last year’s campers are leading their own planning committee, even working through “hard stuff” like sponsorship tiers, hoteling decisions, meal plans for the amusement park, and balancing downtime verses activities to make sure everyone has a chance to breathe, break the ice, and make lifelong memories and friendships.

Learn more at https://youthontheair.org/cincinnati-2022.