Our stories, our power
WHY CAMP DESI ROOTS?
We create intentional space for young people to know where they come from.
Storytelling
Power
Community
Belonging
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
What makes us different from other camps?
Our camps welcome every identity.
We welcome all young people who trace their roots to the South Asian subcontinent - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka - regardless of their religious, socio-economic, or caste background. Our goal is to create an inclusive space that transcends the boundaries between the often divided countries that comprise South Asia.
We don’t purport to be “cultural experts,” neither is our goal to impart cultural knowledge specific to certain countries or religions - rather, our vision is to create spaces where South Asian youth can reflect on, and feel empowered by their cultural identities and family histories, and see themselves as part of a larger South Asian diaspora community.
We work hard to ensure camp is financially accessible.
Each year, we raise money for the Camp Desi Roots Scholarship Fund to provide the magic of Camp Desi Roots to South Asian families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford camp. We believe very deeply that all South Asian kids deserve the opportunity to experience overnight camp, and that there is beauty and richness to bringing the diversity of our experiences into one space.
We are educators, school leaders, and curriculum designers.
Unlike most traditional sleepaway camps, we are not only activity-based - though we do offer a wide range of traditional camp activities for our kids, our camps are, at heart, substantive and educational, and we thoughtfully design curricula that both inspire and challenge our kids’ thinking.
We are a family.
We are a large, extended South Asian family at Camp Desi Roots. All our kids belong, all our kids’ voices matter. We create space for each other, we affirm each other, we accept each other as we are, and we push each other to be our best selves, all while having fun! It is profoundly transformative to be surrounded by kids and adults who look like you, who might be struggling with the same things you are, who make you feel like you are powerful, you belong, you matter.
We build deep, meaningful connections.
Our camps are intentionally designed to be an intimate experience for kids, where they can both enjoy an afternoon of swimming, archery, and hiking together, as well as participate in meaningful immersion workshops where they reflect on who they are and where they come from.
Family & Mentors
CAMP SHOULD BE FOR EVERY FAMILY.
Accessibility and inclusivity is one of our core values, which is why we provide full scholarships every year to families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to send their kids to camp. When you contribute to the Camp Desi Roots Scholarship Fund, you help us realize this vision.
Family Connection
our Founders
Prerna Srivastava
(Magical Mumma, former teacher, principal, and lifelong educator pursuing my EdLD at Harvard)
Prerna, mother of the 3 beautiful Zs, proud daughter of immigrants, was born in Patna, Bihar, in her grandfather’s clinic, her childhood spent picking mangoes and guavas in her Nana and Nani’s garden and splashing through monsoon rain puddles in Mumbai. Prerna’s commitment to service and social justice comes from her Nana, who dedicated his life to serving poor patients in Patna, and named her Prerna, or “inspiration” in Hindi.
Prerna has been an educator for the past 20 years - from international NGOs in India and Rwanda, spanning training women’s microfinance groups to building curricula for HIV nurses, to formal K- 12 education in NYC, Philly, and Camden, serving urban public school districts for the past 12 years as a high school science teacher, elementary school principal, and head of elementary schools.
Prerna is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Harvard, and holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Anoop Raman
(Family Doctor, Chief Medical Officer, and Ayya Extraordinare )
Anoop is the son of immigrants and father of 3 beautiful children, collectively known as ZuZaZe. His parents, Hindu and Catholic from Bangalore and Kerala, fell in love and eloped to Queens, NY, where he was born. He is a family doctor and physician leader who specializes in caring for populations with complex medical and social needs. Since joining AbsoluteCare as Chief Medical Officer, he has helped lead the growth of the care model as it serves the holistic needs of thousands of vulnerable individuals in each of the communities they serve. Additionally, Anoop is a member of the faculty at Columbia University’s School of Public Health, teaching courses on global health, in particular — teaching courses on how to put public health principles into everyday practice to serve high needs populations.
He is passionate not only about delivering on the mission of health equity — providing concierge level care to the people who need it most — but also about developing the next generation of impassioned, mission-driven clinicians.
Come grow with us.
Explore the people behind Camp Desi Roots or learn more about the overnight camp.