Cover photo courtesy of Ubuntu Fly Anglers
Last year, the Ubuntu Fly Anglers Network was able to offer a free youth summer camp for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) youth to introduce them to a racially diverse group of peers and mentors who work and play in green spaces. Campers spent several days getting out in nature and learning how to fly fish. The camp was held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Spokane, with participants ages 9-12. Mornings at camp included classroom time with special guest presenters, and afternoons included field trips to Turnbull Wildlife Refuge and a local Native American sacred site. Two days were dedicated to the “whys and hows” of fly-fishing and casting a fly, culminating with a final day spent fishing on Clear Lake where some campers caught their first fish on the fly. The week ended with a catered dinner for the participants and their families followed by a graduation ceremony.
The 2025 camp was made possible by funding from Waters West and the Northeast Community Center ZONE. While Ubuntu finalizes funding for the coming summer, the plans for the 2026 camp are underway with the goal to double the number of participants. The camp will be in partnership with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center once again but will move its fly-fishing location to Spokane’s Riverfront Park. Ubuntu co-founder Dr. Bob Bartlett invites anyone from the community to please stop by and say hello if you see the group there July 22-25.
The benefits to our youth of color community can be seen in ripples now and yet to come. As one participant said of the 2025 camp, reported in the September edition of the “Black Lens” newspaper: “This week with the Ubuntu Fly Anglers was one of the best weeks ever! I learned so many new things, and I even picked up a brand-new hobby, fly fishing. I learned that nature is kind of like therapy. When you’re mad or feeling down, just going outside for a walk or sitting quietly can really help you calm down. I didn’t know how peaceful it could be until I was out there near the water, just listening to the wind . . . That [experience] made me want to take better care of nature.”
The Ubuntu Fly Anglers Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community program committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of river and environmental advocates, particularly providing outdoors exposure and learning opportunities for youth of color. Founded in 2023, the group now consists of Black and brown fly anglers, environmental activists and educators from across the country and Canada. Look for the 2026 summer camp announcement and registration info in Spokane’s “Black Lens” newspaper and on the Ubuntu Fly Angler website, Ifishibelong.org/ubuntuflyanglers, and socials. Contact organizers at [email protected]. You can also make a donation from the group’s website.
