The University of Alberta has made some changes to a summer camp for LGBTQ2S youth, but the changes aren’t sitting well with a youth committee, now planning to hold their own camp.

Damien McAndrews said he was homeless when he first attended Camp fYrefly – and it was an experience that eventually led him to get involved with the Youth Action Committee, a group that helped plan the camp.

“Because for a lot of us, it was the first safe place that we ever had,” McAndrews said.

“We were working on camp. We had programs, we had all this stuff we were working out.”

Camp fYrefly is a summer camp for LGBTQ2S youth.

On Wednesday, the committee learned it will no longer be involved with Camp fYrefly. The University of Alberta has decided to combine camps for Edmonton and Calgary into one province-wide camp.

“It’s been incredibly successful in our other locations in Saskatchewan and Ontario where we offer provincial camp for youth,” Lynn McGarvey, U of A Academic Vice Dean said Friday.

The same number of campers can attend camp at the new location in Canmore. Officials said the new location is also more accessible.

McAndrews believes the changes, and decision to disband the committee, was an attempt by the university to oust some of the committee’s more vocal members.

The university said the changes are part of a restructuring plan, and staff, faculty and the executive committee had discussed those changes for months.

“We are absolutely aware of the allegations,” McGarvey said. “But no formal complaints have come forward at this time.

“The University of Alberta would take those formal complaints incredibly seriously.”

Now, the Youth Action Committee is determined to hold its own summer camp for Edmonton’s LGBTQ2S youth.

“The same date, the same place, hopefully with the same or more kids and hopefully longer if we can get it,” McAndrews said.

He said the committee plans to start fundraising efforts soon.

With files from Amanda Anderson