Caldera

Caldera works tirelessly to bring art, nature, and mentorship to underserved youth in Portland, Central Oregon, and beyond. Their innovative approach recognizes that supporting creativity in youth reaches far beyond the world of Arts and Culture and into all creative problem-solving, leadership, and endeavors of entrepreneurship. They specialize in outreach to communities who might otherwise not have access to creative pursuits and they support young people from middle school through adulthood, with mentorships, workshops, and intensives throughout the year, as well as immersion into nature for 1-2 weeks during the summer. From Artist in Residence programming to art installations and community support, they continue to believe in the power of creativity to change the world.

I share the belief that creativity is explosive, mischievous, sometimes dangerous, sometimes beautiful, introspective, delightful, a chaotic and unexpected handful! There is power in awakening creativity in the lives of young people so they can unleash their creative power to change their world.

My son attended Camp Caldera in middle school, but his time was cut short due to the pandemic. Like many youth the pandemic impacted his mental health and motivation. Little did I know the camp sparked a firestorm of creativity in him. Since his experience he has started four bands and excelled in arts throughout high school culminating in his acceptance into art school, The Cooper Union, in the fall. My family is so grateful for this experience because he was unsure about who he was and what his future would look like as a high schooler. But with the exposure and guidance of Caldera he discovered his own voice and a path to a future he believes in. Thanks Caldera!

Caldera is a place that brings learners into community together, and creates a safe space for them to express themselves creatively. The staff is dedicated to making every young person feel seen and encouraged. It is more than a camp experience. Caldera's mentors work with young people all year round, and build multi-year relationships with rural and urban kids, in a beautiful natural environment. It is a real pleasure to be part of this community.

Response from Caldera: While we are extremely fortunate to benefit from a generous founder, we also receive support from a variety of other foundations, corporations, and individual supporters. Our facilities and camp on Blue Lake are only one part of our year-round, long-term mentoring program. That property is funded separately from our operating costs through an endowment by our founder. The facilities are also rented out to other nonprofit organizations whose missions align with Caldera’s and at an extremely low cost in order to support our goals.

We are a nonprofit organization and we are fortunate to have access to these incredibly beautiful facilities and resources. We are continuously humbled and grateful for the support we receive from each and every donor and we are very careful with our use of supporters’ donations. We pride ourselves on being fiscally responsible and are happy to be transparent in our actions. Please feel free to check our 990’s for more information.

Caldera students come from a variety of backgrounds, as do our staff and board of directors. Our mission is to help support and encourage all under served youth to find their voices by accessing their creativity. That is always our focus with all our students regardless of ethnicity. We welcome any further specific questions you may have. Please email us at caldera at calderaarts.org.

My experience with Caldera is so similar to greatergoodpdx it's uncanny. I too was told the same story about the underprivileged minority children wondering who the "rich white guy" was who lived in the huge house overlooking the camp. That seems to be the philosophy of the organization, "let's help these poor black kids while we flaunt our wealth". The BOD is full of the founders friends who donate $10k to each others non-profits while attending lavish, decadent fundraisers. They care more about stroking their own egos than helping kids in need. Disgusting.

The more I learn about Caldera, the more I regret the sizable donation I recently gave the organization. Caldera was started by an incredibly wealthy ad executive years ago to introduce the arts to underprivileged children. The concept sounds wonderful. The reality, however, proves to be a giant ego trip for the founder and his wealthy friends. The camp in Central Oregon is strange. There are rustic teepees for the children to camp in. The children eat in a rustic outdoor kitchen area. They use basic gymnasium-style bathrooms and shower facilities. Overlooking the children's campground is a palatial 3000+ square foot million dollar home. This home is where the founder stays when he visits. It was designed by a world famous architect. It boasts a chef's kitchen, spa-like bathrooms, a hot tub, a grand piano, etc etc. while taking a tour of the camp, I was told a "funny" story about how all of the underprivileged black kids would wonder who the old white guy was who lived in that huge house.