https://www.youcaring.com/simonegamblerahwayebio-889641

Oaaars, New york, New York, NY (2026)

03/19/2026

This month, I had the pleasure of working with middle school students from .steam.forward to hold a processing space about the world at large. I met with their brilliant young leaders and asked them what social issues were top of mind for them. There were several listed but two consistently floated to the top: The impact of bullying on Mental Health and the state of Immigration in this country. So in response, that became our center. In this processing space, we played a game in which we spent time answering looming questions, addressing fears and interrupting harmful media narratives about various communities We then shifted to an activity where they were tasked with radically imagining a solution to these issues as a collective of young people.

The questions the young people held broke my heart but was also a reminder of how much our young people need and want these spaces to talk about the world with trusted adults. And when given the chance to design solutions, they were ready. They instinctively knew that a new way of living was possible if we just imagined it. It started with them sharing vulnerably to using their truth as a catalyst for change. They were another reminder that The Kids Are Ready. Thank you to Jacqueline, Simone, and Tea for trusting me with your community. I'm excited to continue this beautiful partnership.

If you are a program leader looking for a processing space for your young people, reach out to us at OAAARS and we will set it up. Email us at [email protected]

03/18/2026

Last week, I had the pleasure to be a presenter at the Tristate Camp Conference. It was amazing to be in community with other camp leaders in an industry I have called home for so long. I was able to lead three conversations with my peer leaders.

1. Play As A Tool For Social Change where we discussed how camps can use the medium of play to cultivate discussions on belonging identity and how young people can be change makers in the world.

2. The State of DEI In Camping; A diversity fishbowl where consultants across Dei in camping including and had a candid and vital conversation about the state of Dei in the camping industry and the strategies of what hope grounded in strategy can look like presently and for years to come.

3. From Ally to Accomplice: an Anti-racism Lab for camp leaders where we discussed the tenets of antiracist practice and then practiced using this lens in solving varying issues across our camping functions such as hiring, discipline, and programming.

Lastly, I helped to co-lead the BIPOC precon with Kimberly Green as our phenomenal keynote around nurturing ourselves as leaders as plants in shifting climates. And asked us how we water our growth and collectively care for each other. Thank you to the other co-leads, Kanston McIver Lenora Sealey, , 🏕️ and !

So many vital conversations took place this year at Tristate and there are still so many discussions around how we support our young people and staff in this climate. My only answer is to use your radical imagination to act. To dream of camp communities that actually center belonging. That sees barriers like funding and timing as a challenge to overcome and not to succumb to. Our young people and staff deserve it and need it at this time. This is where true leadership emerges. Will you take the first step?

If you're interested in working with us on your JEDI initiatives reach out to us at [email protected]

03/13/2026

Hello Community!
and will be collaborating to host Restore & Rise Wellness Event on April 5th from 12-5pm at Heyground Harlem! We are excited to welcome in community to heal together, support community, and have as much fun as we are having in this video😆

It's time for us to be with each other and reclaim our joy as we fight back against all that's trying to harm us. We want you come and bring your friends too!

We will have a live Dj, talented vendors, food, raffle prizes, wellness activities like yoga and so much more! Look out for our future posts where we highlight all the vendors and facilitators who will be at the event!

Link to register is restoreandrise.eventbrite.com. Even if you can't come you can buy a ticket for someone in community! Be there or be square!

02/09/2026

For the past few months OAAARS has been on quite the adventure traveling across the states from as far as Florida to only a few hours away in New Hampshire at various Camp conferences and retreats. We made sure to take up space and center the conversations around social justice and equity at camp and how this is necessary now more than ever with our young people.

We had the unique opportunity to be a vendor for the first time at the Tristate camp conference where we shared with the world a preview of our Justice Journal and curriculum as well as mindfulness cards that provided the tools for middle school aged youth to explore the concepts of social identity and racial equity as well as develop tools for advocacy and allyship at camp.

Camps provide a unique opportunity for young people to come together and engage in meaningful conversations including about the very world they live in. They can learn both about systemic oppression and learn the tools to become agents of change in destroying these systems. We believe this world is possible and the youth have always and will continue to lead and push the journey to liberation forward. OAAARS just looks to suooort with providing the tools. And we made sure to have some fun along with way. We hope you join us.

Thank you to .ekhan for doing the necessary and hard work to get us to this conference and sharing such an important narrative. You all made this possible.

Thank you to the wonderful folks who donated to our cause. It would literally not be possible without your investment. And to a good friend who stepped in as an amazing ally in this work

Lastly thank you to the hosts who gave us the space to share this work with the world.

02/03/2026

In January, OAAARS was a part of a Virtual Town Hall highlighting camp consultants to support Character at Camp grantees. Below is a quick video of my pitch and what we hope to offer. Check it out and reach out to us if you want to hear more! Email us at [email protected] 💕

06/09/2025

📣 We’re gathering for Juneteenth — and you’re invited.
This free intergenerational workshop welcomes youth and adults into a space of reflection, storytelling, and collective learning. Through guided circle practice, we’ll explore the legacy of Juneteenth and how we carry justice forward in our communities.

🗓️Date: Thursday, June 19th, 2025
🕙 Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍 Location: Recirculation, A project of Word Up Community Bookshop  🎟️ Free event – RSVP required (link in bio) 🌎 Spanish-speaking community welcome 🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏽 Limited spots, so don’t wait!

✍🏽 What Does Juneteenth mean to you?

11/08/2024

🛶 I hope you all are Resting. Reflecting. Healing. Connecting. This is where we lock in and do the work of building communities of radical care. Starting at the most local level but never forgetting the interconnections of global fights for justice.

🛶 This country has continuously showed us who it is. Are we ready to believe it now and start build systems that are both responsive to the needs and working to dismantle them?

❓These questions are continuing to ruminate in my mind during this election season. I hope it sparks something for you. We cannot lose hope. Too much is at stake. We no longer have that privilege.

🛶 Sending love to you all.

🇺🇸

04/12/2024

📣📣📣 Hello OAAARS Community! We are excited to announce that OAAARS’ The Kids Are Ready Program has been granted fiscal sponsorship by the SPM Disability Justice Fund (). The SPM Disability Justice Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor for disability justice initiatives led by disabled Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC).

✨ Share Far & Wide with your community!
👉🏾 Tap the link in bio if you are called donate and support this work.

🛶 We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to get access to a platform that will allow us to raise funds to provide this service free of charge to the young people we want to serve through the support of donations! This is a dream when it comes to expanding our work and giving access to more communities.

🛶 The Kids are Ready program works with middle school students to facilitate conversations about social identity and social justice through the use of play! We work with young people to understand the world around them, connect with others, and provide them with the tools for change. Lastly, we provide a space of reflection and community building for young people through our OAAARS Justice Journal and Mindfulness Card Deck.

🗓️ Tomorrow we have an exciting update about a new program offering under The Kids Are Ready in partnership with the 4.0 Schools Tiny Fellowship! We look forward to sharing this exciting news. Thank you for all the support up to this date. We would be nothing without community.

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&activists

04/01/2024

Within the last 10 days of Ramadan lives Laylatul Qadr, The Night of Power, marking the most divine night in all of the Islamic Calendar. It is believed that on this night, Angel Jibril had been sent down by Allah (SWT) to recite the opening verses of the Qur’an to our Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Stolen land via genocidal acts in Occupied Palestine. Looming famine in Sudan. Displacement at all levels, most notably healthcare and shelter and land, in Congo. As one of the most mineral-rich countries of the world, mining for resources has evolved into a humanitarian crisis beyond understanding. Within all these lands, including all lands who have not been mentioned, faith remains unbroken, untethered and solid. Faith then, not only becomes a spiritual practice, but one of resistance, solidarity and ultimately, liberation.

During the last 10 days of Ramadan, practices are amplified - prayers can last all night, our charity is multiplied at least ten fold and other acts of virtue enables mercy to be granted and prayers to be answered. Indeed, our comrades in Occupied Palestine, Sudan and Congo (those who observe) will be engaged in these practices; and in so doing, they will be engaging in acts of resistance and liberation.

📌Action: Around the world, many non-Muslims have chosen to observe Ramadan to demonstrate their solidarity. Furthering comradeship could include integrating this spiritual practice with embodying practices for resistance and liberation - taking care that this manifests differently for all peoples. All struggle is interconnected, as is all liberation - we can honor these last 10 days of Ramadan via the following:

02/27/2024

📣📣📣 Hello OAAARS Community, we are so excited to announce that OAAARS Founder, Simone Gamble has been chosen as a participant in the 4.0 Schools Tiny Fellowship Program (). The Kids Are Ready Program created in partnership with fellow OAAARS Consultants Adela Effendy (.ekhan) and Elizabeth Ramirez (liztangled) was chosen as an education model to be explored, amended with community at the center, and invested in for this fellowship!

🛶 The Tiny Fellowship is a four month program that takes fellows from an idea with early traction to a proof point that is ready to grow. Fellows learn how to plan, run, and evaluate a recurring pilot. Fellows receive coaching from experts, a monetary grant, and a community of peers, all pushing themselves to run disciplined tests of their ideas with their communities. By the end of the Tiny Fellowship, fellows will have evidence toward if people want their idea and if it works.
 🛶 We are excited to get to work with the support of experts and our fellow peers to truly create something transformative. Thank you @4.0 schools for this opportunity! We will continue to share these updates with you along the way.
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Oaaars

03/19/2026

03/18/2026

03/13/2026

02/09/2026

02/03/2026

06/09/2025

11/08/2024

04/12/2024

04/01/2024

02/27/2024

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