We have an exciting and engaging summer planned for our youth! The overarching theme for SCM’s 7-week summer camp is Civic Engagement: Empowering our Youth as Citizens of the World. The program is designed to prevent summer learning loss, and to enhance feelings of belonging. Each week features activities, programming and field trips that focus on exploring a different aspect of the wider civic engagement theme.

Summer Hours: 9am to 5pm daily, Monday through Friday. Camp begins Monday, June 25th and runs through Friday, August 10th. We will close for 2 weeks in August to prepare for the year and resume with our 2012 afterschool year programming on August 27th.

Basic Daily Schedule:
8:30 – 9:00 | Arrival, greeting and roll call, rap check in led by youth leader
9:05 – 9:45 | Breakfast; cooking, set up, clean up chores from youth-developed roster
9:45 – 10:00 | Warm up activities, sharing plans for the day
10:00 – 12:00 | Theme activities, basketball/dance/yoga etc. rotating by age group and days
12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch; cooking, set up, clean up chores from youth-developed roster
1:30 – 3:30 | Theme activities – guest speaker, research, watch DVD, vocabulary words
3:00 – 4:30 | Journaling/blogging/reading/research, surveys, discussion of daily learning
4:30 – 5:00 | Snack/clean-up, goodbyes and Dismissal

Field Trip Schedule: (Every Thursday)
6/28/12 -- Smithsonian Air & Space, Natural History
7/5/12 -- National Spy Museum, Metro Center
7/12/12 -- Splash Down Water Park, Manassas, VA
7/19/12 -- DC TV Studios, Washington, DC
7/26/12 -- Water Country USA, Williamsburg, VA
8/2/12 -- Community Picnic – Haines Point Park, DC
8/9/12 -- SCM Talent Exhibition, Latin-American Youth Center

Weekly Themes:
Civic Engagement Through Sportsmanship. (Week 1, June 25-June 29). Youth will participate in sports such as soccer, basketball, and dance. With a focus on team-building and sportsmanship, youth will learn to give their best to achieve a goal. Researching sports history will give insight into the role of the Olympics and other contests around the World. Students will be challenged to connect mechanics of sports and competition to principles of evolution during a visit to the National Museum of Natural History.

Civic Engagement Through Applied Sciences (Week 2, July 2-July 6, closed July 4). Youth will gain insight into the scientific principles and technologies that support daily life while engaging in hands-on explorations. Students will learn about historic inventions and the contributions of persons of color while learning about technology throughout the week, which will be incorporated into a scavenger hunt and visit to the National Spy Museum.

Civic Engagement Through Water (Week 3, July 9-July 13). Youth engage in water-based activities to understand how we are united globally through our relationship to water. Youth will engage in teambuilding activities such as water balloon tosses while exploring all things water, including family trips to a DC pool and a field trip to a local water park. A speaker from the National Atmospheric Oceanic Agency (NOAA) will also discuss the role of water and weather.

Civic Engagement Through Public Advocacy (Week 4, July 16- July 20) Youth will explore rights and responsibilities of community and public citizenship while working to understand their roles as stakeholders and community members. A guest speaker (lawyer) will discuss volunteer legal assistance, help finish the SCM Code of Conduct and conduct a mock hearing. Aspects of social media and public outreach will be included, culminating in a visit to the office of the Ward 6 councilman and a day-trip to DC TV studios.

Civic Engagement Around the World (Week 5, July 23-27). Youth will learn about civic engagement in Egypt and other Arab Spring countries, including learning about their history, foods, culture and natural resources, culminating in a discussion regarding the Arab Spring uprising. At the end of the week, youth discuss, journal and blog what they have learned and visit the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau. A trip to Water Country is planned.

Civic Engagement Through Community Service (Week 6, July 30-August 3). Youth discuss volunteerism and community service, and parents and youth participate in a youth-selected community service project of collecting, sorting and distributing new backpacks and school supplies for students. A visit to DC Central Kitchen is planned. Students will visit Haines Point Park in DC for a community picnic and area clean-up.

Civic Engagement Heritage and Performing Arts (Week 7, August 6- August 10). Youth will expand their knowledge of famous Shaw residents, leaders and performers. Activities will including walking the Shaw Heritage Trail, visiting Carter G. Woodson Park and the African-American Civil War Museum. Youth will polish their public presentations and will end the week with an exhibition of oratory, music, written and visual-arts performances.