Camps in Brattleboro, Burlington, East Corinth, Fair Haven, Irasburg, Northfield, Richford, Springfield, St. Albans, Stowe, Williamstown, Windsor
Montpelier ~ The Vermont Humanities Council is pleased to announce that it has awarded grants for its popular Humanities Camp summer program to bring learning and fun to youth statewide. This year the thematic, week-long day camps for students aged 11-14 will run in twelve schools in nine Vermont counties.
Schools awarded this year’s camps are Brattleboro Area Middle School; Edmunds Middle School (Burlington); Fair Haven Grade School; Irasburg Village School; Northfield Jr./Sr. High School; Richford Jr.-Sr. High School (with Berkshire Elementary School); St. Albans City School; Stowe Middle School; Waits River Valley School (East Corinth); Williamstown Middle School; and Windsor Schools.
Humanities Camps are week-long summer day camps that focus on reading, discussion, and fun activities that bring learning to life for students in a relaxed group setting. The camps help youth explore the world of literature and ideas, fostering self-expression in a safe, nurturing environment.
“Now in its twentieth year, the Vermont Humanities Council’s Humanities Camps program has made a difference in the lives of thousands of kids around the state,” said Jan Steinbauer, VHC’s Director of Literacy Programs. “Students who didn’t enjoy books or reading before discover that they can—and do. Campers further develop cognitive skills as they think critically about the world around them. These experiences in the humanities can be a powerful influence at a crucial time when youth are developing their sense of self-identity.”
Schools receive funds for two staff to serve as camp directors who design the curriculum around a chosen theme, recruit participants, and run the week-long summer day camp. The schools also receive funds toward supplies and field trips, and sets of gift books on the camp’s theme for each of the campers.
The camps revolve around themes chosen by VHC and selected by applicant schools. Two themes are offered in 2016: Be a Leader! (focusing on the epic Antarctic adventure and survival story of Ernest Shackleton as part of Vermont Reads 2016) and Ancient Greece and the Olympiad (exploring ancient Greece and its myths as the world gets ready to watch the Summer Olympics in Rio). Students each receive a set of books, related to their chosen camp theme, to read and to bring home to keep.
Reading lies at the heart of each camp. Participants also take part in engaging, hands-on activities built around the reading, such as writing, thematic games, creative art projects, and making and enjoying recipes that reflect the camp theme. Campers meet with special guest presenters, go on field trips to museums, and visit college campuses, opening windows to new possibilities. Most camps close with a culminating event for students to share what they have learned. The activities, both inside and outside the school, help build students’ self esteem as they make connections between the words on the page and the larger world.
Camp week is often a profound experience for both students and teachers, whose interaction transcends the traditional classroom. Camps help strengthen teacher-student and peer relationships, and help foster renewed and changed attitudes about learning.
One camper in a 2015 camp on Africa wrote, “Humanities camp was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again. I had fun learning about Africa and hanging out with teachers and my friends, but the best part was sharing what I learned with my peers and teachers.” Another remarked,
“I would like to have another week like this. Every day we went somewhere and played games. Every day we read something different. So so fun.”
For more information about Humanities Camps, contact Jan Steinbauer at 802.262.1352. For general information about the Vermont Humanities Council, call 802.262.2626, email info@vermonthumanities.org, or visit vermonthumanities.org.
The Vermont Humanities Council is a private nonprofit working to bring the power and the pleasure of the humanities to all Vermonters—of every background and in every community. The Council strives to make Vermont a state in which every individual reads, participates in public affairs, and continues to learn throughout life. Because Ideas Matter.
# # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2016
CONTACT: Ryan Newswanger, Director of Communications, (802) 262-262-1354 or Jan Steinbauer, Director of Literacy Programs, (802) 262-1352
