Summer is traditionally a time of freedom
and exploration for children. From camps to educational courses and internships,
parishes throughout the Episcopal Diocese of New York offer unique summer
opportunities for children and teenagers.
Circus learning
The Amazing Grace Circus! is an outgrowth of four years of development
with the Senior Youth Group of Grace Episcopal, Nyack, as well as Carlo
Pellegrini, a former clown for the Big Apple Circus, and Janet Hayes,
an occupational therapist. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 led
this group of 16 teenagers to an eight-month process of discernment to
identify a form that would give expression to their feelings, their hopes,
their frustrations and their fears.
All children, separated into two groups, ages 5-7 and 7-13, learn the
arts of juggling, balancing, clowning (character, make-up, costume), tightwire,
unicycle, acrobatics, improvisation, art and human pyramids. The circus
is meant to teach kids to work together.
“We teach the kids C.I.R.C.U.S.,” Pellegrini
explains, “which stands for confidence in themselves, imagination,
respect for others, cooperation, understanding of how to learn new skills,
and success.”
The Amazing Grace Circus! Arts Summer Camp operates from Monday through
Friday in two sessions as well as one week of performances for the community
in June and July.
Outreach and education
The Martin Luther King Cultural Center was started as an outreach for
St. Andrew’s, Beacon. According to Executive Director Dot Paulin,
the mission is “to enable people of all ages to see and fulfill
the greatest potential that they can reach by providing programs in a
safe and stimulating environment for all to grow in the belief of their
self worth and determination.”
The MLK Center started as a library in 1978 with programs for youth and
the elderly. Youth activities increased and the summer and after school
programs were started. The goal of the summer program is to provide educational,
cultural and recreational activities that augment the school’s curriculum
and help build character and citizenship for 6 to 18-year-olds.
As a result of a needs assessment completed by the parish and the township
of Beacon, the MLK center started another program for youth this summer,
called the Community Partnership with Schools and Business. CPSB is a
workforce development program that develops the educational, vocational
and social skills necessary for self-sufficiency. It engages businesses,
community organizations and schools to work collaboratively towards the
goal of improving the career and educational prospects of at-risk youth
in urban and rural school districts. CPSB develops close, long-term relationships
between students and caring adult business owners who then train and mentor
student interns. The school and youth organization staff work one-on-one
and in small groups to help each other overcome obstacles and reach for
individualized goals.
Each student receives comprehensive workplace preparation—in addition
to industry-specific instruction provided by the business. The long-term
goal of CPSB is to lower the dropout rate, increase student achievement,
and help under-prepared students develop the skills and abilities to enter
college or move directly into a meaningful career.
Summer camp for all kids
In the Bronx, St. Andrew’s, Castle Hill, holds a summer day camp
for inner city youth ages 4 to 12 years old. According to program director
Adia Morton, “These kids need the chance to come together in a safe
and structured environment.” Morton also noted that a number of
their campers come from single parent families where mom or dad would
have a difficult time holding down a job if the kids were at home.
The summer day camp offers a safe, fun-filled, educational environment
for eight weeks during the summer, Monday through Friday. The daily activities
for campers include academics, computers, arts and crafts, photography,
indoor and outdoor sports activities, and local field trips. Pool and
park activities are included in weekly activities.
The program is directed and staffed by members of St. Andrew’s Castle
Hill and people from the surrounding community. According to the rector,
the Rev. Dr. Allen S. W. George, “St. Andrew’s is a growing
church and we are expanding our programs and making use of the parish
property for various activities, including: computer, dance, theatre,
and crafts.” He added, “programs with children and families
are the reason we are growing.”
Holy Trinity, Manhattan also offers a summer camp experience, for children
whose parents would not otherwise be able to afford it. The camp seeks
to impact the parish’s immediate neighbors in East Harlem and Yorkville,
and to provide continuity during the summer months when advances in learning
and socialization are often lost. This summer, children have the opportunity
to join Sr. Donna Martha, OSH, in the computer lab. As an elementary educator
with 23 years of teaching experience, much of her work and extra-curricular
programs have focused on the uses of current technology in education.
According to James Hamilton, program director, “The kids are able
to apply their experiences as young explorers to journalism and reporting.”
The program utilizes Sister Donna’s talents, along with those of
a volunteer journalist, to create a newspaper involving the children’s
skills of creative writing, editing, layout and publishing.
If you would like to learn more about summer youth programs throughout
the diocese, contact the Rev. Mark Hummell at 212-316-7426 or call your
parish office to find out what summer activities they have available.
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Summer
Church
Summer
Sundays
A reflection from Barbara Crafton
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