This summer's dry spell will pass a little more enjoyably for inner-city Durham youths, thanks to a camp which stresses positive and growth-oriented experiences for participants.
Exploring the Options, started two years ago by Richard Moore, Trinity '92, offers summer activities to Durham children participating in the University's Volunteers for Youth program. The camp compensates for the void created by the summer hiatus taken by University students, who serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters during the year.
"If it wasn't for the Exploring the Options Program, I get the sense that a lot of the kids would not have much to do besides hanging out on the streets and possibly getting in trouble," said Trinity senior Kevin Jacobsen, a student leader in the program.
Activities at the four-week camp include a variety of academic workshops designed to engage the students' interest in learning.
The workshops include making personal books, painting murals, writing and directing plays and building a boat out of milk cartons and wood.
"We try to do academic activities to help the kids learn and get excited about the projects so that they can look back on what they've accomplished and say `I can do it,"' said Trinity senior Dawn Techow, who runs the program.
Students at the camp also participate in community service projects each week at the Community Shelter for Hope and the Senior Center of Durham.
"We try to give the kids several options because we're promoting the fact that they have the choice and ability to decide for themselves," Techow said.
Other activities include camping trips at the beach, dance workshops and trips to the Durham Life and Science Museum. Guest speakers also address the kids about a variety of subjects ranging from careers to how to prevent date rape and sexual harassment.
"I liked all the fun things we got to do and the places we went. My favorite things were when I got to paint the mural and be in the skits," said 10-year-old camper Kyle Payne.
Eight undergraduates work as counselors with four graduate students to run the camp for 40 to 50 campers each summer. The camp runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday from the end of June to the middle of July for rising sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Campers qualify for a federal free-lunch program and eat both breakfast and lunch at camp.
"The parents can't find affordable activities for the kids to do and they're too young to work and too old for most camps. We recruit kids who need something to do in the summer who could really benefit from the experiences and encouragement of our program," Techow said.
The camp has been running for the past two years and has plans to continue in future summers.
"We've proven to the Duke and Durham communities that this is a really successful and worthwhile program. The greatest success we've had is the amount of exposure the kids have been given to experiences they otherwise would have missed," Jacobsen said.
Despite the opportunities the camp affords, it is not without its problems.
"The greatest problem at the camp is the lack of funding. We would like to run the camp for eight weeks instead of just four, but we don't have enough money to do so," Techow said.
Though a lack of funding impedes expansion, administrators say they are pleased with the progress the program has made in the last two years.
"I think Exploring the Options is a model for other on-campus groups because it's a completely different way to think about community service involvement," said Elaine Madison, administrative director of the Community Service Center.
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