This summer the BU Liberty Partnerships Program members from Susquehanna Valley worked as teen counselors at the Conklin Summer Fun Program.  Liberty Partnerships partnered with the Town of Conklin, Susquehanna Valley School District, Summer Food Program and the BOCES Summer Youth Employment Program to organize a 4 week summer camp for elementary students in the SV and Windsor school districts.  The teen counselors had 2 paid weeks of training prior to camp starting.  They worked for a total of 6 weeks. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!

Conklin Summer Fun camp was Monday to Friday for four weeks this summer.  Each day the campers attended three stations led by our Camp Directors, Tracy Parker and Sarah Masters, and teen counselors. The teen counselors were Dominique Columbus, Olivia Parker, Kaneisha Newborn, Kenzie Collins, Sarah Kilmer, Lexie Warner, Lizzy Moelder, Sha-Diamond Evans, Tayson Evans and Adrianna Wiggins.

 

The first station was a Literacy Station.  Each day the campers spent 30-45 minutes reading.  The campers were also able to listen to a presentation by author, illustrator and publisher, Daniel Jude Miller.  The second station was a Hands-On Station.  Each day the campers participated in a science experiment or STEM activity.  The campers dissected owl pellets, made exploding baggies, slime, kinetic sand and more. The third station was Arts and Crafts.  The campers were able to make jewelry, sand art, pinch pots, clay figures, paint and many more fun crafts.  After the stations were finished, the teen counselors led indoor and outdoor activities and supervised free play.

By partnering with the Summer Food Program, we were also able to provide breakfast and lunch for our campers (and any child under the age of 18 that came in).  Not only was Conklin Summer Fun a great way to keep students engaged in reading and learning throughout the summer, it was also a way to make sure every child had access to healthy meals, proper supervision and summer fun!  We look forward to Conklin Summer Fun next summer!