We partner with local schools, community centers, and other youth organizations to provide eight weeks of mentor-led summer-long camps for children ages 5-13, meeting once per week at 8-10 locations in underserved Urban areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Our Curriculum
Programs are mentor-led, follow lesson plans developed by an Urban educator expert, and align with the MN Department of Education Social Emotional Implementation Guidelines. Lesson plans and activities center around our core mission:
1) Healthy Meals – children receive healthy snacks of whole grains, fruit, and protein and have opportunities to take food home.
2) Healthy Activity – physical activity combined with life skill building provides a unique and engaging approach to academic and social-emotional learning and promotes positive social interaction with peers and adults.
3) Healthy Relationships – we maintain a 2:1 child-to-mentor ratio to ensure each child feels seen and heard. Healthy adult relationships profoundly impact a child’s development, providing support, inspiration, and the necessary skills to navigate life’s challenges and foster a brighter, more promising future for children, especially in underserved communities. We use mentor relationships to ignite children’s dreams and potential, fueling lasting optimism about the future and inspiring them to flourish as teens and adults.
Why It Matters
Children participating in our summer-long camps develop the skills they need to become responsible and resourceful individuals and prepare for the upcoming academic year. These skills are:
Positive Identity – the development of self-confidence and emotional intelligence
Positive Behaviors– learn and exhibit self-management, impulse control, stress management, and perseverance necessary to behave responsibly and positively.Positive Connections – develop healthy and rewarding relationships with peers and adults
Positive Experience – time spent with their mentor to be heard and hear words of encouragement