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Camp Power, Good Life: believing in DeKalb’s youth

June 4, 2015

Camp PowerUniversity Village is home to around 300 school-age youth.

Historically, during the summer months, this neighborhood sees a pattern of elevated youth crimes in response to identified issues of child hunger and an absence of nearby structured activities.

Responding to this trend, Camp Power and the Good Life Academy will collaborate for the second summer in creating programs for children and families living in the University Village housing development.

Camp Power is a multi-dimensional wellness program that offers daily nutritious lunch service, structured physical activities, nutrition education, mentoring, life skills training, family engagement activities, employment opportunities to parents, weekly field trips, exposure to a range of community resources and daily interaction with local police officers.

Good Life Academy is a year-round academic program that also creates summer enrichment curricula including, but not limited to, reading, math, science, foreign language, music, art and character development/life skills training.

These programs strive to empower a high-risk, underserved population to take charge of their health and well-being, to influence positive youth development by decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors, and to promote self-sufficiency and foster independence through a collaborative support network.

Camp Power and Good Life are set to run Monday through Thursday from June 22 through Aug. 13. Volunteers are needed each week to interact with and empower University Village youth residents through tutoring, recreation assistance, field trip assistance and nutritional education.

Volunteer information and sign-up opportunities for Camp Power and Good Life are available online. For more information, email Katie Birkey at kbirkey2@niu.edu.

Camp Power is generously supported by the Roberts Family Foundation, 100+ Women Who Care of the DeKalb/Sycamore area, the DeKalb County Community Foundation, Youth Engaged in Philanthropy, Tri-County Endowment, University Village, the Kishwaukee Family YMCA, Kish Health System, the Ben Gordon Center, Live Healthy DeKalb County, the DeKalb Police Department, the Voluntary Action Center and NIU.