Summer camp's goal is to empower parents, groom future leaders

Shaking can be felt from the basement. Pounding becomes audible in the hallway. From the moment the door opens, energetic yelling can be heard throughout the Family Resource Center.

It's 9 a.m., or "harambee" time. Thirty day camp students gather in an old sanctuary, clapping, jumping and spinning. As "I believe I can" blares over speakers, the children step to a choreographed routine. Junior leaders dance through the crowd, giving high-fives and hugs. As the morning meeting continues, everything from a request to sit down ("Take a seat, take a seat, take a load off your feet") to notifications ("ANN-OU-CEM-ENTS. Announcements! Announcements!") is yelled in sing-song.

The half-hour harambee, which means "let's pull together" in Swahili, symbolizes everything director Denise Lincoln has envisioned for the center.

"To see the place pumping like this has been the vision all along. It's an important affirmation that it seems things are on track," Lincoln said.

About six months ago, the center was at risk of closure. Board members had just discovered the center might need a child-care license to operate its after-school program, which serves mainly minority, low-income children in South Cape.

The community rallied around the center, helping make expensive improvements to put the center in compliance. Reinspection could occur next month.

For staff, the energy of the summer camp serves as a reminder of how much they have accomplished. Their goal is to empower parents to take responsibility for their own children and to groom future leaders from within South Cape.

This year camp featured a new aspect: mandatory parental involvement.

"We talk about building strong families and taking a stand in the community," said Malissa Beecham, leader of the summer camp.

In weekly evening sessions, parents met at the camp to form a support group, learning how to access resources and sharing parenting tips. Twenty-six parents out of 27 families participated in at least one of the sessions.

"We have got to train leaders in this community," Lincoln said.

This year "junior leaders," former after-school program participants, assist staff. With one exception, all the staff is black.

"These kids don't see that" in public school, Lincoln said. It is important students see role models like them and realize the impact they can make themselves, she said.

Khadijah Miller said she was "having a lot of trouble in school," but the center's after-school tutoring program helped bring up her grades. She decided to become a junior leader to give back.

Beecham will graduate in December from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in elementary education. She is credited with implementing harambee, creating a sense of community and putting an emphasis on service this summer.

The oldest group of summer camp participants were responsible for developing a service project. They chose to implement a recycling program at the center as well as arrange times to visit with senior citizens.

Camp is designed to be fun, but nearly every activity centers on academics. Preventing the "summer slump" is at the forefront of every staff member's daily curriculum.

Every day students have DEAR time, which stands for Drop Everything And Read. During shared reading, community members are invited to the camp to read a story. Students are taken on field trips once a week to expose them to cultural experiences.

"We have a lot of fun. We had a sock hop, do art, music. During harambee you jump and yell, but when they say stop, you got to. We play outside and have some fun," said Destiny Scott, who will be entering second grade this month.

Seven-year-old Christian Campbell's favorite time is computers, while KaVandre Moore, 12, likes playing pool.

"This year is more structured and a lot more hands-on," said Pat King, a staff member.

Camp at the Family Resource Center began June 30 and ends today. Lincoln will soon be stepping down to have time to travel with her husband. A new director has not officially been named.

A showcase performance was given Wednesday night to highlight the summer's activities. Children sang and danced to a packed house.

"My kids love getting up in the morning and coming, and they don't want to leave," parent Heidi McIntosh said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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