Summer Camp in Northeast Denver Closes Out with Celebratory Talent Show
“The summer program at Manual High School has filled an essential need in the community,” says Erienne Masse, an educator in the Denver Public School District. “We provided engaging programming to 300 students and provided a safe haven for youth, at no cost to the community. The goal was to keep youth off the streets and in a safe, thriving environment that would foster student led community action.” Parents in the community showed up in droves, bringing in a full house about two hundred people. Everyone headed to the auditorium, where the students had a show set up. Natalie Green, one of the students, gave a brief introduction to service-learning and Going Green Living Bling showcased the video the students created about cooking health foods. Redline students and staff showed the mural that was made for a community garden. The students performed nine acts of singing and dancing, all great showcases of talent and hard work that went into planning! The final act was students from all three camps: Read to Achieve, Camp Hero, and YEZ. They did the Mexican Hokie Pokie together! It was a great show and the students were very proud of all accomplishments they made throughout the summer. For the past two years, community partners in Northeast Denver have been working to engage youth to create a revolutionary approach to increasing youth and community engagement and academic achievement, called the YEZ. The YEZ summer program was created to fill a need in Northeast Denver for a summer camp that provided activities for high school youth. Students worked with several organizations that offered programming of their specialization all providers were guided by the Earth Force six-step process. The celebration took place at Manual High School. |
