PULLMAN, Wash. — It may seem like a hodgepodge of activities, but in this week’s WSU-Coeur D’Alene Tribe STEM, Leadership, and Sports Camp, it’s at least a hodgepodge of awesomeness.
“The kids have so much fun doing a wide variety of activities,” camp co-organizer Paula Groves Price said. “It’s the highlight of the summer for many of them.” It’ll be the 10th year of the camp June 8-13, which is also organized by the College of Education’s Cedric Price.
The camp is designed for 13-17 year olds from the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. Its aim is to develop leadership skills, resiliency, and strengthen academic skills. The activities range from soccer and basketball drills, to workshops about soil, erosion, and farming. There will also be activities dealing with indigenous names, poetic inquiry.
In order to make all this work, the organizers will team up with other colleges, such as CAHNRS, to make sure the kids are taught by experts in the various fields. Groves Price said while the kids have fun during the event, but there’s a long-term investment being made. “The camp offers students a chance to experience college life, then reflect upon and prepare to meet their goals for the future,” she said.
Native identity One of the biggest ways the children can set future decisions is to learn true identity and potential by debunking stereotypes and social constructs. This year’s camp will have a focus similar to the “I Too Am Harvard” campaign. That video and photo project aimed to debunk stereotypes of African American students at Harvard University.
For Groves Price, this year will be attempting to debunk stereotypes of the Native American identity and science relationship. “One of the sessions I’ll be doing will include discussion about how native ancestors used science all the time, but it wasn’t labeled as such, so many don’t realize that part of the Native American identity is inherently that of a scientist” Groves Price said. “Conservation… green movements… none of this is new to native people.”
More info can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSUCDASummerCamp/. For more information, contact Paula Groves Price or Cedric Price