This article describes a community-based 4-H Cultural Arts Day Camp designed to address the out of school time needs of youth in a rural, isolated area. The camp was conducted in collaboration with several local agencies and the Oregon State University Extension Service, and is intended to provide intercultural awareness through the artistic exploration of various world cultures. An evaluation of the camp in 2003 concluded that participating youth were actively learning about other cultures. The camp clearly meets an important need, both in terms of raising intercultural awareness and providing much needed summer opportunities for rural youth

Arnold, Mary E

Brandt, Jeanne

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 43 Number 1 Article 20 2-1-2005 The 4-H Summer Cultural Arts Day Camp: Bringing The World to "My World" Jeanne Brandt Oregon State University, jeanne.brandt@oregonstate.edu Mary E. Arnold Oregon State University, mary.arnold@oregonstate.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Brandt, J., & Arnold, M. E. (2005). The 4-H Summer Cultural Arts Day Camp: Bringing The World to "My World". The Journal of Extension, 43(1), Article 20. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol43/iss1/20 This Ideas at Work is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesFebruary	2005	//	Volume	43	//	Number	1	//	Ideas	at	Work	//	1IAW30The	4-H	Summer	Cultural	Arts	Day	Camp:	Bringing	The	World	to"My	World"AbstractThis	article	describes	a	community-based	4-H	Cultural	Arts	Day	Camp	designed	to	address	theout	of	school	time	needs	of	youth	in	a	rural,	isolated	area.	The	camp	was	conducted	incollaboration	with	several	local	agencies	and	the	Oregon	State	University	Extension	Service,	andis	intended	to	provide	intercultural	awareness	through	the	artistic	exploration	of	various	worldcultures.	An	evaluation	of	the	camp	in	2003	concluded	that	participating	youth	were	activelylearning	about	other	cultures.	The	camp	clearly	meets	an	important	need,	both	in	terms	ofraising	intercultural	awareness	and	providing	much	needed	summer	opportunities	for	ruralyouth.	Oregon	State	UniversityAh,	summertime,	and	the	living	is	.	.	.	tough	.	.	.	at	least	for	youth	in	isolated	communities	andneighborhoods	of	western	Washington	County,	Oregon.	Families	in	this	area	have	few	affordable,accessible,	and	appropriate	activities	available	for	their	children	in	the	summer.	In	addition,	thearea	has	a	significant	Latino	population	and	a	higher	than	average	number	of	immigrant	families.Many	families	have	limited	resources,	and	there	are	few	public	transportation	options	available.My	World,	a	4-H	Summer	Cultural	Arts	day	camp	was	developed	in	an	effort	to	address	thesummertime	needs	of	youth	and	families	and	to	provide	educational	programming	to	increaseintercultural	understanding.	In	doing	so,	the	camp	provides	a	safe	and	engaging	place	for	youth	tospend	their	free	summer	time	and	also	contributes	to	the	development	of	cultural	competence	inyouth.	Helping	youth	use	time	constructively	and	developing	cultural	competence	are	two	keydevelopment	assets	identified	for	positive	youth	development	identified	by	the	Search	Institute(Benson,	1997).My	World	is	a	cooperative	effort	led	by	the	Extension	4-H	staff	and	numerous	supporters	andcooperators	that	enables	Washington	County	children	to	participate	in	worthwhile	summerprogramming	at	minimal	or	no-cost.	Participation	in	the	camp	reflects	the	economic	and	ethnicdemographics	of	the	area.	Over	the	past	5	summers,	hundreds	of	youth	have	participated.	In	2003,there	were	5	separate	summer	camp	settings	with	an	enrollment	of	around	135	children.Staffing	and	FundingBi-cultural/bi-lingual	staff	are	hired	through	Oregon	State	University's	PROMISE	program	(aminority	student	summer	internship)	and	the	Mexican	Consulate.	This	allows	the	camp	to	controlstaffing	costs	and	to	locate	staff	with	multi-cultural	experiences	and	languages.	A	program	directoris	hired	each	summer	and	is	responsible	for	overseeing	the	actual	day-to-day	management	of	thecamp	as	well	as	supervising	the	high-school	aged	staff	assistants.	The	director	also	works	withExtension	staff	to	determine	curriculum	for	each	of	the	camp	themes.Jeanne	BrandtExtension	Family	and	Community	Development	FacultyBeaverton,	Oregonjeanne.brandt@oregonstate.eduMary	E.	Arnold4-H	Youth	Development	SpecialistCorvallis,	Oregonmary.arnold@oregonstate.eduProgram	financial	support	comes	from	many	sources,	reaching	a	total	of	nearly	$65,000	for	thelast	3	years.	Supporters	include	the	Oregon	4-H	Foundation,	Washington	County	4-H	LeadersAssociation,	The	Juan	Young	Trust,	INTEL	Corporation,	The	Spirit	Mountain	Community	Fund,	OSUExtension	Administration	(PROMISE	salaries),	and	The	Portland	Trailblazers	Community	BuildersYouth	Corp.	The	grant	writing	process	by	Extension	staff	begins	early	in	the	year,	and	the	numberof	camp	settings	depends	on	the	total	amount	of	grants	received.In	addition	to	financial	contributions,	cooperation	and	in-kind	assistance	are	extensive.	All	spacesused	are	free	of	charge.	Family	Resources	Centers,	school	districts,	Boys	and	Girls	Clubs,	and	parksdistricts	supply	additional	staff	when	camps	are	located	at	their	facilities.Program	Plan	and	MethodHalf-day	camp	sessions	are	held	at	multiple	sites	for	2	weeks.	The	educational	goals	of	the	campare	to:Provide	a	positive,	supervised,	learning	environment	for	elementary	school	youth	duringsummer	vacation.Provide	children	living	in	communities	with	limited	resources	with	the	opportunity	toexperience	fun,	educational	activities	for	a	nominal	cost	or	free	of	charge.Provide	children	of	bi-lingual,	bi-cultural	families	with	the	opportunity	to	participate	inactivities	with	staff	and	supervisors	able	to	communicate	and	assist	them.Teach	community	children	about	traditional	4-H	projects,	a	variety	of	cultures,	technology,and	the	natural	environment	through	experiential,	hands-on	activities,	crafts,	foods,	andactive	games.		Sessions	take	place	at	local	elementary	schools	or	youth	service	centers,	allowing	local	childrenwithout	available	transportation	to	attend.	School	counselors	and	program	staff	help	recruit	thechildren	who	would	benefit	most	from	involvement.	The	camp	program	director	also	goes	tochurches,	apartments,	and	community	centers	where	parents	of	children	in	the	appropriate	agerange	are	located	so	that	she	can	introduce	herself,	share	information	about	the	camps	verbally,and	answer	any	questions	parents	might	have.Establishing	contact	and	a	relationship	with	families	in	this	way	has	greatly	enhanced	participationat	the	camps	by	children	whose	parents	have	limited	English	language	skills.	This	is	especiallyimportant	when	working	with	Latino	families	(Hobbs,	2001).The	camp	activities	are	designed	to	inform	participants	about	different	cultures	from	around	theworld.	Children	are	taught	that	each	culture	has	unique	aspects	that	can	be	shared	andappreciated	by	all.	Arts,	crafts,	games,	dances,	traditions,	and	foods	are	included.	Each	activity	isintroduced	with	background	information	regarding	the	history	and	application	in	its	native	countryor	ethnic	group.	American	culture	is	included	as	well.	Each	day	has	a	focus,	sometimes	a	continentor	country,	or	a	theme	common	to	multiple	cultures.	Activities	include:Creating	Japanese	Carp	Kites,	Gyotaku	(fish	prints),	African	rainsticks,	and	Huichol	Indian	yarnart	pictures.Learning	Ballet	Folkloric	and	Native	American	dances.Making	fry	bread	and	pi�atas.Participating	in	an	American	Independence	Day	parade,	watermelon	seed	spitting	contests,and	sack	races.Learning	to	do	sand	art	(rangoli,	mandalas),and	mask	carving.Exploring	the	"culture"	of	technology,	including	learning	to	use	laptop	computers	andperipherals	(microscopes,	printers,	disk	drives).Program	EvaluationIn	2003,	an	end	of	program	evaluation	was	conducted	to	assess	how	well	the	camp	participantsmet	the	learning	objectives	for	the	camp.	Because	of	the	age	of	the	campers,	and	in	some	casesthe	language	differences,	the	evaluation	was	conducted	through	an	embedded	assessment	of	acamp	activity	in	which	the	campers	were	asked	to	draw	a	picture	and	write	a	sentence	or	twoabout	what	they	learned	at	camp.	Two	program	sites	participated	in	the	evaluation,	28	3rd	and	4thgraders	at	the	first	site	and	18	2nd	to	5th	graders	at	the	other	site.	The	artwork	was	collected	andgiven	to	an	independent	evaluator	to	assess	how	well	the	campers'	art	and	statements	matchedthe	learning	objectives.	It	is	clear	from	the	analysis	of	the	pictures	that	participants	met	thelearning	objectives	for	the	camp.Specifically,	the	evaluations	revealed	that	the	children	learned	a	great	deal	about	the	customs	ofother	cultures	through	the	craft	activities	in	which	they	participated	(N=	26;	57%)	(Figure	1).	Inmany	cases	participants	explicitly	stated	the	connection	between	the	craft	they	made	and	thecustom	it	represented.	For	example,	one	participant	reported	that:	"On	Wednesday	we	made	worrydolls.	What	they	say	in	Guatemala	is	that	before	bed	you	tell	the	worry	doll	your	worries	and	in	themorning	your	worries	are	gone"Participants	also	reported	learning	about	other	cultures	through	technology,	such	as	microscopesdigital	cameras,	and	computer	programs	(N=	16;	33%);	29	of	the	participants	(60%)	prepared	theirevaluations	on	the	computer	with	a	program	called	"Kid	Pix"	(Figure	1).Finally,	14	(29%)	reported	learning	about	the	different	foods	from	different	countries	they	madeand	ate	(Figure	1).	"For	every	day	we	study	2	new	countries	and	we	eat	what	the	people	from	thecountry	eats.	We	ate	Sushi	and	Rice	Crackers!	It	was	so	fun!"Figure	1.Percent	of	Youth	Sharing	the	Ways	They	Learned	About	Other	CulturesSummaryThrough	the	My	World	camp	program,	hundreds	of	children	have	spent	their	summer	time	learningabout	other	cultures	in	a	safe,	supervised	summer	setting.	In	recognition	of	its	impact,	the	MyWorld	summer	day	camp	program	received	the	NAE4-HA	National	Diversity	Programming	Award	in2002.ReferencesBenson,	P.	L.	(1997).	All	kids	are	our	kids:	What	communities	must	do	to	raise	caring	andresponsible	children	and	adolescents.	San	Francisco:	Jossey-Bass.Hobbs,	B.	B.	(2001).	Diversifying	the	volunteer	base:	Latinos	and	volunteerism.	Journal	ofExtension,	39(4)	[On-Line].	Available	at:	http://www.joe.org/joe/2001august/a1.htmlCopyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	 may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

The 4-H Summer Cultural Arts Day Camp: Bringing The World to  My World

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The 4-H Summer Cultural Arts Day Camp: Bringing The World to My World

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