With a desire to inspire future generations, Edina Community Education Services (CES) has developed over 350 programs for youth in grades K–12.
“Kids are our future and we want to expose them to as many opportunities as possible,” marketing and communications specialist with ECE Josh Fremder says.
CES offers a variety of fun activities that stimulate learning, creativity and academic success. Fremder shares some new programs available this summer season.
Connecting Youth with Youth
In an initiative to connect high school students with the younger community, Edina clubs are providing camps for kids to explore their interests. Serving as a form of fundraising for the clubs, the programs are a source of recruitment and provide leadership opportunities for students. One such option is Hip Hop Dance Camp.
This award-winning urban street style Edina Hip Hop Dance Team is gaining traction with each move they make. Initially starting as a club in 2005, current head coach Ariel Enriquez notes that the team has since developed into a varsity competition team and a performance team to create an inclusive mesh of skillsets.
Hip Hop Dance Team captain Gillian Zeuli says, “dancing is an outlet for so many different people and to have a place to feel comfortable to dance how you want is what this team is all about.”
With a fair share of exposure from pep fests, community events and sports games, the team will expand its outreach further and host a weeklong camp for middle schoolers and clinics for elementary kids.
Getting Creative
Local crafters will share their skills with middle-grade kids in Makers’ Camp. From woodworking to sewing and even beadwork, kids will discover new outlets for creativity.
Alongside the Makers’ Camp will be a course called the Business Incubator that allows high school students to conceptualize their own business plans for their creations—through research, creation, marketing and finance—with the help of local entrepreneurs.
The Future is Bright
Post-secondary counselor and college & career center coordinator Bill Hicks helps students establish successful futures. Hicks developed two summer camps for the different stages of the college application process.
Hicks will work with Edina High School counselor Taylor Johnson, English teacher Sarah Jarrett and Midwest college admissions counselors to assist with applications and provide professional advice to 80 students in a College App Boot Camp. Focusing on application completion (essays and all), instructors will accentuate students’ academic abilities along with their personal attributes to make them stand out on paper.
Students (grades nine–11) can gain a sense of what they want in their college experience during a weeklong College Tour Camp. They will explore a variety of options from public to private institutions, small and large, in rural and urban settings.
Students will visit six colleges—St. Olaf College, Carleton College, The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, The University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Stout campuses, and Augsburg University—and have an opportunity to tour each campus, engage with admissions counselors and eat meals in dining halls.
For camp dates and enrollment information, visit Edina Community Education at edina.ce.eleyo.com.
