Program News 2005
A Busy Summer for the Beacon Summer Camps
Good Shepherd Services' two Beacons - the Red Hook Community Center Beacon in Brooklyn, and the Beacon at MS 45 in the Bronx - recently completed their summer camp sessions, with both programs offering a wide variety of activities and outings.
In addition to the regular day camp, our Bronx Beacon also ran a special ‘PM camp' in the afternoons for 6-to-13 year-olds attending summer school, and all campers had the opportunity to travel all over the city and beyond. Regular local excursions included bowling, swimming at city pools, roller-skating and picnics at F.D.R. Park. Visits were also made to Coney Island - both the beach and the aquarium - Rye Playland, the Children's Museum, Central Park, Roc City Amusement Complex, and the New York Hall of Science. In-house, there were arts and dance classes, and tutors from Fordham University conducted writing/literacy workshops. Sports were also a big part of the summer, with campers playing informal games during free gymnasium time as well as participating in more structured athletic instruction, which culminated in a Summer Olympics tournament at the end of the camp session. Asked to comment on the experience at the end of the season, campers said that they really enjoyed the trips, and the opportunity to do so many different activities, and staff spoke of their pride in the program. "The Beacon program enabled children to have a safe and recreational summer," said one counselor, " I would go home after work and notice many children playing in the fire hydrants, unsupervised....I felt good knowing that I was a part of making sure our children were in a safe environment."
At Red Hook, artwork and dancing were organized around a time travel theme, with different groups picking different times and places, including the 60s (tye-dye and psychedelia), the 80s (graffiti) and the Harlem Renaissance (installation art & swing dance). Each Friday, the entire camp participated in Olympic relays and challenges, building the community as a whole by working in teams that changed weekly. There were also several exciting projects involving partnerships with local institutions, including a puppet performance of Moby Dick at Lincoln Center, and farming with Added Value. Finally, for the third year in a row, volunteers from the Architects Union once again came out to Coney Island to work with groups of campers building sand castles. Assisted by a volunteer architect, each small group created a vision of the castle they wanted to build, then developed and executed a plan to realize that vision. After the experience, a nine-year old camper, who is a veteran of all three Sand Castle Days, declared his intention to become an architect when he grows up.
September 1, 2005
