UMaine camp to encourage youngsters to try new things

ORONO – The National Youth Sports Program will hold its 12th annual six-week summer camp at the University of Maine, which will enable children ages 10 to 16 to attend the camp free of charge.

Stephen Butterfield, project administrator, said that campers will swim nearly every day. During the camp, traditional competitive sports such as softball, soccer and basketball will be supplemented by introductions to less well-known athletic activities, offered to encourage youngsters to try new options.

“We don’t focus on intense competition,” Butterfield said. “We reward and recognize teamwork, sportsmanship and mutual respect. We do all that we can to promote positive interaction. A child should be able to try without fear of doing poorly or letting down teammates. The idea is to try out and discover a talent you may not know you had.”

Butterfield said that health education is a part of all activities. Pupils learn about nutrition by cooking.

“They make their own food,” Butterfield said. “The focus is on low-cost, high-nutrition, healthy kinds of food. While they learn to make good choices, they learn real skills.”

A similar approach makes the math and science component of the camp fun for campers.

“They don’t sit around and listen to lectures,” Butterfield said. “They make and test things.”

Most campers will be members of families that qualify under Maine Department of Human Services income guidelines, but some children from higher-income families are usually accepted.

Butterfield said the camp can have positive benefits for youngsters who may have fallen in a rut or gained a negative reputation in their home communities.

“No one knows who they are here,” he said. “They can be who they want to be. They have the chance to discover new strengths and abilities.”

Because the camp takes place on a college campus, Butterfield believes that it has a special potential to raise aspirations of children who have no college graduates in their families or communities – children who otherwise might not be able to envision higher education in their futures.

“They see being here as not intimidating,” Butterfield said. “They’re using classrooms and labs. They’re out on the playing fields. They’re eating in the dining commons.”

Camper aspirations toward higher education and careers are encouraged through the use of positive human resources. People who work in a variety of career fields are invited to talk to campers about their jobs and the choices they made to achieve their goals. Counselors, current University of Maine students and recent graduates serve as role models.

Ellen Gelinas, a December 2003 graduate of UMaine, was a role model last summer.

“They really improved in their sports skills levels,” she said of the youngsters she worked with. “Their swimming improved. They gained a lot of confidence. They made friends with kids they otherwise would not have met, kids from other towns. They met kids whose lives are different from theirs – kids who have a father and mother learned what it is like for kids from one-parent families.”

Thanks to cooperation between the university, the community and the U.S. government, each child accepted into the program will receive an experience valued at $1,000. Campers are transported by bus from central pickup points in their hometowns. Breakfast and lunch are provided on-site. Each child will undergo a comprehensive physical examination before opening day.

Acceptance into the program is on a first-come, first-served basis.

To learn more about the camp, call 581-2466, or e-mail diane.legrande@umit.maine.edu.