Campers at the Y Arts 2009 Summer Media Camp are getting hands-on experience with new high definition video technology thanks to a grant from the Detroit Free Press’ 17th annual Summer Dreams program.  Together with the Skillman Foundation, the Free Press raises money for summer camps “that give kids opportunities to experience and enjoy life in new and exciting ways.”  Y Arts put the award they received this year toward several high definition video cameras to create the camp’s main media project, a 30 minute pilot episode for a healthy choices-themed children’s show. Students aged 12 to 18 are filming the magazine-style show’s segments, all of which are conceptualized and produced entirely during the six week camping experience.

Y Arts is delivering the camp in partnership with the Macomb County Abstinence Partnership (MCAP) and the East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC). Each partner is delivering a complete curriculum to the camp, giving kids the tools to make healthy choices when confronted with drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity (MCAP’s portion), as well as a smart respect for our local environment and investigations into issues of environmental justice (EMEAC’s portion).  The kids use the information and knowledge gained from these groups as the subject matter of their video and other media, which they learn to produce from the Y Arts team of multimedia and visual artists.

You can read about the entire Summer Dreams program in this feature from the Detroit Free Press which outlines this and other camps it supports. Please consider giving to this incredible program, and if you have given already, please accept a sincere thank you from Y Arts, MCAP, EMEAC and the more than 50 children using the cameras this summer!