Project Connect

Sean Bloor, Summer 2016

Project Connect is a Cincinnati Public Schools program whose goal is to advocate for and provide support to homeless students. Project Connect performs many services for homeless students and their families including providing school supplies, finding transportation to and from school, educating schools about the rights of homeless children, and providing a six-week summer academic and enrichment program, which acts as a summer camp for kids to attend. This camp was where I spent my time as an Urban Health Project intern.

The camp served 137 kids throughout the summer, averaging between 90-100 kids per day. The children are split into three groups by age: 5-7 year olds, 8-9 year olds, and 10-12 year olds. Kids are dropped off by bus to the camp at 9:00AM. They start the day with Moving in the Morning, a dance-exercise routine led by the Project Connect interns. After breakfast, the campers break into their groups for math and reading education. They work on their academics until noon. After a quick break for lunch and recess, students would then move on to their afternoon enrichment activities. This could include anything from field trips to the park, swimming, watching a movie, arts and crafts, or a large variety of other field trips and activities. Other field trips we took this year included Kings Island, The Beach, Coney Island, and the Cincinnati Zoo. After enrichment, the campers are given a snack and then leave camp at 3:30pm to board the buses.

My duties as a UHP intern were to assist the teachers, oversee campers throughout the day, and to be a role model for campers. I was assigned to the 5-7 year old age group during my internship and spent the majority of my time with that group. I started each morning at 8:00AM, preparing the classroom for the day’s activities. During academic time, I would run one of the academic stations, usually setting campers up for their math and reading quizzes. At recess, I would monitor the children and play games with them. During enrichment and field trips, I was responsible for overseeing small groups of campers and ensuring that they were having a positive experience. Additionally, me and the other UCCOM intern, Kevin, were responsible for providing a lesson to the three groups of students. We taught the campers about the importance of nutrition and exercise and what they could do to be healthier.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my camp experience. It was great to see the kids learn and grow throughout the summer and to get to know each one individually. By talking to the campers, I was able to learn a lot about their lives and the daily struggles that they endured as homeless children. It really opened my eyes to the problems this population deals with on a day-to-day basis. Now that my time at Project Connect is done, I know I will be better equipped to treat and work with the homeless population in the future as a physician.