Project Connect

Logan Borgelt, Summer 2017

To give an overview of a day in the life of a UHP intern at Project Connect, we arrived at the camp site at 8 a.m. each morning to prepare the classrooms for the day’s activities. Camp officially began at 9 a.m. upon the arrival of students and was followed by “Moving in the Morning,” an intern-lead dance routine aimed towards bringing the children into a positive mindset and getting them energized. Federal breakfast was provided shortly after. The rest of the morning consisted of academic enrichments such as reading and math comprehension, as well as planned activities including dance, theater, and basic kitchen skills. At noon, the children were given lunch followed by recess, during which we ensured everyone was playing safely and even joined in on the kids’ games. The afternoon included activities outside the classroom such as Power of One (a karate lesson for the older boys at camp), Girl Scouts, Women Writing for a Change, Nature Next Door, a firehouse tour, swimming, bowling, movies, crafts, and more. At the end of the day, the children were given snacks and sent home on the bus. All day field trips were held once a week at various locations including the Cincinnati Zoo, King’s Island, The Beach Waterpark, P&G Science Fair, Coney Island, and a Cincinnati Reds game. Camp concluded with a culminating event, where families were invited to attend, and featured the dance and theatre skills the children learned throughout camp. The camp is broken down into three age groups: 5-7, 7-10, and 10-12. In each age group, interns work closely with a Cincinnati Public School teacher and varying numbers of teachers aides, depending on the age group. Before the summer began, each intern met with camp coordinators, who placed the interns into the age group they would prefer to be working with most throughout the day. I was placed in the 10-12 age group, and loved it. I was able to participate in athletic games throughout camp and go on the roller coasters and slides on the various field trips, while also feel like a big brother they could look up to. Each age group has its positives and negatives, but I felt like the camp coordinators did a great job at placing interns where their strengths could be maximized. This experience was not only fun, but rewarding. To see the smiles on the kids faces everyday was my favorite part of the summer, and I am going to miss every kid that was at camp.