A relay race involving 250 youth, mostly from Hartford, capped off a week of Summer Survivor– something like color wars, but with an attempt to de-emphasize competition. This marked the second-to-last day of the five-week Dream Camp.
For the adults, asthma was the biggest concern on Thursday for those attending Dream Camp at Trinity College. A nurse followed the action closely, with any possible health issue getting a mention over the walkie talkies.
For the youth, the concern was always when it would be their turn to go, to run, to swim, to carry an egg in a spoon across a field.
Children are split up by age into a Day Camp for the younger ones and Sports Camp for the older. During the several weeks of camp, youth are given, among other things, swimming lessons, SAT prep for the older kids, healthy family-style breakfasts and lunches, and a chance to run almost-amok on a college campus.
The ESF Dream Camp Foundation has two locations —
Hartford and Philadelphia — and is one of the ESF (Education, Sports, and Fun) programs. ESF says that this initiative is a “commitment to educational and recreational programs for youth to children living in two of the nation’s most violent and impoverished cities.”
Dream Camp at Trinity began in 1998. Its program director Matt Proffitt says that each year approximately 90% of youth return. They don’t advertise.
Transportation is provided at no fee to families. The meals are covered. Tuition is covered.
With word of mouth among families, there is always a waiting list.
Older teens can participate in the Youth Leaders Program and Mentors in Training Program. A report card for this program states that 100% of the Dream Camp’s high school graduates in 2012 were headed to college.
None of those things were on the children’s minds on Thursday. They wanted to know when it would be their turn to do jumping jacks, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or take whatever step necessary to advance their team.
Who won? It doesn’t much matter. After the customary etiquette of high-fiving (or in some cases, hugging) opposing team members, the next stop was the cafeteria.
