Twenty girls from grades first through fifth experienced Girls Inc. Indy’s Fall Break Camp. Camp lasted for two weeks and participants delved into several programs including career exploration, econ and media literacy.
During career exploration campers collaborated with a marine biologist, created vision boards of what they want in their future and created presentation posters on careers they are interested in pursuing. “We had girls interested in a wide range of careers, from orthodontist to fashion designer,” EmpowerHub Coordinator Kara Riley said.
Other activities included Economic Literacy where campers learned about building self-reliance. “This program helps girls realize their own potential and help them realize they are responsible for their own financial well-being,” shared Kara. “Campers decorated their own piggy bank to help make that connection between saving and spending money.”
Other activities included working with volunteers from VMS Biomarketing on two STEM-based activities. “For one activity, the campers learned about different insects and their body parts. They then created edible insects using licorice, raisins and toothpicks. The second STEM activity included learning binary code. They created bracelets with their names in binary,” Kara said.
Along with field trips to Waterman’s Family Farm and Conner Prairie, students learned about he importance of giving back to those who are in need. “We created bags with items for people experiencing homelessness. The bags included items like socks, Chapstick, water, toothbrush and a note from the girl,” Kara shared. “One of the areas that we learned about what econ literacy, so it was important to teach them about volunteering, giving back and participating in philanthropy. We can always share our resources with other people,” Kara said.
According to Kara, camp was a huge success. “We did lots of team building exercises, visualizing our futures and celebrating each other. There were so many great experiences for everyone.”