Youth Empowerment Project and C.A.T.C.H. Camp
YEP (Youth Empowerment Project)
As a part of Muskegon's Community enCompass program initiatives, YEP (Youth Empowerment Project) provides civic learning and engagement resources to youth who become role models for younger youth in core city elementary schools. The program partners with community members to provide paid internships, weekly leadership development classes, college preparation, and civic volunteerism. YEPs then model and pass on what they learn by becoming academic coaches (paid internships) for younger youth in core city elementary schools. Additionally, YEP students are role models that lead and mentor younger youth as camp counselors for C.A.T.C.H. Camp (Community Acting Towards Children's Health) in the McLaughlin neighborhood in Muskegon. This camp is a free, 4-week commuter camp for children in grades K-6.
C.A.T.C.H. Camp (Community Acting Toward Children's Health)
C.A.T.C.H. camp teaches students core values: Respect, Excellent Attitude, Dependability, and Safety to local elementary youth in Muskegon. Children living in the inner city see and deal with trauma on a consistent basis, so C.A.T.C.H. Camp is the place where a kid can be a kid. This year, eight YEP (high school students) were camp leaders and 6 middle school students assisted the YEP team. The high school YEP group participated in a full day of training and learned how to engage with students, how to promote positive attitudes, how to chart incidents, how to encourage good behavior, and how negative behavior can be an opportunity to show children a better way to handle problems. You can see more about C.A.T.C.H. Camp by visiting Community enCompass here.
Career Awareness and Exploration for C.A.T.C.H. Campers and YEP Counselors
Campers and YEP Counselors were able to explore career options by discovering the possibility of a career in Engineering. Campers participated in activities from Family Engineering kits and viewed career pathway videos that were developed for this camp. Videos were created by Grand Valley State University Engineering Students that described their interests and engineering careers.
Students also viewed At Home Engineering Experiments videos provided by the Society of Women of Engineers at Grand Valley State University.
Grand Valley State University College of Engineering Student Career Pathway Videos
Jenna Stolzman, Mechanical Engineer Student
Kayla Lett, Product Design and Manufacturing Engineer Student
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Genevieve Wisby, Mechanical Engineer Student
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Grand Valley State University College of Engineering Society of Women Engineers
At Home Paper Bridge Experiment
Kayla Lett, a GVSU Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering student, and a part of the Society of Women Engineers and the University Innovation Fellows, discusses paper bridges, surface area, tension, and structure.
At Home Laminar Flow Experiment
The Laminar Flow Experiment was done by the Grand Valley State University College of Engineering student, Kaera Anderson, a senior biomedical engineer and member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Electrical Tackle Box
Karmyn VonEhr, an electrical engineer and member of the Society of Women Engineers, discusses her 'electrical tackle box,' electrical engineering, and opportunities she's had at GVSU and in the Society of Women Engineers.