The Galilee Community Development Corporation summer academy is almost over. It’s been weeks of learning and fun, but most importantly, it’s been a safe summer haven for kids to learn about their history and grow.” How do we keep this from happening again? Not just to us , but for others in our community,” said Dr. Eric Johnson, Senior Pastor of Greater Galilee. Recently, the campers visited the Roots 101 African American Heritage Museum. This is just one of several field trips they have taken this summer.” They have gone to the Cincinnati National Underground Museum. They have met a cousin of Frederick Douglass. They they’ve gone to Kurst Beach. They’ve gone to Huber Farm,” Johnson said. Johnson oversees the summer camp and says they started it to empower the community. “We saw a lot of negativity in our community in terms of family structure, education, economics, and so we decided to do something about it,” Johnson said. Camper Natalie says she learned a lot in her first year at camp, like when they traveled to Cincinnati and learned about the Underground Railroad. “It was a part of our history and we need to know about our history,” she said. Natalie. Most camp counselors are college students. Johnson says this is his way of not only helping local students go back to school with a little money in their pockets, but he wants students to see young adults who are furthering their education.” They begin believe in who they are. They understand that they are not limited. They are not a liability. They don’t have to stay stuck in certain situations economically, sociologically … they come here and the thing they try to do the most is to give them hope and to give them vision, not only to have my vision, but to give them that you can have my vision,” Johnson said. Through the community development corporation and local partnerships, they work to make sure it’s affordable. No family pays more than $70 per camper each week, with three meals included. “We make sure that if any of them are in a food desert situation, they can take food home through backpacks,” Johnson said. Johnson says the hope is that the experiences the camp offers will open their minds and show them that anything is possible.
The Galilee Community Development Corporation summer academy is almost over. It’s been weeks of learning and fun, but most importantly, it’s been a safe summer haven for kids to learn about their history and grow.
“They can actually see that this is not something we’re reading about. This actually happened. How do we keep this from happening again? Not just to us, but to others in our community,” said Dr. Eric Johnson, Senior Pastor. of Greater Galilee.
Most recently, the campers visited the Roots 101 African American Heritage Museum. This is just one of several field trips they have taken this summer.
“They’ve gone to the Cincinnati National Underground Museum. They’ve met a cousin of Frederick Douglass. They’ve gone to Kurst Beach. They’ve gone to the Huber Farm,” Johnson said.
Johnson oversees the summer camp and says they started it to empower the community.
“We saw a lot of negativity in our community in terms of family structure, education, economics, and so we decided to do something about it,” Johnson said.
Camper Natalie says she learned a lot in her first year at camp, like when they traveled to Cincinnati and learned about the Underground Railroad.
“It was a part of our history and we need to know about our history,” Natalie said.
Most camp counselors are college students. Johnson says this is his way of not only helping local students go back to school with a little money in their pocket, but he wants students to see young adults who are furthering their education.
“They start to believe in who they are. They realize that they’re not limited. They’re not an obligation. They don’t have to stay stuck in certain situations economically, sociologically … they come here and the thing they’re trying to do .the majority is to give them hope and to give them vision, not only to have my vision, but to give them that you can have my vision,” Johnson said.
Through the community development corporation and local partnerships, they work to make sure it’s affordable. No family pays more than $70 per camper each week, with three meals included.
“We make sure that if any of them are in a food desert situation, they can take food home with them through backpacks,” Johnson said.
Johnson says his hope is that the experiences the camp offers will open their minds and show them that anything is possible.
