Program takes place June 5-16, featuring tracks in business, medicine, robotics, coding and theatre & arts
GARY, Ind. — Indiana University Northwest, in partnership with the John Will Anderson Gary Boys & Girls Club, is preparing to host Kids College on the IU Northwest campus June 5-16. The program will run Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Kids College is a free, two-week camp designed to empower students, from historically underrepresented and low-income populations who qualify for free and reduced lunch, to prepare for college and career pathways using the Middle School Crew curriculum. It will connect students with IU Northwest faculty and staff, as well as with community partners, to engage in a variety of career fields and topics. Each student will participate in a track focused in:
- Business — Students will develop a start-up business that includes building a product or providing a service. Students will create a commercial, a logo and a webpage for their business and present their product or service to a panel of “Shark Tank” judges to decide which start-up will earn initial funding.
- Medical — Students will build and apply a prosthesis – a medical device attached to the body to support or align – to improve mobility for a living dog or cat.
- Robotics — Students will build and program robots that will be able to provide a service to others.
- Coding — Students will identify a problem in their community and develop a mobile app that can be used to help address the issue.
- Theatre & Arts — Students will build a sense of community and develop their love for theatre and the arts. Students will sing, dance and perform their production at the showcase event on the final day of camp.
In addition, all students will spend two days at the JWA Gary Boys & Girls Club to participate in Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy.
Kids College is currently funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Indiana Youth Programs on Campus. The purpose of the grant is to “help address Indiana’s unacceptably low rankings in the percentage of its adult population with a bachelor’s degree or a meaningful postsecondary credential and to help increase the higher education enrollment and success of traditionally underserved students, including students of color, first generation college students, and students from families with limited resources.”