Lerner S. - Kids who think outside the box (2005)(en)

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LEADER

Negotiator, Debater, Peacemaker

his section is for the future politician, international busi- Tness leader, foreign relations specialist, corporate head, community leader, and even president of a local rotary club.

Leadership is an outstanding quality. A strong and effective leader should have excellent negotiation skills and be an effective debater, someone who gets their point across and is a good communicator. In today’s world, peacemaking skills are also important for any leader. Resolving conflict is an art and a skill that can be fine tuned with training.

Presidential Classroom is a remarkable experience for a teenager. Located in Washington, DC, the program teaches the mechanics of American government. Students learn how to legislate, as they meet with members of congress and legislative officials and witness the process in action. Through direct experience and seminars, this program teaches future leaders the arts of negotiation, debating, and peacemaking, as well as other subjects essential to leadership.

The National Debate Institute offers a program dedicated to the art of debate. It is effective in teaching future leaders to think on their feet, in giving them the confidence to speak in front of a group, and in showing them how to get their points across successfully.

JUNIOR STATESMAN SUMMER SCHOOL Government and politics camp

Preeta Nayak, Director Junior Statesman Foundation 400 South El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94402

[phone]

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QUICK TAKE: This camp focuses on all parts of the government. It helps kids hone their leadership skills, gain an awareness of politics, and develop their speaking skills. The camp is intense, but your kid can leave with high school credit because a few AP and Honors classes are included in the program.

AGE REQUIREMENT: 14–18

FEES: The Boarding program is $3,300, but financial aid is available.

DATE: 27 days from June to July

SPONSORSHIP/OWNERSHIP/ACCREDITATION: Stanford Uni-

versity

BACKGROUND: The Junior Statesman Program is held at a number of colleges, including Georgetown University in DC and Princeton University in New Jersey. The program has been active for sixty years and provides kids with an appreciation of American government, along with leadership skills needed to contribute to society.

DESCRIPTION: The curriculum is tough: classes six days a week, with AP classes in American government, economics, and comparative government. Classes are taught by professors of government, and guest speakers provide other points of view and enhance the discussion. The camp provides recreational activities, including dances for the students on weekends.

OURTAKE: An amazing opportunity for any student with an interest in leadership and in learning more about our government. This is an excellent opportunity for the student who is up to the challenge.

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OUR RECOMMENDATION: There are many excellent colleges with this program, so there’s a good chance of finding one near you.

NATIONAL DEBATE INSTITUTE Debate camp

Robert Thomas, Associate Director California National Debate Institute Education Unlimited

1700 Shattuck Avenue #205 Berkeley, CA

[phone] www.educationunlimited.com

QUICK TAKE: This program is really dedicated to the improvement and development of debating skills among young adults. If your kid has an interest in law or business, this is an excellent way to learn that skill. Two simultaneous programs run over the summer, one in California at Berkeley and another on the campus of the University of Maryland. Students who attend are serious about competing in debate and are there to prepare for various national competitions,

AGE REQUIREMENT: 14–18

SPONSORSHIP/OWNERSHIP/ACCREDITATION: Public Speaking

Institute

DATES: Two sessions per year, which last 14 to 18 days

FEES: Application fee, $85. University of Maryland program, $2,300; Berkeley program, $950/week. Financial aid is available.

BACKGROUND: The Public Speaking Institute began this academic program in 1995 to provide students with a greater understanding of the fundamentals of public speaking and

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communication skills. The Public Speaking Institute holds camps of this nature in several excellent colleges such as Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, where it is called the California National Debate Institute, and at the University of Maryland in College Park under the name of the National Debate Institute.

DESCRIPTION: The program is for successful students (GPA above 3.0) with a desire to understand and improve their competitive debate skills. Students will live in college housing and experience the competitive atmosphere at this higher level of learning. The topics range from ecology and politics to philosophy and government.

OUR TAKE: Although this is a great program for the child considering competitive debating or a career in law or business, every child will benefit from learning these skills. If a kid is committed to overcoming shyness, this program might be the answer, but note that these debate devotees take it very seriously. Most professionals require strong speaking skills and the ability to speak effectively in front of large groups. This program is an excellent way to hone the skills necessary to craft a debating position and develop more fluid speech.

OUR RECOMMENDATION: The camp will definitely be a positive on college applications, but, more importantly, it will test children’s thinking skills as well as their abilities as debaters. It can be a very positive experience for the prepared student.

PRESIDENTIAL CLASSROOM

Jann Hoag, Vice President of Programs 119 Oronoco Street

Alexandria, VA 22314-2015 [phone] [e-mail]

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QUICK TAKE: This program is for students interested in the mechanics of American government. Presidential Classroom provides the exemplary student with the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, DC, with more access to government institutions than is usually afforded.

AGE REQUIREMENT: The student must be a high school junior or a senior, with either a B average or a ranking in the top 25% of his/her class. One-week programs are offered from January to March and in June and July.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROGRAM: Presidential Classroom is

based on a series of educational initiatives implemented by leaders in Washington, DC, who were interested in challenging American youth. President John F. Kennedy initiated the first programs in the two series: “Widening Horizons” and the “White House Seminars.” Vice President Hubert Humphrey followed with “Washington Briefings.” The success of the programs and the increasing number of young people who wished to be involved led to the charter of the Presidential Classroom in 1968. Students are housed at Georgetown University, where they meet in the Conference Center. Seminars are held in notable government institutions all over our Nation’s Capitol.

DESCRIPTION: The program’s motto is “Not Your Typical Week in Washington,” and through its well-established relationships with different parts of the Federal government, the Presidential Classroom ensures the week will be anything but typical. Students visit the House and Senate floors and various embassies, receive a CIA briefing, and gain access to the State Department. Locations vary according to which program is chosen. The original scholars’ program has been augmented with at least six special seminars that concentrate on specific topics (such as national security, science/technology, and pub-

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lic policy) that explore the relationship of these subjects to government policy. Not just an all-access tour of our nation’s capital, but a gathering of leaders among students from all around the country, Presidential Classroom allows for a significant amount of peer exchange within a formidable setting.

OUR TAKE: Presidential Classroom is an exceptional way of bringing the study of government to life. Apart from the visits to government offices and institutions, students participate in a mock presidential election and debate domestic and international issues. These forms of peer exchange, in addition to the many private conversations among students, encourage the development of self-confidence, esteem, and communication skills. Another impressive feature of Presidential Classroom—one that has a profound effect on the kids—is the appointment set up between the students and their member of congress. There is no better way for a student to understand that our government is operated “by the People” and “for the People.”

OUR RECOMMENDATION: This program is exceptional for the following reasons: peer exchange; student participation in debates, lectures, and programs that are designed to illustrate and give students a “hands-on” feeling for the way government works; personal interaction with government officials, and visits to the formidable offices and buildings of our nation’s capital. It teaches students negotiation “first-hand” by a free and equal exchange of ideas through mock summits. Presidential Classroom is the best way to give a kid a sense of what “national leadership” entails. The downside is that the programs only last one week.

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NATURALIST

Outdoor Adventurer, Explorer

earning to master the environment requires cooperation, Lphysical ability, discipline, and knowledge. The programs included in this section teach the skills essential to survival. These courses test kids to the limit, and children are expected to push themselves and perform.

NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership Skills), one of the country’s most respected programs, is located at the site where NASA trains its astronauts. Ocean Classroom is a program that teaches kids how to live on the ocean and operate a boat, at the same time as students complete the equivalent of a semester in high school.

In outdoor programs, kids are taught to work as a group and rely on one another. At the same time they learn respect, camaraderie, friendship, and an appreciation for the environment. Such programs help children gain maturity, but it takes a certain type of child to do well.

EARTHWATCH INSTITUTE

Ecology, Archeology, Zoology, World Health Programs

John Walker, Principal

3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100 Maynard, MA 01754

[phone] ext. 218 or [phone] [e-mail] www.earthwatch.org

QUICK TAKE: With 3,500 members volunteering their time and skills to work with 120 research scientists each year on field projects in more than 50 countries, Earthwatch Institute is an

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intense educational program that seeks to promote an understanding of the actions necessary to sustain the natural environment. Conversation, research, and education about the world we live in and the effect of the environment on our daily lives is researched and explored.

AGE REQUIREMENT: Volunteers must be at least 16 years old for most programs; a few expeditions require volunteers to be at least 18 or 21 years old. Participation by minors (ages 16 and 17) is usually limited to two per team to help manage group dynamics on research expeditions.

FEES: $700 to $4,000 per person, excluding travel to and from the rendezvous. The price of each project covers food, accommodations, on-site travel, and all costs of field research (field permits, equipment, etc.). There are student grants and fellowships are available for advanced students who are nominated.

BACKGROUND: The Earthwatch Institute is an international not-for-profit organization founded in Boston, with offices in Oxford, England; Melbourne, Australia; and Tokyo, Japan. There are 50,000 members and supporters throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

DESCRIPTION: The Earthwatch Institute has a variety of field research and educational opportunities in the United States and abroad. These expeditions allow your teenager to work hands-on with a scientist in the field and gain valuable firsthand knowledge about techniques in data collection, awareness of environmental issues, exploration of new cultures and environments, and many personal growth topics. According to its Web site, Earthwatch expeditions are ongoing research projects confronting critical, current issues, run by qualified and respected members of the scientific community. Earthwatch expeditions are short-term volunteer opportunities

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directly assisting scientists in their field research. Most projects last 10 to 14 days, but one-week, three-week, and weekend opportunities are also available. The researchers come from all over the globe. The Web page includes quotations from past students that give a good idea of the quality and intensity of the Earthwatch experience: http://www.earthwatch

.org/education/student/scap/student_quotes.html.

OUR TAKE: With forays into the science of discovery and objective knowledge about the environment, this program and experience has the potential to be life changing.

OUR RECOMMENDATION: This is a terrific way to enhance the personal growth process by increasing self-confidence, environmental awareness, a sense of community, and a sense of self. The students should be mature, team players, and willing to immerse themselves in the program. A strong experience for the right kid.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SEMINAR YOUTH INSTITUTE

Environmental camp

Brooks McKinney, Director Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY 14456

[phone] [e-mail] www.hws.edu/aca/enviro/

QUICKTAKE: A camp for kids who love research and are eager to understand more about the environment. College professors conduct the program, and the students receive all the tools necessary to perform research in the Seneca Lake area. Col-

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lege credit is offered to those who successfully complete the camp.

AGE REQUIREMENT: 16–18

DATE: Two weeks in July

FEES: Application fee, $25; boarding program, $1,700. Financial aid is available.

SPONSORSHIP/OWNERSHIP/ACCREDITATION: Hobart and William

Smith Colleges

BACKGROUND: The program was founded in 1993 by a group of professors focused on environmental issues.

DESCRIPTION: Students work in the field, on the lake, or in laboratories conducting research on the area. An oceanographic vessel (the HWS Explorer) is used to explore Seneca Lake and nearby nature preserves. Experiment stations also add to the experience. Seminars are taught on subjects that range from environmental policy and politics to nature photography and literature related to the environment. All classes are taught by college professors. The program also offers camping trips to the Adirondack Mountains for additional research opportunities.

OUR TAKE ON THE PROGRAM: A really special experience for those with an interest in the environment. The curriculum is difficult, but rewarding.

OUR RECOMMENDATION: This camp, which really focuses on all aspects of the environment, is a great opportunity for any high school student who has an interest in the natural environment. Transportation to the campus can be arranged from airports in Rochester, Syracuse, and Ithaca, New York ($50 each way).