September 4, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Trinity College’s Gothic-style architecture and sweeping lawns may not mean much to the average young person in hardscrabble Hartford, Conn. But for more than 250 students each year, the 100-acre campus near downtown Hartford represents an oasis that encourages them to make big plans for their future.
Eleven years ago, the college started Dream Camp, one of several campus programs designed to provide educational opportunities to children from needy families. Students attend a five-week summer program during which they might learn how to swim or build robots in addition to taking classes in subjects such as math and reading.
Many participants return to campus several times a week during the school year to receive help with their homework and their applications to college.
Few Dream Camp participants have family members who have attended universities. But last year, all of the program’s graduates enrolled in college. Seventeen former campers returned this summer as volunteers.
Because participants continue in the program for as many as 10 years, they develop close ties with volunteers. They also work in small groups of three or four students.
“It can be fun to figure out the different students and what motivates them,” says Samantha Moorin, a Trinity student who volunteers with Dream Camp during the academic year. “In a less personal setting, a teacher or older person wouldn’t have the time to figure out what each individual student needs.”
Dream Camp relies on donations of about $660,000 per year. This spring, a Trinity alumna contributed money to develop a robotics curriculum for the camp. Here, two counselors introduce campers to some basic principles of robotics technology.
