AileyCamp Miami Enlightens At-Risk Students
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — The Adrienne Arsht Center is offering a summer program called AileyCamp Miami that teaches at-risk Miami-Dade students about art and life.
This year's six-week camp fielded 100 students, all of whom are preparing for their final performance Saturday night.
Manager of Education and Outreach Jiro Ontiveros says the program is funded both privately and publicly, adding that it is free to the students.
Says Ontiveros: "We take students that may have academic challenges, socioeconomic challenges or have problems at home. We give them a safe comfortable environment to stretch their minds and bodies."
Anthony Jackson, 12, attended Hialeah Gardens Middle School. He says he has learned affirmations that help him with his self-esteem. In fact, he recently helped a friend resolve a conflict. It is a skill organizers say students learn to use in their lives.
Camp Director Ethel Calhoun says the program gives children a way to express themselves.
"It's a way to channel their anger and frustration and make them feel good," says Calhoun.
"Colors", the group's final performance, will be held on Saturday, August 4th. The performance kicks off a three-month, countywide campaign called Light/The Holocaust and Humanity Project, which promotes diversity and the protection of human rights.
