The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

COMPUTER TRAINING CAMPS LET YOUTHS LOG ON TO THE FUTURE
`I LEARNED THINGS I HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT'

A dream came true this summer for a 17-year-old who'd struggled to cope with a learning disability diagnosed when he was a first-grader.

He built a computer.

Ryan Bell was among 150 youths who attended computer camps offered by technology educator Business Advisors of North America. He wrote an essay about the experience and told his story.

He struggled to learn to read. He struggled to learn to speak properly. He struggled with how that felt - he would be in speech therapy class while his classmates were at recess. Bell, who will be a senior at Houston High School this fall, overcame much of his disability and fell in love with computers. He read computer magazines "cover to cover" and began saving money to buy computer parts. He wanted to build a computer. Then he heard about the computer camps Business Advisors planned.

This summer marked the first time Business Advisors, with an office at 2506 Mt. Moriah in Southeast Memphis, has trained youths outside a correctional atmosphere. The company usually trains teenagers at juvenile jail facilities. It also trains adults who are preparing for computer repair certification.

But about a year ago, Jacquelyn Thomas, senior adviser at Business Advisors, was challenged. Someone suggested she help give youths an alternative to bad behavior before they end up in jail. She also wanted to provide computers to youths whose families might not be able to afford one.

The computer camp idea was born. Youths learned how to put together a computer, fix a computer and work on a computer. Then they took home their computers.

The final two-week camp ended last week, and campers attended an awards ceremony Friday at World Overcomers Church, among organizations and businesses that donated money and products to Business Advisors for the camps. About 35 percent of the campers received financial aid to attend the $475-per-student sessions, Thomas said.

Instead of just giving youths computers, officials with Business Advisors elected to teach them basic skills to fix the computers so the machines could be working in the homes for years to come. Students also practiced math and writing skills on the computers during camp.

"It has been everything I could have ever wanted," Bell wrote in his essay. "I learned things I had never thought about. I learned what it sounds like when a hard drive is dumped into water, dried out and repaired. I also learned how to troubleshoot funny noises that the hard drive could make. With the camp I attended, I am prepared to go on to college and continue my dreams."

- Toni Lepeska: 529-2526

The Commercial Appeal

TECH CAMPS SPREAD AFIELD

What started as two-week computer camps for a handful of Memphis-area youngsters has evolved into a collection of programming technology classes expected to serve children in 24 cities across the country.

Business Advisors of North America at 2506 Mt. Moriah held the first computer camps at its offices last summer. Dozens of youngsters put their own computer together, then took it home.

The idea became Kids-N-Technology, a nonprofit organization that plans to offer an array of computer technology classes at Christian Brothers University this summer and at other college campuses next year.

Jacquelyn Thomas, executive director of Kids-N-Technology, expects at least 300 kids to participate in the Kids-N-Technology classes here, open to children ages 7 to 17 years old. The camps will be held June 2 to Aug. 1. Costs range from $95 to $475, depending on the class and the number of weeks a student stays.

About $10,000 in financial assistance, donated by several businesses and other entities, will pay for children who cannot afford camp, Thomas said. She said some of the money is still available.

Thomas spearheaded the first camps after a Mississippi senator suggested that Business Advisors could help give youths an alternative to bad behavior.

The first camps marked the first time Business Advisors trained youths outside a correctional atmosphere. The company usually trains teenagers at juvenile jail facilities. It also trains adults preparing for computer repair certification.

Business Advisors targeted needy students in homes without computers. Training children how to make any costly repairs that might arise would keep the computer working for years to come.

After the success of the first camps, Thomas looked into expanding the camps. People in other states called her, wanting computer camps for their children.

Thomas got to work, and universities in 24 cities agreed to host Kids-N-Technology camps beginning next year.

"I knew the way it caught on in Memphis, I knew it would catch on elsewhere," Thomas said.

The new round of camps will offer instruction that isn't available through local schools, Thomas said. In addition to the computer-building camp, classes will include instruction on designing Internet sites, digital photography, building remote-control cars, game design and 3D animation.

Zorina Bowen said her daughter, Jessica, an eighth-grader at East High, went to the computer building camp last year and plans to take the digital photography and Web page design classes this summer. She'll also assist with the computer-building camp.

"My daughter needed a computer," Bowen said. "And she could use those skills later."

Kids-N-Technology will hold a parent orientation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn, 2490 Mt. Moriah.

- Toni Lepeska: 529-2526

The Commercial Appeal
BYTES & BITS O' FUN - computer camp MAKES HIGH TECH a MEGA-BLAST

Date: July 7, 2003
Source: Tracy Adams
adams@gomemphis.com

Andrew Baur knows computers inside and out. The 12-year-old can install a motherboard and a heat sink fan in minutes, and he shrugs it off as no big deal.

"It's really easy once you read the manual," Andrew says. "Really . . . it's not hard at all."

computers are child's play for youngsters such as Andrew attending the Kids-N-Technology day camp at the Christian Brothers University this summer.

Children ages 6 to 17 learn a blend of mechanical, technical, academic and social skills while building computers to take home.

"Andrew Android," as he's called by his friends, "is The Man when it comes to computer stuff," says Reginald Washington, 14.

Reginald and the rest of the gang don't tease Andrew for being a "brainiac." It's a quality to be admired.

"Some kids come in with little to no computer knowledge and others are like Andrew," said Will Wright, camp instructor, "but by the end, they always blow my mind."

He and fellow instructor Fred Colburn also stress "courtesy skills" at the camp. It's common to see boys holding doors open for girls.

"It's important that the kids know how to interact with one another," Colburn said. "They have to learn to respect each other, help each other and be role models for the younger kids."

Six-year-old NaKendra Mays, the youngest camper, gets help from Andrew and the others, although she says she doesn't really need it.

"I know how to move the mouse. I know a lot about computers - not a whole lot, but a little lot," she says.

Any child can master complex concepts such as computer networking and coding, the camp instructors say.

"If they can walk and chew gum, they can learn to build a computer," Wright says.

The basic cost of the one-week computer building session is $250. The rest depends on the sophistication of the computer the child builds.

The casing and internal parts can be purchased at discounted rates from special vendors, said Jacquelyn Thomas, program executive director.

"The bottom-line cost for children building an average computer system is around $800," she said.

Thomas estimates about 300 children will attend the summer camp. The last session is scheduled for July 28-Aug. 1.

For families who cannot afford the camp, $10,000 in financial assistance, donated by several businesses, is available. The money is paying for about 30 percent of the children, Thomas said.

The Memphis Housing Authority paid for 28 children from the Foote, Cleaborn and Dixie Homes public housing communities. The MHA campers are members of the Boys and Girls Club of Memphis, which recommended them for the program.

The Memphis City Council sponsored 20 children from city schools, paying half the cost.

And CBU donated its unused computer labs and classrooms to Kids-N-Technology for the summer.

Next year, the local nonprofit agency plans to broaden its business beyond Memphis, expanding to 24 cities across the country, said Thomas.

"Technology skills are a necessity for every child to be competitive and successful in today's school environment," she said.

Information about Kids-N-Technology summer camps and year-round classes can be found on the Web at www.kidsntechnology.net.

- Tracy Adams: 529-2323

The New York Post
HAPPY CAMPERS
SIGN UP NOW FOR SAILING, ROBOTICS AND MORE THIS SUMMER
Date: May 6, 2006
BETHANY KANDEL

DO you know what you're doing this summer? New York City kids have more choices than ever, thanks to day camps that go way beyond the usual.

Want to sail a sloop around Manhattan? Build your own computer? Make a movie? We've got camps for all that - and more. Sign-up time is now!

SAIL AWAY

For the first time ever, the Atlantic Yachting Association is offering a New York City Summer Sailing Camp - no experience required.

Kids 9 to 16 will learn to trim sails, tie knots and take the helm of a 50-foot sloop. They'll also learn teamwork, planning and responsibility while sailing on the East River, lower Hudson and New York Harbor, depending on the weather and tides. Inclement weather sends the group indoors to the Planetarium and Museum of Natural History to discover celestial navigation and the physics of sailing.

Each two-week session culminates in an optional overnight cruise, complete with on-deck barbecue, storytime under the stars and bunking in mahogany staterooms.

June 19-Sept. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $2,490 for each two-week session. 79th Street Boat Basin, Riverside Park; (917) 291-7254, atlanticyachting.org

Ever bop to the beat whenever you watch "Dancing With the Stars"? The American Tap Dance Foundation has just the thing to keep you moving.

You'll take lessons from renowned hoofers, watch tap movies and listen to tap talks. Sessions in juggling, hat tricks and chair dances will help you connect to your inner Astaire. There's even a chance to perform at the Duke Theater on 42nd Street. (Previous tap experience required.)

"I like being productive during my summers," says 14-year-old Samara Manger-Weil of Manhattan, who's attended tap workshops for the past three summers. "This gives me the opportunity to study with different teachers and meet people from around the country and the world."

July 8-15. $27 for a single class; $185 and up for a three- to six-day course. Chelsea Studios, 151 W. 26th St., sixth floor; (646) 230-9564, atdf.org

TAKE A BYTE

Computers are child's play at Kids-N-Technology, where campers build their own PC, laptop or game machine.

At this tech camp, kids ages 8 to 17 will build, configure, upgrade and repair computers while assembling components to create one of their own.

July 17-21, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $900 to $1,500 (for Build Your Own Laptop, all components included). The Kimmel Center @ NYU, 60 Washington Square South; (866) 513-3007, kidsntechnology.net

JUMP UP

Rah, rah, sis, boom, bah! Gymnasts 7 to 12 years old will flip for the Cartwheel and Cheer Camp at New York Kids Club. The weeklong program combines the strength and flexibility of gymnastics with the coordination and rhythm of dance and cheer routines. Add rock climbing and trampoline work for a full body workout.

June 12-16, June 19-23, Aug. 28-Sept. 1, 1 to 4 p.m. $585. 265 W. 87th St.; (212) 721-4400, nykidsclub.com

MAKE A MOVIE

Calling all Spike Lee wannabes: Instead of handing in that tired old "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay, how about screening the film short you made? After a week at Filmmonsters' new camp, you'll be able to do that.

Five one-week sessions for kids ages 8 to 18 guide them in creating stories and characters through improvisation, writing screenplays, then making a film - with campers taking turns acting, directing, shooting and editing.

Another program, Photo Beasts (July 10-14 and Aug. 28-Sept. 1), teaches kids still photography essentials.

June 26-Sept. 1. Weekly filmmaking sessions (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) $975; photography sessions (1-4 p.m.) $750. Lower Manhattan location TBA; (646) 641-3300, filmmonsters.com

BUILD A BOT 0

Last summer, 10-year-old Cole Tallerman constructed cars, spiders and robots out of Lego bricks, then programmed them to move - an experience he calls "awesome."

The weekly RoboFun Lego Robotics Summer Workshops for kids 6-13 offers robotics in the morning and computer animation and game design in the afternoon; sign up for half or full days.

"It's different from other summer camps 'cause there, you're probably playing sports and stuff. But at this one, you're actually creating something," says Cole, who lives on the Lower East Side.

June 26-Sept. 1, $300 for weekly half-day sessions; $500 for full-day sessions. 38 E. 23rd St., Suite 3A, between Park and Madison avenues; (212) 245-0444, robofun.org

FOLD EVERYTHING

Paper folding can be fun, especially when, with a few bends, a flat sheet suddenly transforms into a frog or flower. The Upper West Side origami studio Theragami is offering a summer camp for kids ages 5 to 12 to teach the ancient Japanese art form, integrated with games and storytelling.

"Origami helps develop reading, sequencing, math and spatial perception skills," says studio founder Hagit Shalev. But, she notes, "Kids don't care about the learning aspects - to them it's just play!"

June 30-Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. From $280 for one week to $2,060 for eight weeks. 243 W. 70th St.; (212) 222-3362, theragami.comra