Camp Fire USA Balcones Council has received a $62,000 grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for the Afterschool Science and Literary Skills clubs. The generous grant supports youth in Austin, Del Valle and Pflugerville school districts to enjoy science and literacy based curriculum in a non-traditional setting. Camp Fire has been serving youth for over 100 years, and remains dedicated to transforming lives through providing experiential learning to young people and families. In the 2010 / 2011 school year, Camp Fire reached over 1,600 kids in the afterschool programs. Some of the lessons the children experienced were in the fields of water conservation, camping, astronomy, wildlife of Central Texas and even how to cook outdoors using a hand crafted solar oven.
“The kids seem to be the most engaged and really soaking in the information when they are in small groups, outside learning about something tangible that they can put their hands on and have a part in creating. Many of the kids in the program have never had the chance to set up and sit in a tent before, let alone think about the technology that goes into designing a tent. Our instructors do such a wonderful job of making learning fun and relevant through connecting it to current events. Seeing or touching a rock, a tree, a cloud or a tent makes them far more interested in reading and learning more about those things,” says Camp Fire USA Balcones Council Executive Director Rebecca Benz.
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About Camp Fire USA: Camp Fire USA is a youth development organization whose mission is to build caring, confident youth and future leaders through active learning, outdoor experiences, community service, and engaging families. Camp Fire USA Balcones Council offers supportive, wholesome, community programs such as traditional and after-school club programs; outdoor family nature programs; community service-learning activities; and weekend/summer outdoor adventure programs for all ages.
The Balcones Council is one of nearly 100 Camp Fire USA councils throughout the nation, and has been providing quality outdoor programs for children and their families in ten central Texas counties since 1966. For more information about Camp Fire USA Balcones Council, visit www.campfireusabalcones.org.