A Successful Event...

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds gave the Region 1 Workforce Investment Board the opportunity to create a new program called Camp Connections 2009. The camp was held at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia where 100 students between the ages of 14 and 17 experienced college life for the first time. During their week long stay, the students had the opportunity to move through five industry modules including healthcare, professional services (accounting / business / legal), engineering, public sector (inclusive of goverment and education), and technology and design (which included a huge emphasis on the gaming industry). All industries were also focused on green initiatives, jobs, and occupations.

We gave each student an official certificate of completion. Business and industry representatives attended to teach the classes and participate in the events. Special events included dining etiquette training, speed networking with area employers, a simulated society activity, and teambuilding/leadership. We had twelve resident advisors who also mentored the students and participated in the activities.

As for the dorm life, the kids loved every minute of it. Of course, the resident advisors and several staff needed lots of rest after the camp; however, it was all worth the lost sleep to see students walk across a stage for the first time (some of whom may never have the opprtunity to) and see a few of the students shed tears out of their sense of completion and success.

In the end, the best news was in the fact that we surprised each student with a brand new laptop that became theirs to take home. The entire week was incredible. We heard stories of so many kids stating how thankful they were to have the opprtunity to attend. Many partners are to be thanked! It was a true team effort and one that left many of us with lasting memories.

If not for the ARRA dollars, our Workforce Investment Board would not have been able to extend this opprtunity to our students. Truly a success story. We will publish a video in August that highlights our Camp's experiences. Check back for updates.

In the meantime, for more information on the Connections Camp 2009, contact maguilar@r1workforcewv.org

www.region1workforcewestvirginia.org