YWCA Offers Career Camps to Local Kids

YWCA Bucks County will conduct three-week-long Career Camps in July and August that will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career opportunities. 

The YWCA Career Camps have been made possible though a grant received from the Bucks County Workforce Investment Board, Inc.

Each YWCA Career Camp, to be held at the YWCA Country Commons Family Center in Bensalem, will provide 20 low-income, WIB-eligible youngsters ages 8 to 13 from Bensalem, Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, Levittown and Morrisville with career education services.  These youngsters will have an opportunity to participate in an in-depth exploration of opportunities within the Information & Communication Services, Energy and Life Sciences Career Clusters, three growing fields expected to offer ample employment opportunities in Bucks County and beyond in the future. 

Campers will also learn how to appropriately prepare for these careers in terms of educational pathways to pursue in their middle and high school years.  In addition, they will interact with and learn from professionals in their fields by way of on-site guest speakers and visits to local businesses and corporations. Participants at all three YWCA Career Camps will visit the Bucks County Technical School and/or PA CareerLink.

The Information and Communication Services Career Camp, to be held July 25-29, will feature group and individual projects related to physics and science.  Campers will gain industry knowledge during field trips to the DaVinci Science Center in Allentown, PA and NASTAR/Environmental Tectonics in Southampton, PA.

The Energy Career Camp will be held August 1-5.  In addition to each camper’s completion of a renewable energy building project to demonstrate his or her knowledge gained, there will be age-appropriate pre-and post-assessments to measure what has been learned.  Campers will also participate in activities with professionals from the traditional and green energy industries in the camp setting and on field trips to places such as GE Water and Process Technologies and Pennypack Environmental Center in Philadelphia.

The Life Sciences Career Camp will round out the three YWCA Career Camps and will be held from August 8-12.  Campers will participate in American Red Cross First Aid training and CPR as well as in a health-related community service project, and campers will receive a certificate in these American Red Cross training procedures.  Field trips include potential visits to Pennypack Nature Sanctuary or to a recreational facility and/or health center to learn more about nutrition and physical fitness.  The camp will conclude with a Family Health and Safety Day to be attended by women, children and families residing in the Bensalem community.  This interactive event will include presentations and information-sharing from schools, agencies and health-related organizations in the region.  Campers will conceptualize and design a display and/or information and photo board at the event that will showcase their week-long learning experience and career interests.

Lunches will be provided to campers each day, and transportation will be available to the camps from various locations throughout the County.  Information about these week-long YWCA Career Camps can be obtained by contacting Helen Miller, Camp Director, at 215-953-7793, ext. 108, or Sandy Blitzstein, director of YWCA Family Services and Self-Sufficiency Programs at ext. 114.

The mission of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is to promote, drive and ensure an effective workforce in Bucks County aligned with economic development.  In fulfilling this mission, WIB dedicates itself to, among other things, building relationships with organizations and/or individuals to promote and actualize its mission; conducting ongoing assessments of workforce needs in Bucks County; and integrating educational organizations into the workforce development system.