The past month has been a blast for the Summer Team. We have worked with so many amazing groups. The YMCA camps around the Greater Dayton area made an appearance at our Rivermobile, we got to lead a mini orientation for Adventure Central, high schoolers from Argentina studying abroad at UD through the Center for International Programs were able to kayak and learn about our rivers, and finally the Victory Project men were able to learn the ins and outs of kayaking.
The YMCA camps came to UD from Germantown, Englewood and many other places as well. This River Mobile event was three days long and the amount of enthusiasm from each group was refreshing. We settled into a routine of waiting for the kids to arrive, dividing them into smaller groups, then taking them through each classroom. Every classroom was, seemingly, a new adventure to the YMCA campers. The history room was a great way to gather the children and gain their attention. The second classroom is a great transition from Dayton flood history to information about the water under our feet. The kids love the last classroom because it is interactive and they are allowed to talk about activities that they enjoy. Overall, it was a successful three days and the Summer Team had a great time.
Adventure Central is an organization the the Rivers Institute is very fond of. We were fortunate enough to create a “mini orientation” the the oldest group of campers. We begin the program with some classroom action. The campers were actively learning about the history of Dayton’s rivers and a few of the key figures that helped shape Dayton into the city that it is today. The second day of the orientation consisted of the kayak basics such as safety and proper paddle usage. Finally, the third day of the orientation we took the campers to Eastwood Metropark to get them into the water and practice their new skills. The summer interns probably had just as much fun as the campers did.
We took this newly developed “mini orientation” lesson plan and implemented it on two other programs. These programs included the young adults from Argentina who are studying on campus and the Victory Project boys. Each program was catered to the specific group but each participant received a little lesson on Dayton’s history, kayak safety, and paddle technique. The boys and girls from Center for International Programs were excited to get off campus and get active. Eastwood Metropark was a perfect location to hike the Buckeye trail, play team building games, and kayak around the lagoon. The Victory Project program timeline allowed the Summer Interns to get to know the participants and the result of this was a very fun and successful paddle down the Mad River.
