The many youth educational enrichment programs that comprise the Summer Academy of Rutgers University-Newark’s (RU-N) Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP) are now underway or soon to commence. Drawing upon its staff’s decades of experience, OUCP works with internal and external partners to plan and execute an array of summer learning activities for more than 200 Newark-area students of varying ages with diverse interests, according to Dr. Diane Hill, RU-N’s assistant chancellor for university-community partnerships.

“We can’t do what we do without the collective, financial, in-kind, and volunteer support of others,” notes Hill. “We are very fortunate to have partners and sponsors that include corporations, foundations, philanthropists, municipalities and agencies of all levels, community-based organizations, and RU-N students, faculty, and staff who share OUCP’s commitment to effective community engagement and service.”

Recognizing the adverse effects of summer learning loss and disengagement, especially among urban and minority youth, the Summer Academy provides several venues for redress. The 2015 calendar, for example, includes: the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)/New Ark Freedom School; CIMIC Science and Technology Summer Camp; Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship BizCamp (BizCamp); RU Ready for Work Summer Career Exploration Program; RU Ready for Public/Healthcare Service Career Immersion Program Tracks; Rutgers-Merck Summer Bioethics Institute; Sadie Nash Leadership Project; and Write on Sports.

The CDF/New Ark Freedom School is a five-week program for third, fourth, and fifth grade students of Newark’s Fairmont neighborhood in partnership with Newark Fairmount Promise Neighborhood and the Newark Public Schools Summer Plus Program at Thirteenth Avenue/Dr. MLK School. It serves approximately 25 children by offering an activity-based curriculum that promotes social, cultural, and historical awareness. Funding is provided by the Victoria Foundation and private donations. The program is staffed with support from the RU-N Graduate School. RU-N undergraduate students serve as program managers and classroom instructors called servant leader interns in keeping with the CDF intergenerational leadership model, and Newark Public Schools personnel provide additional resources, instructional support, and advice.

CIMIC Science and Technology Summer Camp unites OUCP with RU-N’s Center for Information Management, Integration, and Connectivity (CIMIC) and Rutgers Institute for Data Science, Learning, and Applications (I-DSLA) to provide Newark’s middle and high school students an opportunity to explore science and technology disciplines based on challenging and real-world problem-solving techniques. Each summer the program welcomes nearly 20 students and offers hands-on computer laboratory experiences, lectures, field trips, and group presentations facilitated by faculty and graduate students of CIMIC and I-DSLA. The two-week program is funded by the National Science Foundation.

BizCamp is an intensive two-week camp for high school students interested in entrepreneurship. Under the auspices of OUCP and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), more than 40 students have a chance to formulate a business idea, write a corresponding business plan, and compete for seed capital. The program is underwritten by NFTE with additional financial assistance from local and national foundations and corporations. Instructors and guest speakers are provided by NFTE and aided by RU-N faculty, staff, and students.

RU Ready for Work is a year-round, youth development and college/career-readiness program for Newark high school students. For six weeks during the summer, nearly 60 students are introduced to select careers and work as paid interns at 25 Newark-based community partner sites to further develop their work/career-readiness skills. RU-N, the City of Newark, and Victoria Foundation are the program’s funding partners. The RU Ready for Public/Healthcare Service Career Immersion Program Tracks are special career immersion tracks supported by RU-N faculty and staff that introduce students to careers in public service, healthcare services, neuroscience (including brain health), and criminal justice.

Rutgers-Merck Summer Bioethics Institute is a one-week, on-campus program available to high school students who attend school in the Greater Newark area. Residing in RU-N housing, nearly 25 students examine ethical issues in nanotechnology, neuroscience, epidemiology, synthetic biology, the human genome project, and genetic enhancements. Facilitated by faculty and students of RU-N’s Department of Philosophy, students learn about career opportunities in law, medicine, scientific research, public policy analysis, and teaching. The program receives funding from Merck & Co., Inc. and OUCP.

A year-round program, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project provides a six-week summer component for more than 55 young women ages 14-21. The program engages participants in courses that focus on human rights, creative writing, health, and sociology. The curriculum is designed by the staff of the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, an organization dedicated to promoting leadership and activism among young women. Funding is provided by Amy Feinberg, Geraldine Dodge Foundation, Patrina Foundation, Sagner Family Foundation, Victoria Foundation, and RU-N.

In Write on Sports, 35 seventh and eighth graders try their hands at sports journalism in various media. For two weeks, the students interview special guests (e.g., journalists, athletes, managers, broadcasters, etc.), critically analyze news stories, update blogs, and edit video. Write on Sports, a nonprofit organization, is responsible for the program’s content, and in partnership with Newark Public Schools and other foundations, underwrites the program’s costs.

“Recognizing that it takes a village to raise a child, the multiple partnerships that collaborate to support Newark-area youth are helping to impact the lives of our next generation of community agents to help transform their community. We are happy to explore new partnerships with individuals, organizations, and institutions who want to lend their support in any capacity,” offers Hill.

To learn more about OUCP and its programs, visit oucp.newark.rutgers.edu or call 973-353-1630.