Last Sunday marked the first official day of iCamp, and the 10th anniversary of the program.
The week-long program, located at West Chester University, is designed to build high school students’ knowledge on different forms of media-making. This year’s cohort is the largest group of campers in iCamp history.
Forty seven students were all in attendance on day one, and everyone was ready to start this year’s camp.
Once the campers were settled in, the students and their parents were moved to the Business and Public Management Center (BPMC) building where they were introduced to a special guest. Every year, iCamp has a keynote speaker that comes in to talk about their career in digital media.
This year’s speaker was Amanda Lee, a 2018 alumna from WCU. Lee is currently an independent journalist who talked about her love of storytelling and the path she took to get to where she is today. She mentioned how things are always changing, and for people to land their ideal job in a big news market, they have to “start at the bottom.”
With iCamp in full swing, her words have become even more meaningful to students. In each of their respective tracks, with range from digital journalism to gaming, they have started building their projects from scratch. The classes are led by instructors, who, like Lee, have distinct skills and experience in specific industries.
They teach them the basics and help them build their knowledge as they complete their projects. Makayla W, who declined to reveal her last name due to personal reasons, is one of many students in the film track who are working through early complications.
“At first it was confusing because I didn’t really know what I was going to do,” she said. “But as it started coming along, I actually liked it and I felt like it was going to be easy.”
Throughout the history of the program, iCampers work hard as the week goes on, using their creativity to bring their projects to life.
The campers learn that not all things come easily, and it takes time to learn and apply these newfound skills. It’s a reminder that students don’t always start at the “top.” Making the transition from pre-K to Kindergarten is a standard transition in the educational world, and the same rules apply to iCamp.
The campers learn this by coming to camp and meeting unfamiliar people, working in new environments, and solving difficult assignments.
When the campers aren’t working on their projects, they try to carve out time to have fun.
They play games with their counselors like Mafia, Heads Up, Seven Up and Hangman. Extra activities include learning how to fly drones, operate digital cameras, and make friends with one other
Fellow iCamper Gavin Denison-Slaughter said the learning and social environment feels like a step toward college life. “I like the extended classes,” he said. “But not only are they good, the overall experience is good. We get to see how college life would be,” he said.
The campers have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the campus dining hall. They stay in the dorms and have classes in lecture halls. The counselors take the kids on a tour of the campus, and they even get a chance to tour downtown West Chester.
The week can be a little overwhelming, but the counselors are always present to help guide students.
As the packed week comes to an end, the campers finish up their projects and work hard to hand them in on time.
On Saturday, the students will present their completed work to their peers, parents, friends, and counselors. Some will even be used as examples for next year’s camp.
By the end of iCamp, the week will show campers the power of their creativity and voice, and reassures them they deserve to be heard. They also learn that not everything is easy, and for them to make something, they need to have a foundation. That way, they can expand their bright minds and create opportunities for them to shine.
