In its third year of operation, the THRIVE Summer Camp was at its best yet. This year, the OLCDC hosted three camps for elementary, middle and high school students - a creative writing camp, led by Pageslayers, a coding and app development camp, led by Codemasters and a creative and performing arts camp, led by Art Prevails Project. During the summer, it has been scientifically proven that because students are not engaged in moments of critical thinking, they suffer from "summer learning loss," putting them behind at least one semester when the school year commences. This is most prevalent in under resourced communities where parents simply can’t afford to send their children to camp.More than 150 children attended one of the three camps, where students created their own soundtracks from scratch, using state of the art music production equipment, monologues and scripts for short plays they crafted themselves, self-portraits that emulate how they see themselves, and intense choreographed dance numbers to show off their dance moves. As a culmination of the experience, each camp hosted a showcase, featuring the projects and knowledge learned by the students. The THRIVE Summer Camp left our students feeling enthused and accomplished about the work they were able to produce. Most of the students attending had never seen, let alone worked with such quality equipment and motivating instructors to guide them along in their creative journey. The THRIVE Summer Camp is just one more way the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation is working to provide educational opportunities for students and build a thriving arts culture in northwest Miami-Dade County.
