This summer, Cabrillo Extension will again be offering its dynamic Summer Youth Camps program. They will continue with many successful virtual camps, and are working with instructors and local partner organizations to bring back the most popular camps for in-person on-campus learning. Current planning includes in-person camps including Cabrillo Athletics sports camps like basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball. Kuumbwa Jazz, Seafloor Science ROV, and PlayWell TEKnologies’ LEGO Engineering are also being planned. In addition, there will be various new camps added to the lineup, including a much-requested Filmmaking camp for teens.

Resuming the Cabrillo Extension Summer Youth Program is another important part of the College’s commitment to help meet the community’s needs. Over the past year, the College has been able to adapt, pivot, and respond to the pandemic on multiple fronts. Beginning with the original shelter in place order in March of 2020, Cabrillo responded within weeks by transitioning to virtual learning, and by fall of 2020, began offering safe instruction in a limited number of face-to-face courses. During the CZU Fire crisis, Cabrillo opened the campus to the Red Cross and fire evacuees. Most recently the College has collaborated with community partners to offer COVID-19 testing and, with the County Office of Education, organized vaccines for local educators, including Cabrillo’s faculty and staff. Cabrillo Extension staff is excited to add the Summer Youth Program to the resources that Cabrillo will make available to the community.

As in past summers, camps will be hands-on, content rich, and will offer our community youth the chance to explore and grow. Summer camp operations will follow current public health guidelines and with American Camp Association (ACA) guidance. Community Education Coordinator Alicia Bierson says, “The ACA has been a lighthouse in an ocean of shifting national, state, and local public health guidelines. We rely on the ACA for best practices around safety and protocols for our camps. Now, more than ever, their guidance has allowed us to develop fun, engaging camps, while ensuring the health and safety of our campers.” Bierson says that their camp schedule will be regularly updated to reflect any changes in the public health guidelines that may allow them to offer more camps. She encouraged parents to keep an eye on the Extension website for updates, to review their health and safety protocols, and to get more information about the exciting summer camp options.

Julia Clancy-Smith is eager to register her grandson this coming summer. “In 2019, our grandson, age 10, enrolled in a large number of the Cabrillo Extension camps. He played soccer and tried out for water polo for the first time. We let him choose whatever weekly activities he wanted. All of them were wonderful and engaging thanks to the marvelous staff and teachers. When in August came and it was time to return to the regular classroom, our grandson didn’t want camp to end! But he was very well prepared for fifth grade because of his Cabrillo experience.”

Along with the planned in-person camps, Extension will also continue their successful virtual offerings for youth that were developed in 2019 and 2020. Expect to see camps in culinary, LEGO engineering, video game design, and much more brought straight to your home in summer 2021. “We’ve learned a lot since last summer,” says Bierson. “Virtual camps have safely connected kids to one another, and to the best possible instructors, without the constraints of a physical location. I’ve watched friendships form over the last year that would not have been possible without our virtual camps.”

Talking about her experience in the virtual youth culinary classes Karolina, age 13, was enthusiastic. “The online classes have been different, but my instructors Melody and Stephany have made it really fun doing it through Zoom. I always look forward to seeing familiar faces and hope to keep taking these classes!”

Registration for the Cabrillo Summer Youth Program virtual camps will open on April 1. Look for updated information about in-person camps on May 1st. For more information, and online registration, go to: cabrillo.edu/extension