National Summer Learning Week, July 15-19, is a celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer. Summer learning programs such as summer camps, culture camps, libraries, and teen centers provide caring adults and structured learning environments, ensuring students return to school ready to succeed during the year. Throughout Alaska, youth are participating in dynamic, meaningful, and empowering summer learning opportunities. To celebrate this week, we are highlighting a few out-of-school time programs from across the state!

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies

Based out of Homer, "The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies" involves youth of all ages and families in their Coastal Studies program. Naturalists and community experts share their knowledge on science-based environmental education, cultural learning, and stewardship. The Center also places a strong emphasis on learning about and stewardship by the Alaska Native people of the area, the Dena’ina and Sugpiaq, and includes place-based learning techniques.

At the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, the staff uses a challenge by choice and positive behavior reinforcement approach to support people as holistic learners. Programs for youth particularly emphasize adventure, play, mindfulness, emotional learning, and learning from naturalists and trusted community experts.

The Center takes advantage of collaborative learning at many locations around Homer, including their office, the Wynn Nature Center and Inspiration Ridge Preserve on Skyline Drive, their Yurt on the Spit, the Peterson Bay Field Station, and even at public and backcountry locations around Kachemak Bay! The Center offers day camps, drop-in programs, overnight youth, teen, and family specific camps across Kachemak Bay, retreats and workshops, marine debris cleanups and trail work days, hiking and snowshoeing tours, dock tours in the Homer harbor, wildcrafting and nature art classes, and boat-based ocean trips.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies emphasizes inclusion and accessibility, stewardship, science-based environmental education, and cultural learning as important parts meeting their mission.

For more information about the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, explore their website: https://akcoastalstudies.org/

Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM)

In Juneau each summer, music fills the air as JAMM brings kids together to introduce them to the music community and expose them to different styles of music! JAMM host music programs for kids from kindergarten to 12th grade, creating a musical and social experience. Kids from kindergarten to 3rd grade had the opportunity throughout the month of June to participate for free in group lessons at Gruening Park every week.

For fifty 4th to 8th graders, JAMM involvement included the 3rd annual weeklong Bluegrass Camp. At the camp, kids had the chance to explore folk instruments daily, such as the banjo, bass, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin, both as a group and in individual lessons.

For a change of pace, this year JAMM initiated their first “Chamber Music Camp,” where 30 advanced middle-high school musicians and chamber orchestra students worked on their small ensemble repertoire, including duets, trios, and quartets.

For more information about Juneau Alaska Music Matters, explore their website: https://www.juneaumusicmatters.com/

Camp Bear Valley

At Camp Bear Valley, youth enjoy the outdoors just like a bear would, rain or shine! Located in South Anchorage and serving kids ages 5-12, Camp Bear Valley emphasizes the importance of getting outside and having fun no matter the weather. At Camp Bear Valley, kids enjoy refreshing swims, have gotten to go check out the wildlife at the Wildlife Conservation Center, have fun picking vegetables at Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm, and exploring Whittier. This summer, the Camp has also had the incredible opportunity to have guest speakers visit to teach kids about the environment. Guest speakers have included Bird TLC for a talk focused on about Alaskan birds and ASRC Energy Services to set some minnow traps!

For more information about Camp Bear Valley, explore their website: https://alaskabvca.org/camp-bear-valley

Child with Purple Backpack in front of fur

Children with Helmets laughing and playing

Sitka 4-H

Throughout the summer, Sitka 4-H is hosting summer camps with rotating themes, offering different skills to spark the curiosity of youth. Activities at this incredible Southeast Alaska summer camp include kayaking, hiking and backpacking, circus, woodworking and boatbuilding, harvesting, Jr. Farmers' Market and Water Survival skills.

This summer, the camp even set sail using the tools they gained in woodworking and boatbuilding camp! In 2018, youth built several dories through a partnership between the 4-H club and the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society. Dories are small lightweight, shallow draft boats with high sides, 16 to 23 feet long. This year they collaborated again to outfit the dories with sailing rigs using a tarp for the sail. Then, the youth tested if the system was shipshape on the Sitka Channel under a light breeze.

For more information on Sitka 4-H, explore their website: https://www.sitkawild.org/4_h