Star-Adv: YMCA Free College Camp for Nanakuli-Waianae Students

Leeward Students to Try College Life
By Dominique Times (dtimes@staradvertiser.com)
Star-Advertiser, July 11, 2016

The YMCA College Camp is expanding its efforts in Leeward communities this month with the launch of a camp for Nanakuli-Waianae area students.

College Camp — a weeklong experience that aims to give high school students a slice of college life — is tailored for teens in Hawaii’s at-risk communities. Now in its fifth year, the program has two groupings: one for students entering their junior year and another for incoming seniors.

Participants stay at the Atherton YMCA, near the University of Hawaii at Manoa, while immersed in confidence-building activities, community service, campus tours and workshops about college tips and financial resources. Successful completion of both camps earns a student conditional admission to the University of Hawaii, regardless of high school track record.

The new camp for Nanakuli-Waianae’s incoming seniors gets underway July 24. Twenty-three students will be assigned mentors — College Camp alumni now in college — who will stick with them through camp and beyond. Annual fundraisers cover camp expenses, making the program free.