Summer Camp
SFU Academic Summer Camp for Aboriginal Students 2014 - 2018
The SFU Academic Sumer Camp for Aboriginal High School Students helped Aboriginal students in grades 9 to 11 accelerate in Mathematics and English, and offered the opportunity to be exposed to the life of a university student, thereby encouraging them to continue into post-secondary education. “B.C. Aboriginal students often struggle with math and this camp is about helping those who want to be helped,” explains Veselin Jungic, a 3M National Teaching Fellow and a Teaching Professor in the SFU Math Department.
An article about the SFU Academic Summer Camp for Aboriginal High School Students is accessible here: Jungic, V., Thompson, S., SFU Academic Summer Camp for Aboriginal Students 2014-2018, Journal of STEM Outreach, Vol.3, April 2020
Schedule of Events
The SFU Academic Sumer Camp for Aboriginal High School Students ran for 4 weeks (Monday to Friday) over the summer. We included a variety of interdisciplinary activities so that the students and teachers were engaged and having fun from the first day through to the closing session. Math, English and Science sessions, visits to computer labs, and tours of the Surrey and Burnaby Mountain SFU campuses were only a few items on the schedule of events.
We also organised special guest speaker presentations, cultural activities and introductions to life on campus.
We understood that food is important! The schedule included breakfast, snacks and lunch breaks.
And we believed that recreational breaks were important. The students had the opportunity to walk around campus during the tours and breaks. There were scheduled activities that took place in the gym (like dodgeball) and outdoors (like archery and ultimate frisbee).
The Teachers
The SFU Academic Sumer Camp for Aboriginal High School Students attracted teachers who were passionate about their subject and about our youth.
A Few Kind Words
"This program has given me opportunities to better myself as a student its created so many different doors that lead to so many different paths." (a student)
"The program taught me that I had the ability to do math the entire time I just didn't believe that I had that much potential." (a student)
"I want to continue to learn more and increase my knowledge of math. My expectations of myself are higher and I know that I'm capable of being brilliant student." (a student)
"The program taught me that English isn't just about reading and writing, it's about speaking what you believe and showing how you feel." (a student)
"I learned a lot from the first nation workshops, I wasn't really in touch with my first nations heritage but the workshops had made me want to be." (a student)
"I'm moved and inspired by these young people's initiative to upgrade themselves educationally! They have accomplished a great deal and this will for sure equip them for success in life!" (a teacher)
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