University of Minnesota launches new summer camp
Published 8:16 am Monday, August 6, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS — A new summer camp at the University of Minnesota is aiming to bridge the college attendance gap for Native American high school students in the state.
The camp is hosted by the University’s American’s Indian Studies department with the purpose of helping students to explore opportunities at the university, the Minnesota Daily reported.
“It’s. important for (the students) to be able to view college through… an Indigenous lens — and that’s the whole purpose of this (program),” said Summer Lara, a youth mentor for the program and University senior.
The 13 students enrolled in the program are staying in Territorial Hall and taking classes in American Indian literature and either Dakota or Ojibwe language. They’re also learning how to navigate the university.
Enrollees have visited the Raptor Center, canoed on Lake Nokomis, visited the university’s STEM labs and taken a tour of sacred Dakota sites around the Twin Cities.