Journey to Freedom summer camp an adventure in learning

July 9, 2007

Forty high school juniors and seniors will have an unforgettable summer experience over the next two weeks.

They have been selected to participate in Camp Journey to Freedom, a history and civics residential camp. Participants will be living at Camp Campbell Gard, a 600-acre YMCA adventure camp nestled on the banks of the Great Miami River, until July 22.

“This is a terrific opportunity for students to learn about our nation’s search for freedom and civil rights while having a great summer camp experience,” said Dr. Martin Johnson, Miami Hamilton history professor and director of the program.

Campers will take part in educational and outdoor activities and receive instruction in American history and government on the Miami Hamilton campus. They will travel to former plantations in Kentucky, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, and the Abraham Lincoln museum in Springfield, Illinois.

The camp is designed to help high school juniors and seniors in Southwest Ohio go on to college and become informed, productive citizens. Each camper will be given a digital camera and a $500 scholarship to the college of his/her choice.

American history content will focus on the rise of the movement to abolish slavery and the origins of the Underground Railroad; causes of the Civil War; the emancipation proclamation, and the role of African Americans in the Civil War and the challenges they faced immediately after the war.

The civics content will concentrate on slavery and how it shaped the original Constitution; the definition of rights and civil liberties embodied in that document, and the new definition of citizenship through voting rights, equal protection, and other provisions of post-Civil War Constitutional amendments.

Miami Hamilton was awarded a $711,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Congressional Academy last year to provide the history and civics camp, which will benefit 120 high school students over a three-year period (40 per year).

Campers will use their digital cameras to record and share their experiences on the internet by creating podcasts and blogs.