SPORTS AND LIFE SKILLS CAMP

2009 Camp Information

The 2009 Native Vision Sports and Life Skills Camp will be hosted by the White Mountain Apache Tribe at Alchesay High School in Whiteriver, Arizona
on June 11-13, 2009.

For local registration (within 60 miles of camp location) please complete the registration form and mail it to the contact name on the form.

For non-local registration (further than 60 miles from camp location) please complete the registration form and fax to Marlena Hammen at 410-955-2010 or mail Marlena Hammen, 621 N. Washington Street, Baltimore, MD  21205. There are chaperone forms as well as camper registration forms to complete. There must be 1 chaperone registered per 6 campers.

All local and non-local groups, please note the following age requirement for sports:

Football (incoming 9th grade and up)
Basketball (incoming 8th grade and up)
Running (incoming 7th grade and up)
Soccer (incoming 4th grade and up)
Volleyball (incoming 7th grade and up)
Lacrosse (incoming 4th grade and up)

2008 Camp Information and Highlights

Click on this link to view a 12 minute video of the 2008 camp.
(Use itunes to view.)

The 12th Annual Native Vision camp, held in Bernalillo, NM, was hosted by the Southern Pueblo Tribes of New Mexico on June 12-14, 2008, with approximately 500 youths from over 15 tribal nations. They received coaching from 60 of the nations top professional and collegiate athletes. Some 1,200 community members from the host tribe took part in camp activities, including a community feast, cultural celebrations, parenting workshops and opening and closing ceremonies.

The Native Vision camp offered six sports clinics, including football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and lacrosse. In addition, JHU organized a variety of life skills and self-expression workshops for campers and adults. These included:

• Leadership workshops in which campers participated in interactive activities to promote teamwork and a vision for their future.
  
• Arts and crafts workshops in which campers were guided through a creative process to produce their own sand art to illustrate their personal vision for how they would, Stride, Soar, Succeed, the camp's theme.
  
• Media workshops in which campers wrote and produced there own PSAs to promote a healthy vision for their future.
  
• Approximately 40 parents, chaperones and community members attended the Native Vision parent workshop to learn parenting tips and ways to promote literacy with an expert from Catapult Online program, Rachel Whiting.  The workshop was geared toward building parents skills to promote school readiness in their children, with a special emphasis on literacy.  In addition, the workshop facilitators were joined by Scottie Graham, retired running back from the Minnesota Vikings and father of two. Mr. Graham is an engaging, inspiring speaker and has conducted Native Vision parent workshops for the past seven years.  He emphasizes the important role parents play in shaping childrens lives, and how they themselves must be role models in terms of completing education, reading and academics. He also underscored the importance of working together to promote cultural respect and pride and setting high expectations for children, families and communities.
  
• The community also organized cultural events and community feasts to promote Native pride and traditional strengths for camp participants. More than 200 local volunteers assisted with the efforts.  In addition, Native Vision awarded three $5000 scholarships to Native students entering college.  Scholarship recipients were selected through a competitive narrative application and review process administered by the Center.  Finally, on the last day of camp, Native Vision pro athlete mentors participated in a community service event in which more than 300 non-perishable food boxes from Feed the Children were distributed to families in need.
  
  We have been very fortunate to have a friendship with photographer Ed Cunicelli for many years.  Ed has graciously donated his time to attending camps and taking photographs for the Center.  For a snapshot of the 2008 camp, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/cunicelliphotographer/sets/72157607184574927/.

Contact Information

Native Vision National Office
Marlena Hammen, Native Vision Coordinator
621 N Washington St.
Baltimore, MD 21205
phone (410) 955-6931
fax (410) 955-2010
email: mhammen@jhsph.edu

Photos on the Native Vision website courtesy of Ed Cunicelli and Kristine Kauffman.
ed cunicelli/photographer inc.
p.o. box 86, glen mills, pa 19342
ewc@cunicelli.com