Miami-Dade County Parks' "GEM" Summer Camps empowering tween/teen girls through arts and science
(MIAMI, May 7, 2014) – The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department invites girls ages 6 – 16 to register for its award-winning GEM (Girls Empowerment and Mentoring) Summer Arts and Science Camps, which will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 9 – August 15, at these two locations:
GEM Arts and Science Camp for Girls (Ages 11 – 16)
The Women’s Park
10251 West Flagler Street, Miami - (305) 480-1717
GEM ‘Little Sisters’ Arts and Science Camp for Girls (Ages 6 – 10)
Raices at Miller Drive Park
5510 SW 94 Court, Miami - (305) 271-0812
Participants will enjoy fun and exciting classes and workshops: Visual and Performing Arts (Dance, Film, Music, Painting, and Theatre); Journalism; Women’s History; and Science (Anthropology and Environmental Studies). The cost is $100 per week, plus a one-time annual registration fee of $12 - Includes early drop-off at 7:30 a.m. and late pick-up until 6:00 p.m.
“GEM challenges and inspires girls to develop their creative potential, improve their self-esteem and to become strong communicators and leaders,” said Vivian Greer-Digon, GEM program manager. “We empower them with tools and connections for success. Arts and science make it possible.”
During the 10-week program campers will receive guidance and access to resources, as well as social and emotional support from GEM partnering mentors, which include professors and administrators from Barry University, FIU and Miami-Dade College; organizations such Perez Art Museum-Miami (PAMM) and UN-Women-USNC/Miami Chapter, Viernes Culturales; and other qualified professionals from other disciplines with the aim of leading them toward a career path.
The Miami-Dade Parks GEM program began in the summer of 2010 as a pilot program initiated by the Department’s Raices Hispanic Cultural Arts Center at Miller Drive Park. The program is sponsored by The Children's Trust, a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County. Among its accolades, GEM is a 2013 NACo Achievement Award recipient and has been touted by FIU’s department of Women’s Studies 2013 Internship Dean’s List as a valued internship partner.
The 15-acre lakeside Women's Park (dedicated in 1992), the first such park in the nation, and its 6,000 square-foot Roxcy O’Neal Bolton History Gallery with memorial brick terraces (opened in 2000), began as the dream of pioneer feminist Roxcy Bolton, as a standing testimony to the contributions of Miami-Dade women toward improving the community’s quality of life. The facility has rapidly distinguished itself as a cultural center dedicated to the presentation and preservation of the heritages of women of all cultures, offering space for public meetings, events, and exhibits. The park also contains walking paths, a spacious picnic pavilion, a children’s playground, and a coral rock monument marking a buried time capsule containing mementos from three prominent Florida women: environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author Zora Neale Hurston, and anthropologist Lydia Cabrera.
About the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department:
Nationally accredited, a three-time winner of the NRPA National Gold Medal Award, winner of the 2013 Florida Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award and the 2009 Florida Governor’s Sterling Award for excellence in management and operations, Miami-Dade County Parks is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 260 parks and 12,825 acres of land. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world. Made up of more than just playgrounds and athletic fields, it also comprises out-of-school, sports-development, and summer-camp programs; programs for seniors and people with disabilities; educational nature centers and nature preserves; environmental restoration efforts; arts and culture programs and events; the renowned Zoo Miami and the Deering Estate at Cutler; the Crandon Tennis Center, home of the Sony Open; golf courses; beaches; marinas; campgrounds; pools; and more. For information about Miami-Dade County Parks call 3-1-1, or visit www.miamidade.gov/parks/.
Miami-Dade County Parks is supported by The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department’s efforts to further develop Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors. Its mission is to create a healthier, more livable and sustainable Miami community by ensuring the implementation of the Parks Open Space Master Plan and the development of year-round park and recreation programs for local children, adults and people with disabilities. For more information on the Parks Foundation, please visit www.liveaparklife.org.
To request material in accessible format, information on access for persons with disabilities, or sign language interpreter services (7 days in advance), call (305) 755-7848.