Summer Camps Part 3: Self-expression

Summer in Monroe County isn’t just a break from school—it’s a time for young residents to learn and grow in different ways. The B Square visited half a dozen summer camps around Bloomington and met campers, counselors, and staff, to learn how children and teens spent their summers.

Scripted in the stars

Constellation Stage & Screen was home to several youth camps this summer. Over two months, the programs served served approximately 350 to 400 kids, according to Eric Shelley, Constellation’s education director.

Grouped by age, Littles, Kids, and Teens each had their chance to step into the spotlight, whether it was through musical theater, comedy improvisation, or filmmaking. One camp for younger children was called Broadway Beginnings. For older campers, there was Broadway Bootcamp and Spontaneous Combustion: Improv Ignited. (“Don’t ask me how I come up with these cheesy names,” joked Shelley, who helps run the camps. “They just sort of come to me.”) A movie-making camp was open to participants of all ages.

Constellation also offers a once-a-week improvisation program for adults.

In years past, summer youth camps did devised theater, also called collective creation, where students create their own show. “We would have a theme for the camp and the kids would show up and they would create whatever it is that they were going to be doing,” said Shelley. Shows had to be written in a week, with the showcase performance on Friday.

This summer, the camps are performing pre-scripted plays, so that the young artists have more time to rehearse for the showcase.

Margaret, who is in the Broadway Bootcamp, said, “I’ve really enjoyed it. I like how [we] can express ourselves.”

She continued, “We’re putting on an abridged version of ‘A Christmas Story.’ There’s a different Ralphie in every scene; a different person will play each role in every scene.”

Margaret said she would tell a friend in the camp “not to be nervous and just to express themselves.”

Shelley works seven days a week during the summer to keep all the camps running smoothly. However, he says he values his community and finds fulfillment in his work. “When you’re working with kids, there’s a lot of hope they bring that can keep you engaged, and want to do right by them,” he said. “And I think that my experience as a professional actor but also a public school teacher ... I think that anybody that didn’t have that experience would really, really struggle with this job because it does require skillsets from both.”

Campers on the air

WFHB, Bloomington's community radio station, collaborated with the Boys and Girls Club of Ellettsville (BGC) and Bloomington's Banneker Community Center to host their campers for its Youth Radio Camp this summer. Kids met with WFHB staff once a week for five weeks, and recorded shows on a variety of topics.

Jessie Grubb, WFHB’s youth radio director called the camp “a crash course in all things radio.”

During their first week at WFHB, campers listened to a variety of songs and shared their thoughts and ideas about the music with listeners.

After hearing “Funkytown” by Lipps, Inc., one camper said, “It made me feel like I was back in the [1980s]. ... I feel like I’m 98 right now—I was back in the 1998s listening to this song, on the toilet. Like, literally I was just listening to this song on TikTok three days ago.”

“Shake It Up” by The Cars reminded one music reviewer of a drive to Chicago. Another laughed at the lyrics “shake it.” “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles made one camper dizzy. Campers didn’t have many positive things to say about “Wild Thing” by The Troggs. “Bro, what was that?” one asked.

“It’s always a privilege to be able to go out into the community and [to get] outside of our little bubble at Ellettsville, and getting these kids more involved,” said teen program director at Boys and Girls Club of Ellettsville Cal Richard Kinman. “Any time where we can give them a change of pace, it’s good for their development.” He said this summer was the second year the Ellettsville club worked with WFHB for the radio camp.

He continued, “It’s a good program to push them in a healthy manner.” He said it’s a safe place for the kids to talk about their interests, and especially for the shy ones to get out of their comfort zones.

During week two, campers learned interview skills—by interviewing each other and members of the Bloomington Fire Department. Week three featured storytelling about friendships. Campers talked about good traits in a friend and how to form friendships. For week four, campers recorded their own podcast about animals.

Lena Swayze, WFHB youth radio coordinator, said, “I think it’s interesting to hear the kids’ opinions on stuff, and what their experiences are. I like editing the stuff after, listening to what they said. It’s entertaining.”

All Youth Radio Summer Camp episodes can be heard on-demand at the WFHB website.

Better than master of one

In addition to adult and youth classes held throughout the school year, Ivy Tech’s Center for Lifelong Learning is home to more than 50 half-day camps each summer, including baking, various arts and crafts, and scientific topics.

“We try to keep small camp sizes,” said Tim Schoch, director of the Center for Lifelong Learning. He said some camps have wait lists. His department covers all non-credit students.

Schoch said that each day at camp is planned out. Camps are repeatable, so if a student wanted to take the same camp more than one week, they would be doing different activities each time.

Pottery instructor Maggie Fitzgerald has been at Ivy Tech for three years. She teaches both kids and adults. “The kids tend to be more loose with it—creative with it,” she said. “Perfectionism definitely is more rampant amongst the adults.”

“It’s nice,” she continued, “because the kids are from all different schools and areas around Monroe County, so they’re meeting each other for the first time and they build really strong connections in two weeks, which is impressive.”

Fitzgerald gives the students loose prompts for what to create, but lets the kids run with their imaginations. “I just let them do what, kind of, inspires them.” She enjoys seeing those who return each summer grow up year to year, and watching their personalities shape and change.

At the Center for Lifelong Learning, Schoch said, “we have such a range of student backgrounds and personalities, but the common theme is ... they’re looking for skill development or to learn something new.”

He continued, “We’re not trying to ... train artists. We want kids to be artistic, and to come away with that feeling of, like, ‘Man, that was fun.’ So, I think it’s that simple. They’re looking for a creative outlet. They’re looking to spend time with friends, and have fun, and kind of be given a space to ... explore something that ... they haven’t done in school.”