Education, fun in the sun come together

Four decades-old program helps kids develop leadership skills; provides job opportunities,

By: Aleks Cherednichenko

Posted: 8/1/07

The year-round KidSpirit is an umbrella name for a program that began as a baseball program at OSU in 1961. Over the past 40 years the program has grown to include girls, featuring activities such as tennis and CPR classes.

KidSpirit is sponsored by the College of Health and Human Sciences and provides an alternative for kids looking to stay active during the summer.

"We try to get the kids involved in sports and the community," said Amy Lugar, operation coordinator at KidSpirit. "It's a fun alternative for kids in the summer."

The program offers a wide range of camps and leadership classes. The Summer Day Camp offers activities that are specifically designed for four age groups - Junior Beavers(Kindergarten-second-grade), Dam Builders(third-fifth-grade), Duck Busters(sixth-eighth-grade), and Teen Leaders(ninth-12th-grade). The programs aren't free; a two week camp at KidSpirit costs about $308.

"All the camps are very structured, and resemble a classroom setting, but a lot more fun," Lugar said. Art Camp, SKIES Science Camps and the Teen Leadership Program are all part of Summer Camp and engage kids both physically and mentally.

KidSpirit also sponsors a Counselors in Training program for teens grades 11 through 12, which helps participants further build upon their leadership skills.

"This is a two week program that the kids have to pay for," said Karen Swanger, director of KidSpirit. Teens must have completed the Teen Leadership Program and have to go through First Aid, and Child CPR training. "There's no guaranteed job after they complete training, but they acquire some fantastic leadership skills in the process."

Brandon Enstrom, better known at KidSpirit as "Smalls" is currently going through the Teen Leadership Program. "I thought it would be good training for the future, and good work experience." The future freshman at Corvallis High School enjoys his time spent with the younger kids.

Adair Kappl, a sophomore at Crescent Valley High School, attended KidSpirit as a Duck Buster, and now helps teach the Oceans and Motions class. "This has been an awesome experience, I will definitely come back next year."

"A lot of the kids going through the TLP have attended KidSpirit when they were younger, and come back to teach," said Brian Sexton, Teen Leader supervisor and a senior in human development and family science at OSU.

"A lot of people don't realize that we're a year-round program, just because we're so prevalent during the summer," Swanger said.

The program tries to fill niches that aren't being served by the community.

"Sports like lacrosse have become very popular over the last few years, and we offer instructions year-round," Swanger said.

KidSpirit also provides nearly 150 students every year with internship opportunities and private practicums. "We're entirely run by college students, all aspects of the program are managed by students including the business aspect," Swanger said.

Next spring, KidSpirit is organizing a Girls on the Run program, designed to help adolescent girls deal with everyday issues by working with college students and training for a 5K run. For more information on KidSpirit and its programs, visit their Web site, kidspirit.oregonstate.edu.