By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Mosaic Life Care Foundation is offering some fun hands-on learning opportunities to students this summer at EmpowerU in downtown St. Joseph.
EmpowerU will offer three weeklong STEAM camps, starting July 14th and running through August 1st. Camps run from 9am to noon and 12:30 to 3:30 for the week.
Director of Program Operations Devran Brower says these camps are very focused
“So, they can learn about the fun of science, technology, engineering, and we add the arts in there, and mathematics as well,” Brower tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We have a variety of things including Lego robots, we have a couple modules for the young students and then older for those who are more advanced, that way they get to build cool contraptions but they also get to make them do things, so we love the robots but we also do everything from Minecraft education, that’s something newer we’ve added over the past couple of years.”
STEAM Camps will be held at EmPowerU twice a day, starting next week for students in the third through eighth grades.
Brower says he feels having that age range of students fits the program, because that’s a key time in a student’s life
“When a certain level of maturity starts coming in, a certain level of mental development comes in, but really things start to interest students,” Brower explains. “And if we can peak the interest early I think they’ll learn a lot.”
And with eighth graders one step away from high school, Brower says getting them interested could be key, especially with high schools focus on career readiness
“Not that we all don’t change from time to time, but I think it’s fun when that interest is sparked and they kind of say yeah I want to do that, then learning continues to be fun for them throughout their academic career,” Brower says.
Brower says with an everchanging workforce and career opportunities, it’s important to get some of these activities during the camp in front of students
“You see the statistics on the percentage of jobs that don’t even exist today but will be a significant part of the workforce, so it’s important we not only have exposing these students to all these fun technologies, fun things to do, but hopefully spark a passion in them that helps them choose a path that someday they’ll want to follow in their career,” Brower says.
For instance, one activity during the camp will be Rocket League Esports, which Brower says he would have never dreamed of being the industry that it is today
You can register on the Mosaic Life Care Foundations website.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
