Back to School: Prepared for Success

STEM WARS AND ROBOTS

One of the partners for the Atlanta camp was STEM WARS, an organization providing portable, high-tech, hands-on learning environments and interactive STEM lessons.

“We just appreciate Prison Fellowship Ministries for this opportunity. It’s always a blessing when we can engage youth but also where there’s a religious component to it,” William Troy Curry, CEO and founder of STEM WARS, says. “We love this partnership. It truly is our ministry.”

The Prison Fellowship Angel Tree team worked diligently to set up a fun environment for campers. The common meeting space was reminiscent of a hotel ballroom—without all the fanfare—and was sectioned off with room dividers for the various activities. The main meeting area was filled with uncovered round tables to encourage conversation and fun.

As campers rotated through the workshops, the meeting spaces buzzed with excitement. In one room, children flew drones and learned how this technology is changing the way companies make deliveries, do surveillance, and perform other tasks.

In another space, children sat in chairs around the perimeter of the room. They used a tablet to control a tennis ball-size robot, called Sphero, and drive it around orange cones.

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Children bopped to music in one of the other rooms. Curry’s team set up an entire mobile music production studio. Kids made a unique beat, added their own lyrics, and recorded an original song. Curry says these activities provide an outlet for self-expression through music therapy.

One student entered the music production session with a poor self-image, but by the time she wrote and performed her lyrics, her tune had changed, and everyone could see the boost in her confidence.

And Kaden, a second grader, received support from his peers while performing.

“Once I had finished my song, everybody was cheering,” he says. “I did Spanish, and then I shifted straight to English. The song that I sang … was talking about Jesus’ sacrifice.”

MOREHOUSE VOLUNTEERS: A WELCOME PRESENCE

Volunteers from Morehouse School of Medicine were there to offer encouragement and assistance to campers. Ayomide Olayiwola, a first-year Ph.D. student and STEM camp volunteer, says events like this help children to know they are seen. She believes it’s important to give Angel Tree children opportunities they may not get otherwise.

Olayiwola says, “Outside of doing all the medical events … this [camp] is a different opportunity that’s just as impactful in people’s lives.”

Many of the Morehouse volunteers were young adults, and their presence helped campers feel welcome.

“They understand me, and they understand what I go through,” Sean, a sixth-grade camper, says. “[This is] a safe environment where people can have fun with each other.”

PARENTS: GAINING KNOWLEDGE

While campers were occupied with their workshops, parents spent time learning about resources and making connections with other adults who were in similar situations.

Vanessa, a grandmother who attended the parent and guardian session, says gaining knowledge was a highlight she gleaned from the meeting. She also says she learned prayer is helpful.

Community partners offered resources like information on summer jobs for youth, a wealth-building program for teens, and a caregiver program for grandparents who are raising grandchildren with disabilities.

Additionally, Prison Fellowship^® staff signed up more than half of the parents for The Hope Connection—a newsletter for people raising children who have a parent in prison.

Kayla, another parent who attended the session, praised Prison Fellowship for having so many offerings. She fondly remembers the Angel Tree sports camp her son previously attended where he received a pair of sneakers.