The Heritage Education Group | Founded 2001
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Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
July 31, 2002
Camp provides cultural education
Cal Poly Pomona welcomes program introducing heritage to kids in grades 2-6
Author: JENNIFER CHO, Staff Writer
POMONA -- Before they came to summer camp, twin sisters Alexis and Arielle Wideman thought Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Thomas Edison were the only faces in U.S. history.
So when the 10-year-olds from Chino Hills learned that the gas mask, traffic light, fire extinguisher and typewriter were all invented by blacks, they realized there were hundreds of influential people to whom they could look up to.
"We learned about our history, the things that we didn't get to learn in school,' said Alexis, who will be a fifth grader at Rolling Ridge Elementary School. "Now we know that blacks have done a lot for us.'
A deeper understanding of African-American history is just one of the many goals at Heritage Camp, a one-week summer program for children in grades 2-6 held at Cal Poly Pomona.
Created by the Heritage Educational Group, a nonprofit organization founded by brothers Donavan and Dion Turner, the Heritage Camp offers students a chance to improve their math and reading skills as well as increase their cultural awareness.
"I noticed there was a crisis among African-American students that was not being addressed in many of the public schools in the Inland Empire,' said Donavan Turner, Heritage Camp's executive director, who is also a special education teacher in the Pomona Unified School District. "These issues included low API scores and a lack of awareness of their cultural heritage.'
The Turner brothers started the first Heritage Camp last summer, and said their program was unique because it addresses cultural and social complexities that affect black children and other children of color.
Heritage Camp is sponsored by Cal Poly Pomona's African American Student Center, the Career Center and the Department of Student Affairs.
In addition to reading and writing instruction, Heritage Camp's life skills classes include health and hygiene, money management and "Elder Enlightenment' -- a class where an elder from the community imparts words of wisdom to bridge the gap between old and young.
According to Heritage Camp's founders, the summer program has been enthusiastically received by corporations, hospitals and the L.A. County Sheriff Department.
"We have people from Washington Mutual who teach a 'Money Smarts' class, 24 Hour Fitness comes in and gives yoga classes and staff from the USC Women and Children's Hospital teach the kids about healthy hygiene habits,' said Turner.
Wednesday's "Elder Enlightenment' guests were jazz musician Billie Harris and djembe drummer Omo Ogun Osogba.
Harris, who played the alto and tenor saxophones, sang songs about the importance of a solid parent-child relationship and putting joy into everyday work and play.
"Happiness to work and sing all day,' he sang. "Oh yes, there's time for play -- so work and play. To work and sing and play is happiness.'
"What I hope to tell them is while you are in school, to do something that makes you happy and pays your living expenses, because there are people out there who make loads of money but they dread work,' said Harris, 65. "But money doesn't buy that missing piece.'
Jennifer Cho can be reached by e-mail at jennifer.cho@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9381.
(c) 2002 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved.
Media
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
July 31, 2002
Camp provides cultural education
Cal Poly Pomona welcomes program introducing heritage to kids in grades 2-6
Author: JENNIFER CHO, Staff Writer
POMONA -- Before they came to summer camp, twin sisters Alexis and Arielle Wideman thought Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Thomas Edison were the only faces in U.S. history.
So when the 10-year-olds from Chino Hills learned that the gas mask, traffic light, fire extinguisher and typewriter were all invented by blacks, they realized there were hundreds of influential people to whom they could look up to.
"We learned about our history, the things that we didn't get to learn in school,' said Alexis, who will be a fifth grader at Rolling Ridge Elementary School. "Now we know that blacks have done a lot for us.'
A deeper understanding of African-American history is just one of the many goals at Heritage Camp, a one-week summer program for children in grades 2-6 held at Cal Poly Pomona.
Created by the Heritage Educational Group, a nonprofit organization founded by brothers Donavan and Dion Turner, the Heritage Camp offers students a chance to improve their math and reading skills as well as increase their cultural awareness.
"I noticed there was a crisis among African-American students that was not being addressed in many of the public schools in the Inland Empire,' said Donavan Turner, Heritage Camp's executive director, who is also a special education teacher in the Pomona Unified School District. "These issues included low API scores and a lack of awareness of their cultural heritage.'
The Turner brothers started the first Heritage Camp last summer, and said their program was unique because it addresses cultural and social complexities that affect black children and other children of color.
Heritage Camp is sponsored by Cal Poly Pomona's African American Student Center, the Career Center and the Department of Student Affairs.
In addition to reading and writing instruction, Heritage Camp's life skills classes include health and hygiene, money management and "Elder Enlightenment' -- a class where an elder from the community imparts words of wisdom to bridge the gap between old and young.
According to Heritage Camp's founders, the summer program has been enthusiastically received by corporations, hospitals and the L.A. County Sheriff Department.
"We have people from Washington Mutual who teach a 'Money Smarts' class, 24 Hour Fitness comes in and gives yoga classes and staff from the USC Women and Children's Hospital teach the kids about healthy hygiene habits,' said Turner.
Wednesday's "Elder Enlightenment' guests were jazz musician Billie Harris and djembe drummer Omo Ogun Osogba.
Harris, who played the alto and tenor saxophones, sang songs about the importance of a solid parent-child relationship and putting joy into everyday work and play.
"Happiness to work and sing all day,' he sang. "Oh yes, there's time for play -- so work and play. To work and sing and play is happiness.'
"What I hope to tell them is while you are in school, to do something that makes you happy and pays your living expenses, because there are people out there who make loads of money but they dread work,' said Harris, 65. "But money doesn't buy that missing piece.'
Jennifer Cho can be reached by e-mail at jennifer.cho@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9381.
(c) 2002 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved.