For the second year, the St. Louis Housing Authority partnered with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension to provide youth with a summer filled with learning, exploration and new experiences through the Bridge the Gap Summer Institute.
Held at the Al Chapelle Community Center, the camp welcomed SLHA youth ages 8 to 15. The program focused on STEM education, social-emotional learning, agriculture, fitness and community building.
The program was supported by SLHA Executive Director Latasha Barnes, the Property Management team, the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) program and the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program.
Throughout the camp, youth participated in Second Step lessons focused on personal safety, trusted adults, hygiene and self-regulation. Campers discussed how to recognize unsafe situations and identify people they trust. Younger participants also practiced important information, including their parents’ phone numbers and home addresses.
Through the Next Wave hydroponics curriculum, students helped set up hydroponic systems, observed plant growth and learned how hydroponics can benefit communities. Camp leaders also encouraged students to connect the growth of the plants to their own personal growth.
Campers stayed active with games including dodgeball, Sharks and Minnows, Four Corners, table tennis, Simon Says, tag and Night at the Museum. They also expressed their creativity through painting, air-dry clay projects and making galaxies in jars.
One of the summer’s highlights was an agriculture-focused field trip to Poplar Bluff, Missouri. ROSS Coordinator Justin Mosley attended as a staff chaperone, accompanying 15 youth as they learned about farming, healthy habits and other areas of agriculture alongside young people from other cities in Lincoln University’s program network. Activities were held at the Black River Coliseum.
The excitement of the youth as they boarded the bus was a memorable moment and reflected the importance of exposing young people to new places and opportunities outside their immediate community.
Campers also participated in Discover Nature Day, where they learned how to fish, explored crawfish, watched pig races and enjoyed the waterslides.
“Seeing the youth evolve from feeling like they had to attend camp to genuinely looking forward to each day was extremely rewarding,” said Mosley. “Their shift from obligation to excitement reflected the strong relationships our staff built with them throughout the program.”
Now in its second year, the Bridge the Gap Summer Institute continues to provide SLHA youth with a safe and supportive environment where they can learn, build relationships and discover new possibilities.
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