Across the Hoosier state, the Lilly Endowment Inc. is helping Indiana colleges and universities engage young people, ages 5–18, with high-quality campus programs that encourage them to explore their interests and envision a future for themselves in college. The American Camp Association (ACA) is excited to support Indiana’s colleges and universities as a part of the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC) initiative. As part of IYPC, the Endowment has provided funding to the American Camp Association to offer specialized resources, training and technical assistance, networking and community connection opportunities, consultation, and other support customized for the 35 colleges and universities that have chosen to participate in IYPC.
Through this initiative, IYPC institutions will have access to the national Camps on Campus Kindred group. This community is a unique group of camps and professionals who run and operate youth programs on college and university campuses. Some IYPC institutions have provided youth programs in the past, and others are brand new to serving young people on college campuses, but both groups will gain access to ACA tools that will help them provide safe, fun, engaging, and high-quality youth programs on their campuses.
Schools are using their grants to support programs that reflect their academic offerings and campus cultures. Some will offer programs that focus on entrepreneurship, leadership development, and career exploration. Others will engage young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. And some schools, recognizing the ways in which the arts can complement STEM experiences, are developing interdisciplinary approaches rooted in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Many schools are collaborating with youth-serving organizations in their communities to implement their programs and recruit participants.
Through Indiana Youth Programs on Campus, the Endowment has approved grants totaling more than $22.6 million to higher education institutions that have physical campuses in the state of Indiana to create new programs for youth or to expand and enhance existing programs. To learn more about this initiative, view the news release and the grants list.
