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Once the spring semester ends, Auburn University students head off to enjoy their summers at home, vacation or even an internship. Without students, campus falls into a slow hibernation waiting for students to return in the fall – or one might think.
Auburn Youth Programs (AYP) brings over 4,000 campers to Auburn University and the city of Auburn over 8 weeks during the summer. The campers range from those wanting to learn more about academic study to athletes looking to sharpen their skills. AYP’s impact stretches beyond campus and the community onto the lives of the campers from around the world.
In partnership with Varsity Spirit, Auburn Youth Programs hosts 156 cheer and dance teams from 113 schools in fifty-two counties in four states during Universal Cheer Association and Universal Dance Association camps. Auburn is deemed a Tier 1 site by Varsity Spirit denoting that the camps through AYP are high caliber, run efficiently and allow Varsity Spirit to use quality facilities. Varsity Spirit has hosted camps at Auburn for several decades, returning each year to partner with Auburn Youth Programs.
Auburn Youth Programs campers experience living as an Auburn student before graduating high school. Campers stay in university housing and eat at campus dining facilities, getting a feel of all that Auburn University has to offer. Campers come ready to move into a dorm for the week with sheets and blankets in tow; some even choose to decorate for a few nights. At lunch time, The Edge is bustling with campers eating, laughing and spending time together outside of instructional time. The dorm lobbies are also full of fellowship and card games before campers are off to bed. Campers continue the sense of community offered within university housing and dining even while Auburn students are away.
In partnership with over ten academic colleges, Auburn Youth Programs academic camps offer insight into many of the major studies offered at Auburn University. Campers interact with faculty and staff gaining information on college level instruction and potential degree and career paths. For many participants, these camps solidify not only if they want to attend Auburn University but also what academic field they would like to pursue.
Auburn Youth Programs have a significant impact on Auburn students and faculty. They hire around thirty college students to serve as counselors and staff mentoring the participants and guiding them around campus. These students range from majors within the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction, the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts and beyond. The counselors interact with faculty within their colleges in a unique way during these camps – a distinct opportunity to demonstrate their leadership qualities. The camps create a special scenario for current Auburn students to build deeper relationships with faculty and staff. Auburn Youth Programs stand at the cornerstone of recruiting potential students to campus while also fostering the success of those already enrolled.
Current Auburn University sophomore, Camryn Brewis, attended two Auburn Youth Pro-grams camps in the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction as a high schooler. Since then, Camryn has chosen to pursue a degree in Building Science at Auburn, been selected as an ambassador for the college and completed a summer as an AYP counselor. Camryn worked closely with her own professors during camps to cultivate extraordinary experience for the campers and build relationships with those who may be in her future classes. While Camryn always knew that Auburn would be her home, AYP camps showed her the exact degree path she wanted to follow. Auburn Youth Programs continues to support her growth as a student leader and standout within the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction.
Many campers use summer camp as an opportunity to “try Auburn on” before committing to where they will spend their four years of undergraduate studies. Camryn is not the only camper to find success and clarity on their future degree path through Auburn Youth Programs. In fact, many campers who choose to attend Auburn University return to AYP as counselors due to the impact it had on them, as well as the leadership and academic opportunities being a counselor provides.
AYP also has a major impact on the city of Auburn. Campers come from more than forty states and a handful of other countries. Before arriving at camp, families support local businesses by stopping for lunch downtown or picking up dorm essentials before check-in. While campers stay in university housing, many parents elect to stay in nearby hotels soaking in all the city has to offer while their child attends camp. Campers also spend at least one evening walking around Downtown Auburn and checking out what the shops have to offer – Toomer’s Drugs lemonade always being a crowd favorite.
AYP camps not only sell the Auburn University experience but also show the hospitality and abundance of resources the city of Auburn can offer students. “Summer camps for high school students bring a special energy to the Auburn economy,” said Robyn Bridges, president and chief executive officer of Auburn-Opelika Tourism. “These visitors impact our economy now and will for years to come. Participants and families experience campus and our community, many for the first time. These are enduring memories and a connection that could last well beyond a single experience.” Summer camps bring in over $212,000 to the local economy and 500+ hotel room bookings.
Some camps opt to take field trips in the surrounding area. The Creative Writing Camp, partnered with the Department of English, being one. Along with perusing the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and speaking with notable authors and editors, these campers also visited a Magnolia Avenue favorite, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers. Campers can browse and purchase current book selections and enjoy the charm offered by the novelty bookstore meets coffee shop in Downtown Auburn.
AYP makes a definite impact on campers. Experiencing life like an Auburn student for a few days goes beyond seeing the campus. Auburn Youth Programs seek to exemplify and instill traits of the Auburn Creed in each camper that comes to campus. The AYP full-time staff looks for exceptional students who embody the Auburn spirit to represent Auburn University to those attending summer camp. Whether these campers enroll as Auburn students or not, the primary hope is that they leave camp with a better sense of the Auburn spirit and a broader understanding of the mission emphasizing education and hard work.
