Jennifer Kern
Staff Writer

With school out and summer beginning, junior high students are looking forward to months of fun and freedom.

Forest Lake Area School Community Education is giving those youth an extra reason to become excited with its new summer program ìClub 678.î

Beginning next week, youth who will attend sixth, seventh or eighth grade in the fall, can take part in the club.

Offer suggestions and make decisions

Club 678 provides junior high kids with a variety of opportunities to have fun and learn, but the goal of the program is to allow them to make decisions about how the club should be structured.

The program will last eight weeks and each week has a different theme. From ìCareer Exploration Clubî week to ìScience and Technology Clubî week, youth will offer ideas regarding each weekís theme and what activities could be planned to correlate with those themes.

ìWeíve tried to create a theme, but we want them to plug in the details.î said Kathy Bystrom, Youth Development Coordinator for Community Education.

For example, July 25-29 will be ìClub Adventuresî week. Youth can help decide what field trips they would like to take for the week. Already, suggestions have included trips to Valleyfair, horseback riding or canoeing.

Bystrom calls the club a ìpartnershipî between youth and adults.

ìThis program needed to be unique,î she described.

A team of counselors, made up of young adults, will be involved with the club to provide encouragement and excitement, as well as safety.

ìTheyíre looking forward to making a difference in the lives of these kids,î explained Bystrom.

Chad Ruter, who is a co-coordinator of the club, as well as coordinator of the teen center, particularly enjoys working with students at the junior high level.

ìTheyíre so full of life and so curious,î he answered. His goals for youth are to get them involved in a variety of aspects of the club.

ìAnd to have fun,î he added, ìThatís the whole point of the summer.î

Club accommodates to family schedules

The idea for the club has been a work in progress. Bystrom said summer events had been planned in the past for junior high students, but transportation issues created problems for some youth to attend. This year, transportation and other program costs will be less of a concern thanks to a $10,000 grant given to the program by 3Mís McKnight Foundation.

The school district applied for the grant for Club 678. Out of 500 applicants, 15 received grant dollars and the new program was one that was selected.

Due to the grant, the cost for the club is $99 per child per week. Payment covers all transportation and entrance fee costs for activities. Scholarships are available for youth in the program as well.

Youth can register for all eight weeks of the club, or they can choose what weeks they want to be involved with. That allows for families to budget Club 678 around their own individual schedules.

On a daily basis, the program also accommodates family schedules. Club 678 will begin and end its days at the Central Learning Center at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. respectively. Earlier drop-off and later pick-up options are available.

For youth, by youth

Differing from summer programs for young children, which are planned solely by adults, Club 678 recognizes the need for junior high students to express their ideas and opinions.

ìWe need to give them credit for their capability,î explained Bystrom.

At the same time, she wants parents to feel comfortable with their childrenís involvement in Club 678.

ìWe really want kids to be safe, engaged and involved,î she said, ìAnd thatís the bottom line.î

Theme weeks for Club 678 include:

ï ìClub Kick-offî week (June 20-24)

ï ìScience and Technology Clubî week (June 27-July 1)

ï ìService-Learning Clubî week (July 11-15)

ï ìThe Arts Clubî week (July 18-22)

ï ìClub Adventuresî week (July 25-29)

ï ìCareer Exploration Clubî week (Aug. 1-5)

ï ìClub Discoveryî week (Aug. 8-12)

ï ìFor Girls Only - For Boys Onlyî week (Aug. 15-19)

For more information or to register, contact Bystrom at 651-982-8391 or kbystrom@forestlake.k12.mn.us or Leslie Thomas at 651-982-8328 or lthomas@forestlake.k12.mn.us. The Community Education is www.communityed4u.org

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Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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