Cultural awareness education programs open eyes, minds and hearts to diverse populations. Young students will have enriching and indelible experiences as well as engaging adventures that deepen not only their lives but also their academic careers.
Columbia College Chicago offers a concentrated three-week college-level program designed for students interested in studying the arts, media and communications subjects: High School Summer Institute (HSSI) or Summer in the City. HSSI is open to students who will have completed their sophomore, junior or senior year of high school in 2015 and who have not yet matriculated to college. It has provided opportunities for thousands of students from diverse backgrounds since 1982. Students have gained insight into the Columbia College Chicago experience, which has helped them explore their creative pursuits and academic goals.
Capable Columbia faculty creates hands-on educational courses that are intended to challenge students, enable them to find their creative voice and help them develop technical skills that will further their academic careers. Students will also have the opportunity to build up their portfolios and exhibit their accomplishments at the HSSI Showcase. The best part: high school students can earn college credit. Credits earned transfer directly to Columbia College Chicago as well as into other participating colleges and universities.
Abbey Road’s academic study abroad summer programs, founded by Stanford alumni in 2000 and directed by Dr. Arthur Kian, have been the source of great growth and experience for students. Its mission is to provide quality programs that encourage multicultural learning, personal development and educational enrichment through culture and language immersion abroad.
Professional instructors lead the way and help young students participate in the culture in a very real and applied way. Teens will interact with the locals, visit museums and monuments, eat fresh and local food every day and study the history and culture. Experiential learning in a non-traditional learning environment is the name of the game.
Concordia Language Villages (CLV), a platform that stems from Concordia College — a private liberal arts college that focuses on global education — offers several youth and family programs, including pre-K enrichment opportunities, sleep-away camps (one-to-four weeks) and high school credit programs. Programs are available for school groups and some even to the entire family as well.
“Every year I’ve gone to the Concordia Language Villages, I’ve had a remarkable time. I manage to learn so much in the four weeks I am there,” says Paige Saskia, 16, a German villager.
CLV sets out to create environments in which learning other languages and studying other cultures in an applied manner becomes necessary to nurture conscientious citizens.
“Concordia Language Villages provides immersion language and culture programs each summer at our summer camps in northern Minnesota,” says Carl-Martin Nelson, director of marketing and enrollment. “Students live the language and culture by eating culturally authentic meals, participating in authentic games and learning language from native speakers.”
Participants can come to CLV for language immersion programs and delve into a new experience that will allow them to learn through authentic educational programs that use only their chosen language.
Languages include Portuguese, Arabic, Korean, French, Russian, Chinese and many more. Fifteen languages are available for every age and level of ability.
