Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
Throughout a summer filled with basketball, miniature horses and ice cream, making new friends at the Roots Summer Leadership Academy was 10-year-old Marlou Ann Obregon’s favorite activity.
Obregon was one of around 45 kids from in and around Albuquerque’s International District who wrapped up a three-week summer camp – the 10th year of the academy – on Friday.
The coolest part of the camp for her? Music, art, theater and dance – which she later acknowledged was pretty much everything the camp offered.
“I just learned a lot of things,” the Emerson Elementary School fifth-grader told the Journal.
Making friends can be hard, some students noted. But, now, optimistic about the skills they picked up during the academy, they’re excited to go back to school.
“I really struggle at making friends,” Norah Cuppernell, who will soon begin eighth grade, said. “I’m hoping this will help me boost my confidence.”
The free camp, organised by the New Mexico Black Leadership Council, is open to students aged 8 to 16 from all parts of the International District.
The camp’s mission is to teach leadership skills through social-emotional learning and bring out students’ different strengths via an education steeped in the arts.
Camp Director Kim Obregon – Marlou Ann’s mother – said the camp attracts people from all walks of life, including students experiencing homelessness and those from refugee communities.
“We’re targeting communities where stability is an issue across the board,” she said. “There are certain cultural groups who do not get opportunities like this and we’re really trying to increase that accessibility.”
The theme for this year was the Zulu word “sawubona,” which Obregon explained means “I see you seeing me.” For one art project, the students treated themselves as their own muses, painting words and designs onto masks displayed after their closing ceremony.
To cap off the camp, students put on a show at First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, 3701 Carlisle NE. They twirled tapestries, acted out bullying scenes with amicable resolutions and sang their camp song, “I believe in me.”
“This is what gives students that sense of self, that engagement, that excitement about all of the possibilities of learning,” said Albuquerque Public Schools board member Barbara Petersen, who represents the International District.
“It was amazing,” 16-year-old Josaiah Thompson said. “I met a lot of new people, I got to learn new things, and art, and dance styles.”
