Hope Restoration: Summer Camp for Boys 2008
Mission Statement
We exist to restore hope in the lives of people.
(HOPE stands for Helping Other People Excel)
The Challenge
From their elementary education through their high school days, boys are struggling to succeed in the classroom. Boys receive as many as 70 percent of Ds and Fs given in schools, create up to 90 percent of classroom discipline problems, and constitute 80 percent of high school dropouts, according to author and educator Michael Gurian — one of the world's leading authorities on the role of gender in education.
Our primary area is in Council District 7, which encompasses South Dallas Fair Park, parts of Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove. According to the City of Dallas District 7 statistics, only 31% graduate high school, 7.8% have a Bachelor’s Degree and 4.2% have a graduate degree.
According to the state juvenile statistics, approximately 45% of juvenile offenders are African American males.
The Solution: Summer Learning
When school doors close for the summer, what do kids face? For some, it’s a world of interesting vacations, music lessons and library trips. For others without enriching summertime opportunities, the break can lead to serious academic consequences – and the disparity can be dramatic. Research conducted by Johns Hopkins sociology Professor Karl Alexander and his colleagues shows that low-income youth suffer significantly from a loss of academic skills over the summertime. And the losses pile up, contributing to an achievement gap that can make the difference whether students set out on a path for college or decide to drop out of high school.
Our Mission
Hope Restoration, Inc Boys Summer Camp mission is to create opportunities for summer learning for boys ages 9 to 14.
Our Goal
We are committed to expanding summer learning opportunities for boys as a strategy for closing the achievement gap.
Character Education strategies will be delivered through a series of Pastoral Mentoring.
Our curriculum will concentrate on Math, Science and Reading. Additionally we will have sport athletic mini camps. To expose our participants, we will take field trips each Friday.
This is our first year and we plan to service 60-75 boys.