Camp Oya!
"Camp Oya!," a multidisciplinary summer arts and entrepreneurship program, was designed for school aged youth who are well loved and supported by hard working families but have limited opportunities to engage with the disciplines of fine art. Camp Oya! provides youth ages 7 to 13 with a creative platform where they not only explore art based activities consisting of visual art classes and weekly visits to galleries and museums, but youth also participate in community building activities with small business owners and attend entrepreneurial workshops that prepare them to showcase their businesses and products during our culminating Youth Marketplace.
Another strong component of Camp Oya! is the intentional implementation of a curriculum rooted in New Orleans art and culture. This portion of the program was birthed from Keepers of the Culture, another art based program developed in 2016 by Camp Oya's executive director Journey Allen. Watch a short documentary of the Keepers of the Culture program .
Additional activities include yoga, swimming, gardening, freedom songs, creative movement, writing, African drumming and health & fitness classes. With the intention of nourishing the whole child, campers are provided with free breakfast, lunch and snacks daily.
COVID-19 "Camp Oya" Operations
In the face of COVID-19 "Camp Oya!" partnered with the Living School High School to provide youth with 4 weeks of online summer experiences throughout the month of June 2020. With the exception of our Yoga Class, which was guided by Britney Taylor of Amethyst Moon Yoga, all other sessions were led by passionate rising 10th graders of
Youth-led online classes included: Cooking, Beginners Painting, and Gardening. With support from The Jazz and Heritage Foundation Grant and the Duchesne Fund, packages filled with all supplies need for the activities were delivered to each participant at no cost.
Funding Organizations, Partners and Supporters
