India Currents has comprised a list of summer camps in and around the Bay Area with South Asian themes. They are listed chronologically.
Camp Jano India
Celebrate Indian culture, languages, arts, festivals, literature, cuisine, and leaders. Weekly themes are brought to life through related arts, dance, games, projects, stories, and theatre in a creative, interactive, and structured style. Sponsored by U.S. Hindi Association (USHA), an educational nonprofit organization. Ages 5-14.
June 13-Aug. 5, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., pre- and post-care available. Huff Elementary, 253 Martens Ave., Mountain View, and Scott Lane Elementary, 1925 Scott Blvd., Santa Clara (enroll for one to six weeks at either site). (650) 493-1566. www.janoindia.com.
Cultural and Specialty Summer Camps
India Community Center’s camps feature safe and secure environment with adult supervision at all times and intergenerational interaction with seniors and teenage counselors. Enrollment available for one or several weeks. Camps are: BollyHop, Bollywood Dance, Chess, Crafts of India, Cultural Immersion, Folk Dances of India, Hindi, Lego Motor Mania, Movie Magic, NXT Robotics, Spybot Robotics, Table Tennis, Tales of India, Techno Robot, The Amazing Space Race, Treasures of the Taj, Vedic Math, and Gandhi camp. For children K-9th grade.
All ICC camps are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 13-Sept. 2, ICC Milpitas, 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas. June 27-July 22, ICC Palo Alto, 3981 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. June 20-24, ICC Sunnyvale, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale. Gandhi Camp: 9799 State Route 1, Olema. Also available: extended care and enrichment classes after camp for additional fees, andhealthy vegetarian meals at $35/week (Milpitas). (408) 934-1130, Ext. 225. youth@indiacc.org. www.indiacc.org.
Samskritam Residential Camp
A weeklong camp set in a great location on the beach at Sausalito, where children learn to speak, play games, and chat with friends all in Sanskrit! No prior knowledge of Samskritam is required. Offered by Samskrita Bharati. Also offers Samskritam as foreign language course for high schoolers. This course helps them to complete course requirement on foreign language equivalent. Video of previous camp at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n89_7pv-kUo. Grades 8 and above.
June 19-25, YMCA Point Bonita, 981 Fort Barry GGNRA, Sausalito. sb_sanjose@yahoo.com. (214) 680-7420.
Samskritam Summer Camp for Kids
Children will enjoy a summer camp learning Samskritam, arts, crafts, yoga, and listening to simple stories in Samskritam. At the end of the one week, kids learn to speak simple, conversational Samskritam. No prior knowledge of samskritam required. Grades 3-7.
July 11-15, various locations in Bay Area. (408) 431-9214. sb_sanjose@yahoo.com.
Kathak Dance
The Chhandam School of Kathak, founded by world-renowned master and guru Chitresh Das, is one of the largest classical Indian dance institutions in the world. With 600 students worldwide, seven branches in California, one school in Boston, and two locations in India, Chhandam is a place for cultural education and self-discovery through the dynamic tradition of Kathak dance. At Chhandam Children’s Summer Camp, students will be immersed in dance technique, storytelling, and expression, North Indian classical music, theory, etiquette, history, and rhythmical mathematics. Ages 6-12.
June 27-July 1, July 11-July 15, Aug. 15-19. 9 a.m.-3pm (bring lunch). Week1-2: Mission Dance & Performing Arts, 42068 Osgood Road, Fremont. Week 3: Pacific Ballet Academy, 295B Polaris Ave., Mountain View. (415)333-9000. chhandam@kathak.org,
South Asian Youth Leadership
Residential camp for Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Bhutanese, and Nepalese diaspora. This first Bay Area Solidarity Summer (BASS) leadership camp for South Asian youth will offer programs on progressive issues, organizing skills, networking, and leadership skills. The camp participants will learn about issues affecting the South Asian community locally and globally, spanning issues such as Creative Arts and Action, Racial Profiling, Hip Hop Revolutionaries, and Environmental Justice. A highlight will be a look at the 100 years of history of South Asian Bay Area student activism. Ages 14-19.
July 22-26, Center for Third World Organizing Training and Retreat Center, 1218 E. 21st St., Oakland. $50, includes all housing and food expenses for four days and three nights. www.solidaritysummer.org.
Muslim Youth Leadership Program
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold its seventh annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) conference at the State Capitol building in Sacramento. The four-day conference will feature workshops on community organizing and advocacy, public speaking, and media activism. The highlight of the conference will be a mock legislature session on the Senate floor, during which participants serve as legislators as they debate public policy issues. Speakers who address the students include state legislators and government officials. Umer Waris, a Southern California native, was elected Senate president pro tem at last year’s program. After attending the program, he said the Muslim faith teaches that “we have a greater duty, not only to Muslims but to humanity in general, and it is our responsibility to help others.” Open to Muslim high schoolers.
July 28-31, State Capitol, Sacramento. http://ca.cair.com/sacval/event/mylp2011.
ART Excel
The Art of Living Foundation’s ART Excel program (All Round Training in Excellence Program) will teach kids, through games, and fun-based processes, to release physical and emotional stress. Yoga and meditation being a component, children learn how to become responsible and deal effectively with life’s challenges and remain uninhibited, joyful. They develop leadership skills and learn how to increase mental clarity, focus, and concentration. Please call for free introductory workshops. Ages 8-13.
Aug. 17-21. (510)573.4333. www.tinyurl.com/TrainingInExcellence.