Camp Compass is a unified service education effort with the objective of developing relationships between students, teachers and the community by introducing urban "disadvantaged" middle school children (grades 5 - 8) to various outdoor learning and opportunities. The result is an educated population understanding selected careers, conservation, outdoor philosophies and activities while advancing connections between different cultures, ages and socioeconomic levels.

This project will attempt to reach and mold inner city students by providing them with experience lessons designed to broaden their knowledge of the outdoors. During these sessions students are introduced and networked to over forty community businesses and working role models. To accomplish this goal informative agricultural, environmental, and career lessons are supplemented by adapted hands-on activities. While participating in outdoor experiences, students are involved in integrated Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics curriculum to enhance their learning. Content examples are reflective writing, demonstrations, animal identification, surveying, estimating, mapping and site visitation. The imprinting of this incremented program will allow the students to use their investigative discretion when passing judgment upon various outdoor issues.

This program is unique because it allows students to spend time with their teachers outside of school and its normal hours. Second, through instructor follow-up the students are held accountable for their behaviors both inside and outside of school. Next, in some cases this program has become a surrogate activity provider for many single parent and foster households and provides student references and future community employment contacts. Finally, it guides students to becoming valuable members of society through mentoring, continuous encouragement and peer assistance.

Mr. John F. Annoni, Camp Compass e-mail address - Landonfish@aol.com