IUPUC hosted iEngage, a civics camp for kids, in late June. Education students played a crucial role in the camp, serving as camp counselors. Reflecting on the experience, the college students say they got just as much out of iEngage as their campers did.

“The students have been so engaged,” Yamileth Martinez said. As a soon-to-be teacher, she said the experience was wonderful. “I get to have this firsthand experience, where I have 11 students just to myself all week, and I get to guide them to do something so empowering. It’s not only empowering to me, but it’s empowering to them, and it’s empowering other students.”

Maddison Brittain, IUPUC Education student and iEngage counselor, agreed that it was an amazing experience. “This camp really helped me realize that this is truly what I want to do for my career.”

Camp Co-director and IUPUC Professor of Social Studies Education Stephanie Serriere described the camp as “helping to purposefully hand down democracy to the next generation,” while also recentering and lifting up civics education.

She described how the campers were worried about guns in their schools, mental health and climate change. Participating in iEngage helped them see they’re not alone in their concerns, and that we can work together to address issues by studying root causes and partnering with assets in the community.

“At the same time, we’re teaching future teachers—our camp counselors—how to teach in an inquiry, project-based, student-centered way,” Serriere said. “It’s exciting to see soon-to-be teachers not just thinking about knowledge about civics but how to take up action. There are two sides of the coin in civics education: knowledge and action.”

One of the campers told Amy Warren, another IUPUC Education student and iEngage counselor, that the camp made her realize youth are a valued part of the community and can make a great difference.

“There are a million things I could say about all the great things, big transformation and small, quiet changes, that happened at iEngage,” Warren added. “I think I got just as much out of it as the students did!”

Serriere emphasized that the camp couldn’t have happened without the hard work of faculty, staff and students, and especially noted the huge amount of community support. “We worked closely with 16 community partners who shared valuable firsthand knowledge with our campers. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to our wonderful partners and supporters.”

Watch a video about iEngage and learn more on the iEngage website.

iEngage Speakers and presenters

• Erica Schmidt, Human Rights Commission
• Joy Basa-King, United Way/Human Rights Commission
• Grace Kestler, City Council
• Frank Griffin, Cummins CARE
• Amy Linneman, Beloved Bags
• Stephanie Cunningham, Turning Point
• Madelynn Marks, Love Chapel
• Luz Elena Michel, Nadia Herrera Luna, and Mariana Petraglia, Community Education Coalition’s Tu Futuro, Latino Outreach
• Shelley Arroyo, Pride Pantry
• Emily Dill and Jennifer Hardin, IUPUC Library
• George Towers, IUPUC Division of Liberal Arts / CivicLab
• Felicia Garr, Community Education Coalition’s Black and Biracial Youth Initiative
• IUPUC Office of Admissions
• Karen Garrity, IUPUC Division of Education
• Kyle Hendricks, Heritage Fund
• Richard McCoy, Landmark Columbus
• Lori Thompson, Paths to Success
• U.S. Congressional Representative Greg Pence

iEngage community partners/sponsors

• Bartholomew County Foundation for Youth (FFY)
• Bartholomew County Community Schools (BCSC) 
• Bartholomew County Democratic Women
• Bill and Norma Perry Family 
• Heritage Fund
• IUPUC Office of Admissions 
• Indiana University’s Center on Representative Government (CoRG)
• Indiana University’s Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) program Taylor Bros. Construction, Inc.
• Indiana Humanities (in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities)
• Rick and Alice Johnson
• U.S. Congressman Greg Pence