Cross-Cultural Summer Camp Experience

Later this summer students from China will spend some time on our campus learning more about the American culture. This new feature of Overlake’s Summer Program is something that Director, Nate Edmunds, is excited about. “The camp idea came about over the past two years, as we’ve had a few Chinese students express interest in our camps, but we hadn’t had the exact structure to support their experience until now,” explains Edmunds.

Thanks to Overlake faculty, Jen Pan and Limei Xu, these students will be able to experience a quality summer camp with seasoned educators. “During the two weeks, the Chinese students will be in a class together in the mornings taught by me and Jen Pan that will focus on cultural comparisons and experiences, as well as language enhancement,” explains Xu. “Then in the afternoons, they will have the opportunity to choose one of the existing camps to join American students in their camp activities.”

This cross-cultural mixing of campers is intentional by design with the hopes that all kids will benefit from this time spent together. “In any exchange, the hope is that everyone benefits,” explains Edmunds. “I imagine that American students will get just as much from this as the Chinese students. Any time you interact and engage with someone from a different background, you open the door for more empathy and understanding about the different experiences across the globe.”

The kids will be able to have lunch together and the Chinese students will be able to practice their language skills in a real-world setting. “We are hoping to create a great experience for the Chinese students and attract more interest by word of mouth,” says Xu. “Our goal is to have two sessions of two-week cultural exchange summer camps each year.”

The camp is open to Chinese students who will be entering grades 6-10 next school year. Click here for more information on the cultural exchange camp.

And to register for other camps and take advantage of the early bird savings until April 1, click here.