According to Allison Rose Jefferson of GPA consulting, one of the earliest documented African American Summer Camps created by and for African American youth was started in 1919, by the 12th Street Branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). The camp operated similarly to modern day nonresidential camps. One of its founders was Betty Hill (1876-1960), an African-American civil rights and women rights activist in the early 20th century. Her efforts were significant in making certain that segregation and racial discrimination were unable to gain a foothold in Southern California as they did in the south.
Several Black church congregations got involved in organizing summer inner city summer camp programs during the 1920’s and 1930’s according to the California Eagle archives, issue date. Friday, May 8,1931 (Library of Congress).
Preventing the ‘Summer Slide’
Former Los Angeles Unified School District educator Patsy Smith believes the term “Summer Slide” or “Summer Fade” has been around for at least a century. According to Smith, the term means children forget what they learned during the academic year when summer break arrives, essentially their knowledge decreases over summer vacation.
Research indicates students can lose 20 percent of their reading and comprehension skills and 27 percent of their math skills over the summer. One of the earliest document studies appeared in 1906, it was published by educator William F. White.
Tangela Terry, Founder and CEO the BrookieT Academy and Cultivate Fertile Minds Co-Ed Specialty Summer Camp, has been involved with mentoring underserved elementary and middle school students for a decade through both programs.
According to Terry, her Summer Camp’s focus is on life skills, mentorship, enrichment, and the program is designed for children ages five to 13 in addition to empowering under-served youth. “We focus on preventing the summer fade or summer slide by keeping kids stimulated with extracurricular programs and extended learning opportunities,” she said.
Summer Camp – Interview Q&A with Tangela Terry
WC: What are the biggest benefits of summer camp programs, particularly for children in your community?
TT: The biggest benefit of summer camp programs is to get the children away from their tablets and fully immersed in social play and community learning.
WC: You emphasize both academic enrichment and creative specialty skills like robotics and culinary arts. How do you balance rigorous learning with summer fun so that kids stay engaged without feeling like they’re just in an extra semester of school?
TT: Our camp rotates a new focus every hour or so. This will allow the students to avoid feeling restless, their needs are met and fulfilled through a weekly water activity and field trips, and these children are building a bond because they are actively experiencing together.
WC: Could you give us a snapshot of some of the outings and experiences students will have while attending the summer camp?
TT: The students will experience arts around the community, learn about the history found within their local community in LA County, swimming, hair care, language immersion, and more! Our camp is structured as a mini vocational program with fun filled activities.
WC: When the camp ends in August and the kids head back to their regular school classrooms, what is the ultimate breakthrough or transformation you hope they take with them into the new school year?
TT: The team works diligently to ensure youth have higher esteem, are exposed to the beauty within their community, become more advanced in their academics, gain knowledge of a new skill,, and understand the power of community.
BrookieT Academy- About the Beginning
WC: When was BrookieT Academy officially founded, and what inspired you to start the organization?
TT: BrookieT Academy was officially founded in April 2023. This organization was inspired by the birth and relationship I share with my daughter. I sought to develop a program that highlights cultivating the child, nurturing the parent/child relationship, and working with others in the community that share the same vision for their families.
WC: Tell me the story behind the name ‘BrookieT Academy.’
TT: BrookieT is a combination of my daughter’s nickname, Brookie, and the first initial of my name.
WC: What was your vision when you first launched the organization, and how has that vision evolved over the years?
TT: Originally, my vision was to provide successful tools to parents desiring to respect the growing pains of raising a toddler. This vision traces back to Brookie and I wanted to build a community of parents and their children. However, in 2020, COVID changed the lives of the world and that caused the mission to be adjusted to ensure youth have a space to maintain healthy social skills and have the opportunity to experience life skill training.
Many families were losing their jobs and being informed of their job wasn’t essential. COVID exposed how unprepared the world was and how much skillset we truly lacked. After jotting many notes and prayers, BrookieT Academy was created to provide life skill enrichment programs for youth. We started off with gardening/nutrition, financial literacy, and social play. Today, we have expanded our programming to robotics, STEM, arts, sewing and more! Life skills were removed from the educational program and we are constantly working to ensure proven track records of the past so we can continue in the future.
WC: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your first year?
TT: The biggest challenge was finding a team that wasn’t selfish.
WC: Was there a defining moment that made you realize BrookieT Academy was making a real difference?
TT: I realized that BrookieT Academy was making a real difference when the same faces appeared, year after year.
Mission & Growth
WC: BrookieT Academy focuses on empowering youth through life skills and mentorship. Why did you choose that approach rather than a more traditional educational model?
TT: The traditional educational system works for some companies, but appears to lack the depth youth and their families need. The traditional educational model is political and our families are not always just black and white. We take pride in zoning in on the needs of the youth and the community to create healthier outcomes. In addition, we enjoy growing with our youth. We intentionally structure our educational model to adapt to our students and their needs. While our foundation is rooted in life skill enrichment and community support, we grow with our community.
WC: How do you determine which programs or services your community needs most?
TT: I volunteer in the community, I research various laws/policies, and I ask questions to different community members.
WC: How has BrookieT Academy changed since it first began?
TT: We started off with community outreach and expanded with tangible curriculum programs and more resource initiatives.
WC: What accomplishment are you most proud of so far?
TT: I am most proud of remaining resilient and determined.
WC: How do you measure success beyond attendance or participation?
TT: Success for BrookieT Academy is measured by the feedback and the smiles we maintain.
Community Impact
WC: What are some of the life skills you believe are most critical for young people today?
TT: While all life skills are important to gain exposure to, some of the most critical life skills are research, reading, sewing, culinary, healthy communication strategies, confidence, and learning a new language.
WC: Can you share a story of a student or family whose life has been transformed through BrookieT Academy?
TT: We have students that have improved in their academic grades after attending our summer program. We work with students that share a range of neurological levels and we grow with them from where they are. We don’t believe in making a student feel bad for where they are.
Youth experience different challenges (mental health, homelessness, etc). These factors can work to condition the child that they are inadequate, and we are completely against negative conditioning. We identify where the individual student is, review common goals, and then come together for our group activities. Our children are not singled out or left behind. We all have fun, we all embrace boundaries/space, and we all learn together.
WC: How do you engage parents and caregivers as part of a child’s development?
TT: We communicate daily and weekly with parents on the progress of their children.
WC: What unique challenges do youth in your community face today, and how does BrookieT Academy help address them?
TT: The unique challenges for the youth are social media, comparison, cyber bullying, and instant gratification. We incorporate conversations on these subjects in our daily affirmation circle and inspire the youth to speak up and come to their own conclusion. We work to involve the voice of our youth and support them as they navigate the world in front of them.
Looking Ahead
WC: What unmet needs still exist in your community that you’d like BrookieT Academy to tackle next?
TT: Financial literacy and more skills for youth.
WC: Are there any new programs or partnerships you’re especially excited about?
TT: We are expanding our community initiatives throughout the year. We plan to host food drives, workshops for parents, and more!
WC: How can local businesses, volunteers, and community members best support your mission?
TT: We would appreciate support in the forms of word of mouth, assistance with advertising, donating tangible/monetary supplies, and most importantly volunteering their time when we give back to the community. We appreciate volunteers!
WC: If someone is hearing about BrookieT Academy for the first time, what do you hope they understand about your organization?
TT: I hope that people understand that we love our community, here to serve a role as your community village, we respect our youth, their future, and their families.
WC: Five or ten years from now, what impact do you hope BrookieT Academy will have had on the next generation of young people?
TT: I hope that BrookieT Academy creates healthy leaders, confident community leaders, educated students, and empowered families. Many times, we operate in survival mode and don’t stand in the truth that we don’t have to navigate obstacles alone. I hope the community shifts any skepticism and trust that we are here to give back, support, build and edify – that’s it!
For more information about the Cultivate Fertile Minds summer camp please call 310-598-9240 or email contact@brookietacademy.org.
