“The essence of service learning”is how Rich Fleisher of West Virginia Universitys Extension Service described the recent Spanish Summer Day Camp for kindergarten through fifth graders at Fort Gay Elementary School. The camp, held June 10-14, provided an opportunity for youngsters to build skills in a second language and gain cultural understanding. It was the second year for the program.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation funds the camp, which operates through the WVU Office of Service Learning Programs. The strength of the camp stems from a partnership between Fort Gay and Genoa Elementary Schools, Colegio Valenica in Guanajuato, Mexico, Colegio Ingacio Allende, and West Virginia Universitys Extension Service and Department of Foreign Languages.

Activities ranged from lessons in nutrition and vocabulary to an understanding of art, music and dance, with the idea of helping prepare young people to appreciate and to function in a global environment.

Fleisher developed and directed the camp along with Dara Shaw and Maria Camila Jaramillo Gonzalez from WVU s Extension Service and Department of Foreign Languages.

“Working with the children is my favorite part of the camp,”Gonzalez said, noting the joy she feels teaching young people about her culture and observing the expressions of excitement on their faces while they are learning.

All are anxiously awaiting next years camp.