Electric Plumbing Innovation Construction
For families with children who don’t travel out of town during spring and fall breaks, it can often be a struggle to entertain little minds and keep them engaged. EPIC Youth Camp has created an opportunity to not only engage children during this time away from classroom instruction, but also introduce them to essential skills needed for future work in high-demand trade jobs. EPIC is a three-day half-day youth camp that runs from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. and was designed to serve children ages 5 through 18. After seeing tremendous success during Fall Break of 2022, EPIC will be returning to the H.L. Neblett Community Center, Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, and Girls Inc. Apr.5-7, during Spring Break.
“It turned out to be greatly appreciated by those community centers because the leaders of those centers are looking for activities for those kids and it was good to be able to provide that for them,” said Jagoe Homes new home sales consultant Shawna Kellems. “They were more than excited to have us come back.”
Throughout the three-day camp, campers are encouraged to use problem-solving, critical thinking, and effective communication skills, as well as their imaginations, to work as teams in order to compete in fun, hands-on projects.
“Initially they took their bodies and created a building with doors and competed to see who created the best building,” Kellems said. “They really enjoyed that part of it and cheering each other on and working together.”
Along with home building and home ownership, students are also offered a glimpse into future careers in HVAC, welding, and energy efficiency. After seeing a need to educate young people on the importance of skilled trades, local business owner and Habitat for Humanity board member Allyson Sanders approached Kellems. The two brainstormed ideas and soon brought on Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Jeremy Stephens and Home Builders Association of Owensboro Executive Officer Richard Stallings. The team pooled their resources and collaborated to create the first EPIC Youth Camp during Fall Break of 2022.
Using an activity-based approach, the camp focused on the four key trade skills used in creating a home: electric, plumbing, innovation and construction. On day one, campers experienced the power of electricity by viewing motors that caused fans to spin, and competed on virtual welding machines provided by Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC). In order to better understand the necessity of adequate plumbing, students were given PVC piping and competed in teams to see who could create the most effective design to move water from one area to the other. Students were able to learn the purpose behind wall insulation by filling massive plexiglass walls with shredded paper. On day three, construction day, students worked with Stephens to construct a wall to be used in a future Habitat home.
“That’s the part where they get to really put themselves in the project and know they are in that home,” Stephens said. “That’s just the neatest thing that I get to do.”
When it comes to explaining the importance of home building and home ownership, Kellems said it has become part of her personal mission.
“I come from a background where homeownership wasn’t even on the radar—I love putting the idea in their minds that that is a possibility,” Kellems said. “I hope to help them connect the dots so they can make those dreams become a reality.”
The main goal of the EPIC founders was to reach a younger audience and educate them about Habitat for Humanity, home ownership, and the skilled trades courses offered at Owensboro Community and Technical College. In order to reach that audience, Stephens suggested the idea of reaching out to children in already established day camps, such as the H.L. Neblett Community Center, Girls Inc., and the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club.
“I remember being a kid…I came from a low income family…with more kids than money in the bank,” Stephens said. “I wonder as an adult looking back, why weren’t there more opportunities for me? I don’t think the trades were promoted to me at all. If they were, I think I would have done that instead of going to college.”
Stephens said it soon became a priority to do a better job of letting kids know what their future options are and discovering a way to get that information to them as young as possible.
“If we can get this information to them at an earlier time, they know this can be a possibility for them,” Stephens said.
As a parent, Habitat board member, and someone who works in higher education, Sanders said, when working with college students, it became abundantly clear that there was a critical need for younger audiences to understand the value of local resources, as well as the importance of skill trades and home ownership.
“It cannot be denied that younger people need more education in regards to their options prior to adulthood,” Sanders said. “Parents are working and teachers are teaching, so it’s on the community at large to step up and bring back the village mentality that it’s all of our jobs to ensure that young people are getting the necessary tools to be good citizens and obtain good futures filled with good paying jobs, home ownership, and education.”
EPIC Youth Camp is able to provide children with a variety of hands-on, interactive learning experiences thanks to the generosity of many local businesses and business owners. If you would like to become a bronze, silver, or gold level sponsor, please contact Shawna Kellems at [email protected]