Fifty high school students from across Miami-Dade County are coming together at St. Thomas University (STU) this week to build community and gain skills for cross cultural teamwork with the aim of resolving conflict and living peacefully in an increasingly diverse society. The 2016 MetroTown Summer Camp, a collaboration with MCCJ and STU, is an intensive, six-day residential camp focused on developing young leaders from across Miami-Dade County.
STU’s Center for Community Engagement co-sponsors the camp which is led by MCCJ – formerly known as the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews – one of the oldest, and most respected, diversity training organizations in Florida. Other partners in the camp have included the Miami Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the Miami-Dade Children’s Trust.
During the camp, students discuss topics that are often considered taboo by many cultures, such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, orientation, and socio-economic status. The Center for Community Engagement staff serve alongside MCCJ leaders as hosts and counselors of the camp, while introducing the students to the opportunities for community-engaged learning at the university. The MetroTown program is transformative for all those involved, and is another way STU is supporting high-school graduates in becoming leaders for life.
For more information on MCCJ and MetroTown, please visit miamiccj.org/metrotown.
