Youth Camps

Ethiopian Community Center (ECC) formally launched this program in 2015, in response to a community outcry for affordable and structured activities for children and youth during summer school closures and also due to an unmet need for culturally and linguistically targeted youth development programs specifically tailored to the experiences and needs of African immigrant youth.

As one of the very few established community-based organizations serving the District’s African immigrant community, ECC has, over the course of almost four decades, proactively and consistently responded to growing needs of a largely underserved, culturally diverse, and linguistically isolated segment of the District’s population.

The absence of culturally and linguistically-targeted programming leaves a sizable African immigrant student population attending DC schools largely hidden and unsupported. Considering the many overlapping challenge faced by this target population - related to immigration status, limited or non-English language proficiency, literacy, national origin and race-based discrimination, poverty, and poor housing and neighborhood conditions.

Through these Youth Camps, ECC seeks to continue to holistically address these layers of challenges by offering well curated programs designed to provide intensive reading and English language instruction, arts enrichment, cultural experiences and leadership opportunities for school-age children and youth grades K-8, where parents and caregivers are also able to receive support and services as well.

ECC’s curriculum intentionally weaves in activities and experiences rooted in participants’ culture of origin allowing them to define their own cultural identity, build confidence and pride, and develop a strong sense of connection to community and a broader purpose. Rites of passage experiences, discovery of history and family roots, open dialogues about identity, race, and culture, and exploring these topics through the arts are strategies we utilize, in order to help participants overcome daily obstacles and to meet strenuous school and social demands. In addition, the program brings youth in contact with positive role models, creates opportunities for leadership development and civic engagement, and encourages youth to use their voice and organize around issues they care about.