Native American high school students can learn more about Minnesota’s first people in an immersive 10-day summer program at Bemidji State University.

Beginning July 17, BSU’s Niibinishi Gabeshi summer camp program offers a unique opportunity for students to capture the essence of Ojibwa culture with an intensive language program and reading sessions, workshops, and group conversations about shared assumptions regarding issues such as culture and communication.

Dates and Registration
The two-week camp is offered as a pair of one-week sessions, July 13-17 and July 20-24; campers return home for the weekend between sessions. Campers unable to attend both weeks can alternatively register to attend either the first or second week individually. Niibinishi Gabeshi is limited to the first 25 campers who enroll before May 28. Full scholarships covering the entire cost of the two-week camp are available to the first 20 applicants who apply and are selected by a committee.

Camp Information
Anishinaabe faculty and staff members will teach students about the Ojibwe language, history, cultural traditions and Native arts. Current Bemidji State students serve as camp counselors and will chaperone students to daily activities and facilitate evening programs.

This year’s camp will feature a one-week focus on traditional foods promoting health and nutrition. The week’s activities will combine cooking demonstrations and classes with information about food preservation, heirloom seeds, native pollinators and indigenous food networks.

The camp may offer additional activities including an art history tour, drum ceremonies, conversations about current issues and affairs, storytelling, outdoor activities such as canoeing, campfires, fishing and scavenger hunts, and watching Native American films.

Campers’ families are invited to attend a closing reception on the camp’s final day, July 24.

Participation in the camp does not require Ojibwe language proficiency. Students interested in attending BSU to study fields such as Ojibwe, modern languages, Indian studies, humanities, cultural resource management, sociology or teaching are especially encouraged to attend.

Scholarship Information
The camp costs $1,000 or $500 per individual week; full scholarships are available to the first 20 campers with financial need who apply and are selected by camp staff. These scholarships cover the full $1,000 fee for the two-week camp, including overnight accommodations, meals, instructional costs, books and materials, recreational activities and a camp t-shirt.

Campers who wish to apply for a scholarship must submit a statement of interest which includes answers to three essay questions. The list of questions is included with the camp application, available online (http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/summer/summer-academies-and-camps/). Scholarship applications are due to the summer programs office in BSU’s Center for Extended Learning by April 1.

Contact
• Angie Gora, summer program director, BSU Center for Extended Learning; (218) 755-2851, agora@bemidjistate.edu

Links
• Bemidji State University: http://www.bemidjistate.edu
• Summer camps at BSU: hhttp://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/summer/summer-academies-and-camps/