Southern Utah University hosts free global youth camps

Participants in the SUU Global Summer Camp, Southern Utah University, date not given | Photo courtesy of Southern Utah University, St. George News, Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University students staff are hosting 16 students from the Gongju National University of Education in South Korea this summer in a collaborative effort running free summer camps for Cedar City youth ages 8-15.

The joint effort is allowing those involved to discover how education speaks across cultures and describes the world around us, SUU’s news release said.

“Small towns don’t have the same luxury of larger cities to be exposed to many different cultures,” Johnny Oh, Southern Utah University director of global collaboration, said. “These camps provide a chance for local children to learn how to work with someone different than them. It opens their minds to new possibilities and is a valuable lesson to both the Cedar City and Korean students.”

The camps include workshops on math, science, art and physical fitness. The first camp was held July 5–15 and had 40 local students participating from many surrounding schools, including South Elementary, Iron Springs and East Elementary.

Cason Blodgett, a fourth grader from Iron Springs Elementary School, said he was surprised to find out Koreans like many of the same things he does – things like Pokémon – even though they’re from the other side of the world.

Monica Jung, a student from Gongju National University of Education, said Korean classes are lecture-based and have little class participation.

“I was really impressed by how many children participate in class,” she said. “When I become a teacher in Korea, I want to encourage my students to actively engage in class so they can be more involved in the lesson.”

The last free summer camp starts July 26 and runs until Aug. 4. Even if students are unable to make the first day of the camp, Oh said they can still attend the remainder. For more information or to register, contact Johnny Oh by email to [email protected] or by calling 435-865-8198.

Additionally, the Korean students are running a math club at South Elementary, which runs until Aug. 5. The club is for anyone but will specialize on helping students with math. It will run daily from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information or to register, visit the South Elementary website.

Event details

  • What:
    • Youth Summer Camp for children ages 8-15
    • Math Club
  • When:
    • Youth Summer Camp – July 26 to Aug. 4
    • Math Club – July 15 to Aug. 5
  • Where:
    • Youth Summer Camp – Southern Utah University, Cedar City
    • Math Club – South Elementary School, 499 W. 400 South, Cedar City
  • Both the camp and club are free.

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Twitter: @STGnews

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