Camp Rosie, an empowerment program for young girls, to return next year
Camp Rosie, a leadership and empowerment skills camp aimed at under-served young women, will return after a years-long absence after the Glendale Commission on the Status of Women voted Monday to transfer the program over to the local YWCA.
Named after Rosie the Riveter, the camp was previously run by the commission annually for two three-week sessions in the summer, recruiting girls 12 to 18 years old, with a curriculum that included training on financial literacy, self-defense and healthy relationships.
The camp has not been offered since 2014 when, according to Christine Powers, a program supervisor with the city, the decision was made to stop fundraising and offering the program due to budgetary reasons.
During a 2015 planning meeting held by the commission, members said they were interested in finding a community partner that would take over the program on a long-term basis, which led to connecting with the YWCA, Powers said.
The YWCA of Glendale is a nonprofit that provides various safety and prevention services for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Tara Peterson, executive director of the Glendale YWCA, said portions of Camp Rosie’s work to increase self-sufficiency in young girls aligns with the Y’s own prevention programming.
“Camp Rosie is a really good fit because of all the different skill sets that [the camp is] building around [such as] life skills and self-esteem,” Peterson said.
“We really believe that those are protective factors that can decrease a girl’s chances of becoming a victim of domestic violence,” she added.
The commission will grant $5,000 in seed money to the YWCA from its fund to transfer the program and help operation for its first year under the nonprofit.
According to Peterson, Camp Rosie should be up and running under the YWCA by this coming summer and will rely on local grants, fundraisers and other resources to operate in the future.
Peterson did recommend that the camp run with a narrower age group in mind, targeting girls in junior high, as the previous 12- to 18-year-old group model is considered insufficient to address the broad needs in that age range.
Also, the YWCA will look at running the camp over a four-week session in the summer with possible sessions taking place during other breaks throughout the school year as a way to “build upon lessons,” Peterson said.
Twitter: @JeffLanda
