CHICAGO, Ill. -- Seven summers have come and gone, but each time the good-byes are the same for Ricks College students and dozens of inner-city youth in Chicago, Ill. They hug, they cry a little, then they go their separate ways. As autumn chills the air, they don't forget each other. At least the Ricks College students don't forget as they return to campus in Rexburg, Idaho. Their lives will never be the same. Some even choose careers in social services as a result of the interaction.
However, it's the lives of the children that officials of the Ricks College Urban Studies Program hope have changed. Even if it be only one child.Since 1992, students in the Urban Studies Program at Church-owned Ricks College have traveled to the Chicago, Ill., area for three weeks each summer to conduct camps for inner-city youth. The Urban Studies Program, under the auspices of the Ricks College Sociology Department, sponsors the camps in cooperation with the Inner City Youth Charitable Foundation, which is a non-profit organization sponsored by Church members in Chicago.
The program "is designed to give the children from the inner city a chance to learn new things and have positive role models," said Lynn Smith, program director. "The key factor is to put the inner city youth in personal contact with a Ricks College student who becomes a mentor and a friend. If we can change the life of one child, it will be worth it."
The Urban Studies Program is offered every third summer term because that is a time of high gang recruitment in Chicago. Youth who participate in the program are divided into two separate camps according to gender. The boys go to Summer Quarters at a camp outside the city where they play games, do career exploration and learn crafts. The girls participate in Summer Jam at an LDS meetinghouse in the Chicago area where they learn career and homemaking skills and visit museums, go on field trips and visit places of interest. Each group learns skills and participates in activities to help strengthen them against the challenges and temptations within the city.
Both the children and Ricks College participants claim the program helps them. "Camp helped me to not be scared and overcome my fears," said DeAnthony Woodson, one of the campers.
His mother, Charlanda Woodson, said he has gained more confidence during his camp experience.
"I have found that this is a life-changing experience for our Ricks College students," Brother Smith explained. "They learn skills and attitudes that will affect them throughout their lifetimes."
Stephen Stokes, chair of the Sociology Department at Ricks College and the former program director, said: "The growth experienced by our students is significant because the program has similarities to a mission experience. It includes a commitment to serve the Lord and His children with patience and love. Many students find their Chicago experience of value in career selection and in finding work in social services."
"It showed me how important it is to get out of your comfort zone," said James Phillips, a freshman from Rexburg. "Instead of working on your own goals, you grow a lot by doing a little bit of service for others."
During a recent meeting with Ricks student participants, James Green of the Family Science Department and Urban Studies faculty, said: "We may not reap the rewards of our actions until years down the road. We may never see the rewards."
However, Joseph T. Hicken, chair of the Chicago Inner City Youth Charitable Foundation, surmises they have seen some results: "We see an improved sense of self-value and self-potential. This carries over to improving the confidence in what they can become. The children set goals and objectives that are higher than what they had before."
As part of the Urban Studies program, Ricks students take six to nine credits in classes. They spend four days studying the cultural, academic and urban institutions of Chicago. This includes the Chicago Institute of Art, Cook County Juvenile Court and the University of Chicago.