A Virtual Global Summer “Camp”
In A Virtual Summer Camp Shared by
US Teens + Syrian Refugee Youth
There is no more Them,
There is only Us.
For the health of our collective future,
We must make sure there is a future for ALL.
The calls for change that we are seeing across the United States and the world -- youth leading and advocating for climate change, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights -- continue to confirm our founding belief. The time for top-down leadership is over. It is time for peer-to-peer leadership. We need leadership steeped in the values of inclusivity, fairness, and dignity. We need leadership that transcends age, gender, pedigree, and ethnicity.
To lead with empathy and inclusivity, we must start with erasing arbitrary boundaries and get to know one another first.
For this upcoming summer, we are excited to once again offer our one-of-a-kind, Virtual Summer Camp for US & Syrian refugee teens. This is an opportunity for US teens to engage with their Syrian peers living in a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan.
“Hello Future exceeded all of my expectations. My daughter loved every part of the program. She not only gained new perspective, but she also forged real friendships with kids across the world. ”
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The camp, “Leadership and Advocacy through Storytelling” starts with the power of stories. Words create worlds. They shape, color, inform, and often distort our view. Through examining the stories we’ve been told, about refugees, Syrians, Muslims, girls, and the United States, the youth start to see the power stories hold. If we want to change the world, to advocate for change, we need to start telling a different tale.
I will be leading the course with Mohammed Hammed, Hello Future’s lead instructor, along with art, improv, and creative writing taught by Gregg V. Emery and Sean A. Mulvihill.
Throughout the course, US teens will have opportunities to interact with our Syrian refugee students living in Arbat Camp. There will be facilitated conversations throughout the month, collaborative work, and a free exchange of ideas. The program is designed to deepen the soft skills needed in leadership, framed through the lens of the refugee crisis.
What we do in the next 10-20 years will determine what kind of world we and our children live in. Change is possible and we can start with training our youth in the skills needed to lead.
Tuition fees for US teens will underwrite the refugee students access to our program.
FAQ BELOW
“Hello Future’s Leadership & Advocacy through Storytelling Program enabled me to further understand how false pretenses and the media affect our beliefs and perceptions of others. Through various projects, we exchanged personal stories which allowed us to combat and learn beyond the stereotypes we previously held.”
“By the end [of summer camp] there was no more refugees and no more Americans, there was only us.”
Registration for Summer Camp 2021 Now CLOSED
Summer 2021 - TWo Sessions available
Leadership & Advocacy through Storytelling
With peer-to-peer exchanges with Syrian refugee youth
Session One: June 28 - July 16
Session Two: July 26 - Aug 13
Times: Monday - Thursday; 3 hours per day.
All classes will take place via Zoom with live instructors that will teach, lead and guide the students for all three hours.
Age: 14-17
Capstone project:
The students will collaboratively create a capstone project. Last year students created a short film that was submitted for United Nations My World 360˚ Contest
Week One: Who are you and what’s your story?
Learning Objectives: Using various creative activities, the teens will tell their individual stories, exchange stories with our refugee students, and start to expand their sense of identity and how stories shape identities. Empathy is a core characteristic of leadership and we start with learning about different contexts and backgrounds.
Anchor Project: Deliver your own TED-style Talk
Week Two: What we see shapes what we believe.
Learning Objectives: Through manipulating various media, the teens start to see how stories can be insidious and how visual media influence our ideas and beliefs in subtle ways.
Anchor Project: A 3 min-documentary
Week Three: Immersive storytelling
Learning Objectives: How do we tell stories of ourselves, of others, of our shared humanity that elicits a response, that demands action from the viewer?
Final Anchor Project: TBD.
Last year the youth created a short film for United Nation’s My World 360˚ Contest, which we might do again. Watch the film here.
Instructors
Charlie Grosso
Charlie is the founder and executive director for Hello Future. She has 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur. Founding her first business at the age of 20, she went on to be a successful advertising photographer working with Lexus, Nike, JC Penney, Comedy Central and more. As a creative director, her clients include Paramount, Variety and FX. In the last 10 years, she’s traveled and toiled in over 80+ countries, working as a writer, documentarian, filmmaker and consultant specializing in strategic management and program design for social enterprises, tech/media companies and NGOs. Hello Future is the culmination of her lifelong passion for innovation and social justice.
Sean Mulvihill
Sean is a trained actor and filmmaker with a degree from the University of Southern California. He studied Commedia dell'Arte in Italy, is the director of The Exuberant Improv Theatre Company, and teaches improv in NYC schools.
Mohammed Hameed
Mohammed has been with Hello Future since our pilot in 2017. Currently, he is our Iraq Country Director and Lead Instructor.
A graduate of the American Univesity at Sulaymaniyah (AUIS), Mohammed is a dedicated instructor and social good change maker. He is loved by all of our Syrian students.
Gregg V. Emery
Gregg is head of visual art and art history at the Trinity School, a K-12 independent school in New York City. He has over 20 years of experience as an instructor in all artistic mediums, in addition to being an exhibiting and practicing artist himself. Gregg received his MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, maintains a painting studio in Bushwick and his work has been featured in exhibits around the globe. Most recently, in SCOPE Art Fair this past December during Miami Art Basel week.
Cost
Fee: $2,000 per student per session.
Your tuition will support a refugee student's access to our program.
Hello Future is a registered 501(c)3.
Limited to 20 US students per session with at least 15 needed for the program. Your tuition will support a refugee teen access to our program.
Questions? Email charlie@hellofuture.io
Last Day to Register June 11
If you would like to pay by check - click here for registration form and details.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Do my teens need to be familiar with the refugee crisis in order to participate?
Not at all. Throughout the course, we will talk a lot about context with some quick overview on the refugee crisis to orient the teens. The goal is not to make them an expert in the refugee crisis, but rather to give them an opportunity to learn from their peers who are living in radically different circumstances. We learn leadership and empathy by practice. We share a common humanity irrespective of our circumstances. There is no better way to demonstrate that for teens than to create genuine opportunities to connect, share and collaborate.
The refugee crisis is a bleak subject matter. I don’t want my teens to spend the summer deeply depressed.
We understand your concern, especially in these times. However, our program was created as a safe, fun and uplifting experience for all involved. We help restore hope to teens and allow them to dream of better days. Our program is highly collaborative and leaves a lot of room for teens to practice agency and self-determination.
Does my son/daughter receive a certificate of completion?
Yes.
Will the program be rigorous like school?
Our standard curriculum is quite rigorous and is measured and evaluated through a system developed exclusively for Hello Future by Columbia University. This summer program will feature an instructor leading our students via Zoom for the full three-hour class, guiding them through discussions, problem prompts and the project they are working on. If there are homework assignments, all of it can be executed by the students themselves without parental support.
How do art, improv and creative writing fit into the overall program?
Art, improv and creative writing enhance a student’s critical thinking skills, helps them see differently, learn and incorporate empathy into their daily lives, and think quickly on their feet -- building essential soft skills. Some days, we will start with Hello Future’s core program and end with one of these three subjects. Other days we will start with art before transitioning into leadership. We will share a full week-by-week schedule once the class roster is set.
What time does the program start each day?
Once our class roster is set, we will survey students to determine the best time. Due to the time zone difference between US and Iraqi-Kurdistan, late morning East Coast times is works best.
Will there be grades?
Ours is a project-based curriculum and each one will receive detailed feedback and assessments but no grades.
Can my son/daughter receive academic credits at their school for this summer school?
That will be determined by your child’s school. We would be happy to speak with your school administrator if they have any questions about our program.
Can the Hello Future Summer School be used as a community service requirement for my son/daughter's school?
That will be determined by your child’s school. We would be happy to speak with the school administrator and provide community service credits if possible.
What if my son/daughter cannot make it to a class?
Missing a class or two is not detrimental.In a project-based learning environment, we focus on a set of projects each week. It won't be hard to catch-up and we are happy to be flexible. We can also share the teaching slides with you for the class that your child misses.
What if a class is cancelled?
Class cancellation is unlikely. Should there be an emergency that prevents the instructors from being present, we will try to find substitute teachers. .
Are there any scholarship opportunities?
Unfortunately, not for this summer. Hello Future is a nonprofit and the tuition fees help support Syrian refugee teens access our programs. The tuition fee is tax-deductible, however.
Are there partial refunds if my child cannot complete the entire program?
No. Hello Future is a nonprofit and the tuition fees help support Syrian refugee teens access our programs. The tuition fee is tax-deductible, however.
Will my son/daughter's work be displayed publicly online?
Only with your permission.
My 13 year-old is really smart and advanced for their age, are you willing to make an exception?
Let’s talk. Drop our Executive Director a line at charlie@hellofuture.io and we can discuss it.