Photo: Tien Holmes
Florida A&M University's (FAMU) School of Architecture and Engineering Technology (SA+ET) has partnered with Creators Camp.
Creators camp is a creative initiative designed for young people (K-12) to engage in activities that strengthen creativity and provide resources in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art, design and math (STEAM).
Vincent Hunt, Creators Camp co-founder and CEO of their parent company, Massive Corporation USA, is passionate about creating opportunities for young artists to be successful in their futures.
"The biggest thing for me is that I want them to find their passion sooner than later," Hunt said . "People are finding out that you don’t have to work at the big corporate to make money; you just have to have a strong idea. The problem is the education system is not teaching the youth the idea that if you have a dream, go create it. We want Creators Camp to be that place where they can come, create, explore and touch things.”
Assistant Dean Andrew Chin, of SA+ET at FAMU, pioneered the drive behind establishing a Creators Camp campsite on FAMU's campus.
"As an institution of higher learning we see it as a way to illustrate how the university is connected in the community and serves k-12 students, not just college students,” Chin said. "We are trying to address the misconceptions surrounding our school that architecture is not just about drafting, but realizing that it's about being creative with technology. By having students come in for something simply called creators camp, they understand we just want them to be creative."
Since its inception in 2014, Creators Camp has a small group of 12 youth. This summer the camp held Raspberry Pi, its first event at another campsite, Tallahassee's Domi Station. Children were able to build a computer and participate in contests. During this last expedition, the last event will feature the participating youth collaborating to showcase their creativity and designs for the Interactive Art Exhibit on Oct. 9.
Co-Founder, Stacie Chavez, is devoted to giving young artist the experiences and resources in life to achieve their goals.
"The more students and kids that we touch that are able to have real life experiences that they can't get in the school realm, is the most important to me," Chavez said. “The art aspect in STEAM is just as important as the math, engineering and science aspect of STEAM because the art component really brings out the creativity in the youth which leads to brighter futures.”
Creators Camp is a year-round program that is broken down into expeditions focused on specific areas of STEAM. The first session is underway and will continue in the SA+ET atrium through Sept. 18.