S.T.A.R.S. Summer Camp June 13th-15th
ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Muskingum Behavioral Health is doing their part to create strong girls in our community.
The 14th Annual S.T.A.R.S. Summer Camp will be held June 13th-June 15th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ohio University/Zane State campus. The event is for girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and includes a variety of activities such as workshops, team building, self-esteem, and healthy cooking.
“Basically what S.T.A.R.S. camp is, with it being just for girls, it is kind of promoting that girl power, self-esteem, confidence, goal setting; that kind of thing. They get to travel; we’re going to be on the OU-Z/Zane State campus. Which I think is kind of nice, because it gives them that college campus kind of feel and maybe it won’t be as intimidating later in a few years when they’re actually looking,” explained Ronelle Barnett, from Muskingum Behavioral Health.
The S.T.A.R.S. Summer Camp was originally started by a teacher in Roseville, where the camp was held out of their classroom. When the teacher decided to retire from teaching and coordinating the event, Muskingum Behavioral Health took over and combined it with a camp they were currently running at the time. Approximately 50 girls attend the summer camp each year.
Barnett, who coordinates the event, says that middle school is a difficult phase for a lot of girls and young women, and she hopes that the camp provides them with a safe place where they learn it’s okay to be themselves.
“I just think middle school, you’re going through a lot of changes, a lot of, ‘are they my friend? Are they not my friend?’ Just trying to figure out who they are. So kind of with that, this is a safe place for them to come and they get to meet a bunch of different girls from all over the county,” Barnett added.
The cost of the summer camp is $15.00 and includes lunches, t-shirts, bags, a book, and all the crafts that they do throughout the week. They are still accepting registrations for girls who may have missed the May 5th deadline.
