West Chester University’s (WCU) College of Arts and Humanities recently hosted about 35 high school students housed on-campus for iCamp, the summer media program for rising juniors and seniors in high school. Campers immersed themselves in digital media projects including podcasts, websites, games, and filmmaking. They enjoyed the camaraderie of working together to shed light on a social issue of their choosing — one that particularly resonates with high school students like themselves.

Now in its seventh year, iCamp is a free one-to-three-week summer media program for Philadelphia and Chester students who are underserved. iCamp 2024 introduced several notable additions to more fully serve those in attendance. The program expanded to three weeks, and the first week was held at WCU’s Philadelphia campus. Students from Chester were welcomed into the program, and iCamp now offers three college credits to students who attend all three weeks and enroll in Digital Storytelling coursework that adds up to approximately 50 classroom hours.

Program Director Dr. Laquana Cooke stated, “We host a post-mortem at the end of each iCamp to discuss what went right and how we can improve. It is our roadmap for continuous improvement and led us to provide students with a deeper experience, including college credit.”

The benefits of iCamp are many. It exposes high school students to life on a college campus, gives students in Philadelphia and Chester a valuable on-site and free learning program to attend over the long summer months, and introduces the idea of connecting students’ artistic expression with being a catalyst for change.

iCamp received support from WCU’s Provost’s Enrollment Planning Investment grant (PEPI), WCU’s College of Arts and Humanities, and several corporate sponsors through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. Cooke is also a recipient of the prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Spotlight grant.

Dean of WCU’s College of Arts and Humanities Dr. Jen Bacon stated, “WCU is so proud of iCAMP and the work that it does to provide a free educational experience for students interested in the media arts and their connection to social justice. iCamp deepens the symbiotic relationship between the University and the region’s population. We have former iCampers attending WCU, some of whom might help run the camp in the future. But providing this experience is resource-intensive, so we hope to continue to attract community partners and organizations to help us sustain this important work.”

iCamp instructors include media experts from around the region who do it because they love what iCamp means to the participating students. During the three weeks, instructors provide continuous feedback to help students start, pitch, and refine an idea, and to create storyboarding and scripts that lead to full-blown production.

Instructor Arial Taylor has been with iCamp for the past six years as a Film Instructor.

Taylor said, “iCamp is one of the most unique summer camps offered to urban students living in Philadelphia and Chester. The deep dive students take to explore social justice issues helps them to better understand not only themselves but also their surrounding community. And it’s not just about the product, but about the process. The fact that it continues to be free for attending students is a credit to both the leadership of iCamp and all of WCU.”

iCamp has built a long-lasting relationship with Walter B. Saul High School (Saul HS) in Philadelphia. Though students from 15 unique schools attended this year’s iCamp, just slightly less than one-third of the total students attending came from Walter B. Saul.

Sixteen-year-old Timothy Holmes is an iCamp attendee from Saul HS. His social justice media project is an interactive game that deals with police harassment and brutality. The gamer interacts with both the public and police officers to encourage empathy on both sides of the relationship. It was inspired by a Police Athletic League event that Holmes attended.

Holmes stated, “This program has been life-changing for me. The teachers and counselors are all here to help you. I didn’t know about WCU before and now I want to go here.”

Samorae Bates-Sams is also 16 years old and attends Saul HS. She is a rising senior. Her project is a podcast titled “Shades of Bias” and is about how racism has impacted black and brown family dynamics.

Bates-Sams stated, “Bias can impact family dynamics and cause broken families. My goal is to bring awareness to this issue and heal generational trauma. I have experienced bias firsthand and so have my family and friends.”

Students and families interested in future iCamp sessions can visit the WCU College of Arts and Humanities. The program can be found on Instagram @icamp.wcupa.

Learn more at West Chester University, the largest university within Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). Founded in 1871, West Chester University is a comprehensive public institution offering a diverse range of more than 180 academic opportunities in 40 fields of study across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. In addition to its main campus in West Chester, the University offers programs through its graduate center, the campus in Philadelphia, and online.