The Basic Idea
So we're taking a survey to gauge community interest in creating and building a really awesome Summer camp. Would work like any other traditional summer camp. Please fill out the short survey to help us gauge community interest. We have a wealthy donor who is choosing to remain anonymous that is donating money to help acquire the land and build some of the buildings but doesn't want to be involved in the camp directly. Our donor has told us if we can spark enough interest with this and provide survey details showing interest and willingness to help donate to the cause, they will help out to make it happen. They extremely enjoyed summer camp as kids in the 70's and really want to see it come back strong.
We had thought about this before on our own but recently have been seeing a lot of chatter about summer camps, library closings, and low-income families not being able to afford fancy summer camps. We want to do this as part of our "Fuse The Community" initiative.
Hyper Fusion has already discussed acquiring 15-20 acres for multiple cabins able to hold 15 - 20 kids each with 5 - 20 cabins, cafeteria, movie room, game rooms, pools, water features ( ideally, we'd like to get a lake side property for this ), hiking trails, ropes courses, science and tech lab activities like robot building or like labs for inventing thinking of ways to build green tech for a sustainable future, for those not into science some sports and things to suit those kinds of kids.
It would be our hope that kids from all walks of life can come and understand the fact that we're all just people and we don't need to worry about "groups" with the kids that come to stay, and just focus on the activities and growing together as a community and learning to help others learn and have a great summer. We really want everyone possible in the public to at the very least fill out the Interest Survey so we can hone the camp programs to the liking of those who are most likely to have their kids come for a session.
Link to Interest Survey: https://forms.gle/Q7j2qeh7Zam6NFe3A
Link to Go Fund Me: https://gofund.me/e9c69baa
Bringing Back Summer Camp
The outdoors and camp it seems has been lost to a world of technology and the internet. Our goal is to get kids back into nature in creative ways while limiting and teaching healthy technology uses and teaching them the true power of technology and the internet without using "social media". We will allow for "online time", however, all social media websites, adult sites, religious sites, political sites, and things like that will of course be flat out blocked. The purpose of our Fusion Summer Camp is to teach kids a balance between the outdoors, technology, and healthy sustainable living thru working together as people without any specific group or signifiers and including every child or teen regardless of any "groups they maybe apart of" elsewhere. The point of summer camp is to leave all that stuff at home and just come have fun!
Fusing the Community
What really is going to make Fusion Camp different, is its "camp with a point" as well. Most of our themed sessions the point is to "Fuse the Community" thru getting local business experts, educational professionals, and others to volunteer their time to inspire the next generation in areas of interest they are interested in and interests shared by their peers. With our teen programs it gives an alternative way for teens who may not want to go the "college route" a chance to connect with all different kinds of local professionals to work a different path in life, from going into Auto Sales, or perhaps venue operation with setting up stages or audio and light equipment, or maybe perhaps, your child is really into the performing arts and just wants to have fun honing their craft and get a chance to learn how to break into the industry.
We have learned thru our rural internet service providing business that every county in Texas seems to have a wealth of professionals, most of which have families. As they say, "it takes a village". This is just another way Hyper Fusion is working to "Fuse the Community" thru unique programs like this. Please make sure to click the "Fuse the Community" to check out what that's all about. =)
Camp Session Themes
We had always envisioned doing several 1,2 and month long sessions thru out the summer and during like spring break, winter break as well. Each session having a "general theme" with activities and enrichment related to that theme. Here are some of the ideas we had for themes. In addition to our themed sessions we're also going to have what we call "traditional summer camp" sessions with no particular theme other than a classic summer camp experiencing with swimming, canoeing, fishing, camp fires, movies, music, playing games, and outdoor yard sports, things like that. We would have general summer camp sessions for all age groups: ( Kids Session: Ages 7-10 | Junior Session: Ages 10-13 | Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) including a special "Family Session" to allow for parents to come with younger children to get them interested in camp and enjoy a little family vacation. And we would of course have private cabins available for families with 2 bedrooms, 1 for parents, and a 2nd with several sets of bunk beds for kids.
- Battle of the Bands ( Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Kids bring their instruments, we have a stage and performing hall all set up for them with some of the other pro-mixing boards, lighting, and stage, on the first day, they all pick and break up into cabins based on similar interests, put together a performance for a talent show at the end of the session that parents and family attend.
- Future Bots ( Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Kids bring anything they may already have but all items required would also be supplied and kids spend the session building robots and at the end of the session having a presentation put on for parents in the form of a "Ted Talks" style presentation where the kids present their robot and what it does and what problem it could solve. Parents and family attending of course.
- LARP-Mania ( Kids Session: Ages 7-10 | Junior Session: Ages 10-13 | Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Live Action Role Playing. Pretty popular these days. If your not sure what it is, watch the movie "Role Models" with Paul Rudd, or you can of course google it too. We'd provide supplies and direct a new adventure every time for the kids. Bringing in experience LARP experts and just letting the kids go wild. ( Supervised of course ).
- Gamers Delight ( Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - This session is all about cabins getting in teams to produce their own video game and at the end of the session showing it off bringing parents, friends, or family to watch the presentations and play the kids games with them. We'll bring in real world game designers ( as their is the Blizzard offices in Austin ) and college teachers to help them along the way. Definitely something good to get on a college application when going for video game design.
- The Force Among Us (Kids Session: Ages 7-10 | Junior Session: Ages 10-13 | Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Star Wars fans unite! This session is all things Star Wars. From movie marathons, debates and discussions on lore, and pretty much anything having to do with Star Wars. Playing Star Wars games, learning about the origins of Star Wars thru documentaries, and discussing with those with similar interests.
- Hollywood Boulevard ( Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Movie buff kids, here's their zone. Break up into teams and cabins, and the kids spend the session making a short movie. We supply cameras, video editing computers, call in local area experts in media production to do seminars with the kids and help them along with their ideas. At the end of the session in addition to parents and family, we also call in some film industry professionals to enjoy the film festival as well and speak with the kids about how to get going in the industry, to help them along with their inspirations in the world of acting.
- Ad Astra ( Junior Session: Ages 10-13 | Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - Kinds bring their telescopes, favorite astronomy books, and other astronomical gear. We work with the kids and teach them how to build fully operating radio telescopes, and star gazing every night and during the day learning how large data from observatory's is processed and we bring in astronomers to speak with the kids and inspire our next generation of astronomers.
- Young Entrepreneurs Combinator (Highschool Only Session, teens 16-19) - Gear toward highschool kids where college may not be the best option for them and this would be a longer session thru the summer and allow the highschool kids to work with teams broken up by cabin to come up with a new product or business idea and have help over the summer from their counselor and other camp volunteers. We would have surrounding local business owners come in and speak to the kids about how they got started to give them inspiration. At the end of the week the teams would present their ideas not just to parents and family, but we would also invite investors and other representatives from big name combinators to come in and scout the kids and allow them to make pitches during their and after the presentation show to help them try and kick them off on their entrepreneurship
- Trekkie-Nation ( Kids Session: Ages 7-10 | Junior Session: Ages 10-13 | Teen Session Ages 14-19 ) - All things Star trek. Kids bring all their favorite Star Trek stuff and we spend the celebration watching everything Star Trek related. Kids enjoy trading cards, playing Star Trek games, movie marathons and more.
Got an idea for a theme session? Make sure you fill out the interest survey above and suggest it. If we think we can make it happen, we'll post it up on this page.