Camp Dos Cabezas General Interest Meeting
Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00pm
Houston Institute for Culture
5555 Morningside, Suite 204
Houston, Texas 77005



Greetings,

There will be a meeting for interested volunteers on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00pm in the Houston Institute for Culture office at 5555 Morningside, Suite 204, Houston, Texas 77005. CAMP DOS CABEZAS is an educational youth camp organized by the Houston Institute for Culture. It offers Houston at-risk children the experience of a lifetime to help them achieve success in their lives.

Teachers nominate 10 - 12 year old students for CAMP DOS CABEZAS scholarships based on certain criteria. Children who are eligible have great potential to be successful in school, but are at risk of dropping out; and, identifiable circumstances put them at risk of dropping out.

Once identified, the Houston children and their volunteer mentors travel to Cochise County, where they explore the Chiricahua Mountains, the "Land of Standing Up Rocks", and develop interests and research skills in fifteen national and state parks, historic sites, museums and research facilities in southern Arizona.

The children hike through a dynamic landscape of towering spires and learn about geology, archaeology and cultural history. They begin their adventure by surveying the mountain formations, known as "Islands in the Sky", and the surrounding grassland seas from the fire lookout on top of Sugarloaf Mountain.

The fantastic geology of the region keeps the campers excited to participate each day. During the week, they explore and learn how to: conduct field work and ask experts at museums for information; use historic newspaper articles for research; try on Spanish armor and imagine a Spanish exploration party on the Anza Trail; learn about the lifeways of Native Americans, African-American Buffalo Soldiers, Chinese and Serbian miners, Mormon Battalion soldiers, Mexican ranchers, Jewish pioneers, and Swedish homesteaders; and, visit an eighteenth-century Spanish Baroque mission on the Tohono O'odham reservation.

From early Spanish exploration to the Gadsden Purchase, from the Civil War to the Mexican Revolution, southeast Arizona is rich in history. The diverse cultures of farming Pima Indians and nomadic bands of Apache come to life as campers look out from mountaintops across the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Exploring a land made famous by a host of names in western lore ­ Geronimo, Pancho Villa, and the "Lost Dutchman" - the children learn about significant events in American and Mexican history.

By the sixth day the children plan and accomplish a full-day hike through the "Heart of Rocks". The diversity of cultural history and fantastic environments help shape the childrenšs future interests in biology, anthropology, history, geography, political science, and more.

CAMP DOS CABEZAS offers such an unforgettable experience that we believe it will be the event children who may otherwise drop out of school will point to as the inspiration for their success.


Get more information about Camp Dos Cabezas:
http://www.houstonculture.org/camp

Additional information about educational subjects, museums and parks, and locations:
http://houstonculture.org/camp/campmap.html
http://houstonculture.org/camp/topics.html
http://houstonculture.org/vc/azmextime.html

Please contact us at info@houstonculture.org to learn more.


Upcoming meeting information and updates can be found at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/meeting

Thanks for your support,
Mark



Houston Institute for Culture is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cultural education and awareness through cultural activities. Our goal is to provide free and low-cost events, services and classes for the community. The organization's sphere of interest is Houston, the regions that have affected Houston's cultural history and the international origins of Houston's diverse population. Membership is free and all events and informational resources are open to the public.


If you would like to learn more about our programs, please see our 2004 Annual Report:
http://www.houstonculture.org/report