Summer Begins at University Village

Starting this week, transforms itself—almost—from a housing complex for married Cal students to a summer camp, as kids from all around town put aside their school books and head to the Village for baseball, circus arts, ecological exploration and more.

Village staff expect, based on past years’ experience, from 500 to 1,000 kids to participate in various camps that start at different times throughout the summer.

The schedule and registration can be found here.

“We have this amazing community resource here, both in the amazing international community and in the physical resources of the fields and gymnasium. Our mission is to provide an inclusiveness and opportunity for the community to interact with our international families from all over the world,” said Dawn Martin-Rugo, director of the University Village Recreation Program. “For kids, the idea is to provide a diversity of programming so every kid can find a program.”

Monday, a unique new camp began for international parents and children to do together.

Called “Layers of A Quilt: Stories Of Triumphs And Sacrifices,” this is a one-week camp facilitated by artist Nora Litz to create a quilt about life.

“A quilt is made piece by piece and thus it tells a story filled with textures, feelings, color-codes, seasons, scents, sounds, comfort and distress. Life itself is a quilt, similarly pieced together," Litz said in her description of the camp. "Different cultures ascribe specific meanings to a color, color combinations, the use of a particular texture, a sewing pattern, quilting, bead work… all of this holds the key to understanding a culture.”

Another new camp this year, called “Common Ground Eco-Leadership” launches this week as well, in which campers use the to learn about eco-systems and aquatic life. Also, “Mix it up Arts and Sports” camp begins.

Next week, June 20, several other programs start, including baseball, circus camp, and "I Love Art & Gymnastics" camp.

While University Village is home to approximately 800 children who are the kids of University of Berkeley students, the Village opens its recreation program to the Albany and Berkeley communities at large, bringing about, said Martin-Rugo, a wonderful sharing of cultures and friendships. Most of the Village resident kids are very young, she said, so two-thirds or more of the kids who come for summer camps are from the outside community.

A number of the Village recreation programs are offered during the year as well and are expanded during the summer with longer vacationtime hours.

Gymnastics at the Village—which has always been a favorite of both Village residents and the surrounding community—begins week-long summer camps July 5 and again Aug. 8 and 15.

Matt Schwey, the gymnastics teacher, said he teaches 200 to 300 children each week all through the year in the Village's 25 different gymnastics classes. This summer, gymnastics camps are offered in early July and mid-August.

“Kids get to move in ways that get their whole bodies exercising and explore big spaces,” he said. 

Circus camp is about learning juggling, unicycling, stilt-walking and theatrical expression and clowning. In August begins “From Giotto to Picasso,” which is both a studio camp and an art history class.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com.