AMA JR. Camp 2022 On Demand

https://www.amaflightschool.org/programs/ama-junior-camp-2022

By Kyle Jaracz, Education Director | kylej@modelaircraft.org

Originally seen in the May 2022 Model Aviation

Education Through Aviation

We’ve just completed the third installment of AMA Jr. Camp, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team that came together to accomplish this task. The AMA staff partnered with Pitsco Education this year to package and distribute our camp kits to learners around the world. The most exciting part of AMA Jr. Camp is that each session lives on as an on-demand experience!

If this is the first you’ve heard of AMA Jr. Camp, I’ll describe the origin of the event, the mission it continues to serve, and the typical makeup of the event.

The Origin of AMA Jr. Camp

At the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, the AMA Education team made the difficult decision to cancel our in-person Camp AMA; however, we didn’t want the story to end there, so AMA Jr. Camp was developed. Although in-person Camp AMA is for youth ages 13-17, with a pre-established knowledge of safe flying, we sought to develop an experience for youth who were just getting started in (or had never considered) model aviation. Materials for AMA Jr. Camp were tailored for a wide range of participants, ages 5-13, with the consideration that younger students would require more in-person assistance, while older students might require minimal supervision.

The Mission

Aside from being an educational, STEM-focused endeavor, AMA Jr. Camp also nicely fills an organizational need. For years, the education team has been about the business of equipping volunteers and educators in communities around the world to inspire a love of aviation, specifically through model aviation. One need that we repeatedly heard from members was a desire to have materials available to conduct outreach for local events, including programs, projects, and prepackaged camp ideas. AMA Jr. Camp offers on-demand, free resources that are easily disseminated.

The Event

AMA Jr. Camp is livestreamed each spring. Participation is offered free of charge each year, but preregistration for the live portion of the event is required. This ensures the safest environment for these participants as we host the event. AMA Jr. Camp is held for five consecutive weekdays.

Each day includes a morning lesson and an afternoon interview with aviation experts. Sometimes a bonus activity is provided on the final day of camp that celebrates the overall event. Every AMA Jr. Camp includes five or six livestreamed, STEM-focused educational lessons, five livestreamed interviews, and all of the instructions and templates are available to download for free.

We just finished our third year of AMA Jr. Camp, so there are hours of STEMfocused educational resources associated with these events that are available online! Did I mention that this is free? No membership is required, no credentials are required, and no expertise is required. You can go online at www.amaflightschool.org/ama-jr-camp to enjoy AMA Jr. Camp on demand.

AMA Jr. Camp is a resource that we provide to the entire aviation community to inform, inspire, and educate. We record the interviews that are conducted during the afternoons of AMA Jr. Camp to be utilized in presentations, instruction, or for your own entertainment.

If an educator is nervous about presenting an aviation-themed camp, we offer resources to support you through a lowstress instructional video available online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z3gDSrhZas. Although this video specifically covers the 2021 camp, the training that is offered applies to all of our AMA Jr. camps.

For those who want to utilize AMA Jr. Camp to the fullest, we offer flight kits each year as a low-cost, turnkey solution. AMA Jr. Camp Flight Kits include all of the necessary components to successfully accomplish each year’s AMA Jr. Camp. These kits contain printed instructions, materials, templates, tools, and consumables. We have plenty of AMA Jr. Camp Flight Kits available for purchase. Prices vary. Please reach out to education@modelaircraft.org for more details or with any questions or suggestions you might have! We look forward to hearing from you.

Hope to see you at the flying field!

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