This grant will cover the start-up costs and equipment for developing and operating the City of Lights Youth Energy Camp (Y.E.S.) at Marmion Academy. This will be a one-day, annual science boot camp, targeted initially to 200 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students of diverse backgrounds from Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church School, St. Joseph Catholic School and the Fred Rogers East Aurora Magnet School who lack the advantages in technology and learning devices. Plans in subsequent years include expansion into other schools of a similar demographic in the Dunham Fund and Marmion Academy service areas.
The Y.E.S. curriculum will focus on enhancing STEM skills while outlining the importance of responsible energy consumption. All of the camp participants will have the chance to experiment on state-of-the-art clean energy technology including solar panels, energy bikes, wind turbines, and solar powered ovens. They will also utilize software that measures energy usage in specific areas of the building and shows how much energy has been saved from the installation of energy efficient technology.