Center for Creative Youth
Grades 9-12
Participating Districts: Open Statewide

The Center for Creative Youth (CCY) is a five-week summer residency in the arts for talented high school students. This program increases artistic and academic skills in an advanced and intensive arts curriculum, and reduces racial isolation as diverse students live and work together. Students gain new insight from the multicultural perspectives presented in each of the art forms and are encouraged to become more active performers and audience members. In each of the art disciplines, students gain practical experience in an advanced curriculum emphasizing critical thinking, interdisciplinary and multicultural learning, leadership skills and historical context. Students leave CCY with a better perspective on career and higher education choices.  Visit www.crec.org/ccy for more information.

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City Slickers
Grades: 5-12
Participating Districts: Bristol, Hartford, Plymouth and Wolcott

City Slickers is a program that teaches students about horses and riding skills, while developing academic and social skills within a diverse group of peers.  Students are grouped in ethnically, racially and economically diverse teams. The small teams build and reinforce reading, writing, math, science and computer skills, as they develop other basic skills of trust, empathy, communication, negotiation, compromise and teamwork.

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Connecticut Youth Forum
Grades 9-12
Participating Districts: CREC member districts and surrounding towns

The Connecticut Youth Forum brings a diverse group of high school students together through discussion and action, and provides opportunities for growth and exploration. Learning experiences emphasize communication, knowledge acquisition, leadership and decision-making skills. By working together, the students discover that their insights, opinions and abilities can make a difference in their communities and that individual and cooperative efforts result in change. On average, 150 students meet monthly for issue-focused, facilitated open discussions held in different member schools. For more information, visit the Connecticut Youth Forum.

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CREC Interdistrict Leadership Academy
Grades 11-12
Participating Districts: CREC member districts

Over the course of a full year, students explore the essential skills and abilities in leadership development. The program is designed to foster the types of skills that students will need to be effective leaders in their local schools and communities.  Areas of emphasis include communication skills, time management, organization, conflict-resolution strategies, ethical responsibilities of leaders, adjusting to change, dealing with failure and measuring success. The highlight of the course is an Outward Bound West trip focusing on team-building and leadership skills.  Successful completion of the course requirements earns the participating students honors or Advanced Placement credit in their respective high schools.

Download the CREC Interdistrict Leadership Academy application Here

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EQUAL Summer Program
Grades: 5-10
Participating Districts: CREC member districts

EQUAL (Educational Quality through Understanding And Learning) provides high-quality academic enrichment within a racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse learning environment. The curriculum is grade-specific and contains comprehensive, yet flexible activities to supplement skills taught in home schools.  Based on state curriculum frameworks, these enrichment and assessment activities are designed to reinforce the skills assessed on the CMT and CAPT instruments.  The EQUAL Program provides successful bridges between urban and suburban communities, introducing students from both settings to each other and teaching important social, academic, vocational and lifelong skills.
Download the EQUAL 2009 Application
Download the EQUAL 2009 Brochure

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Exploring Diversity Through Aquaculture
Grades 9-12
Participating Districts: CREC member districts

This program is an intensive two-week study of the aquaculture industry and its influence on several diverse cultures and economies along the eastern seaboard and the Deep South. It provides students with exposure to a number of universities and research centers and serves as an introduction to the array of professional possibilities in the fisheries and aquaculture industries. Students gain an understanding of the biological, chemical and environmental principles essential to aquaculture production. Students are selected to participate based on science aptitude, teacher recommendations and a written essay. EDA extends the academic year and provides students with expanded learning opportunities in an exciting and motivating atmosphere while facilitating the understanding of diverse cultures and life experiences. High school elective credit is given at the discretion of the sending school. Tuition is $200.
Application to EDA - PDF
Application to EDA - Word
The Demographic Facts of Life

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Metacomet Ridge Interdistrict Academy
Grades: 7-12
Participating Districts: Enfield, Farmington, Hartford, New Britain, Simsbury, Suffield, West Hartford and Windsor

In this program, students from a wide variety of racial, ethnic and sociological backgrounds collaborate on an interdisciplinary, geographic study of the Metacomet Ridge. Through field studies, interschool visits and exchanges of information through technology, students acquire highly technical scientific skills and use technology and scientific equipment to collect information. Teams of students collect, organize and analyze data to produce reports for the Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection and to develop presentations about their findings. This program builds critical thinking, technology competency, scientific understanding, scientific research and many other skills.

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Summer Institute for American Politics & Contemporary Global Issues
Grades 10-12
Participating Districts: Open Statewide

These four-week courses, held at Saint Joseph College, provide an overview of American government & politics and contemporary global issues. American Politics students will study how politics affects the everyday life of ordinary people. They explore the origins and values of our government, focusing on the federal government and American political culture. Emphasis is placed on understanding different interpretations of American government, and special attention is given to the concepts of pluralism and constitutionalism.

Students enrolled in the Contemporary Global Issues section explore the role of international organizations and are exposed to the leading debates on political and societal issues. They research leading global economic, environmental, political and socio-cultural situations affecting society today. Students in both sections participate in plenary sessions and a field trip to New York City.

The successful completion of either of these residential courses earns students college credits and potentially high school credit. For more information, visit the Saint Joseph College web site at Summer institute for American Politics or Summer Institute for Global Studies.

Click here to apply on-line
Download the 2009 Application Form
Download the 2009 Recommendation Form
Download the 2009 Brochure

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Summer Institute for Science and Math - Health & Medical Science
Grades 10-12
Participating Districts: Open Statewide

These four-week courses, held at Saint Joseph College, provide a review of the fields of Health & Medical Sciences and explore technology and molecular biology. Health & Medical Science students explore the science and art of analyzing and promoting healthy behaviors. Students will develop skills in maintaining scientific laboratory reports, preparing reports and portfolios, and developing class presentations. Focus areas include nutrition, physical activity, stress management, health careers and lifestyle choices.

Students enrolled in the Biotechnology section explore the mystery behind genes and human heredity. Focus areas include: cellular structure, DNA isolation and polymerase chain reaction. Students use molecular biology equipment and technology to perform basic molecular techniques examining one of their own genes.

The successful completion of either of these residential courses earns students college credits and potentially high school credit. For more information, visit the Summer Institute for Science and Math on the Saint Joseph College web site.

Click here to apply on-line
Download the 2009 Application Form
Download the 2009 Recommendation Form
Download the 2009 Brochure

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Summer Institute for Future Teachers
Grades 9-12
Participating Districts: Open Statewide

Held at Eastern Connecticut State University, the Summer Institute for Future Teachers is an intensive, three- week residential program that engages and challenges highly qualified high school students by exposing them to the teaching profession, developing their knowledge and skills, and inspiring them to continue in this career path. The program features diversity at every level of staffing and student involvement. SIFT demonstrates a blend of theory and practice – and a balance between dynamic interaction and careful reflection. The successful completion of this course earns students college credits. For more information, visit the Summer Institute for Future Teachers on Eastern's web site.

Click here to apply on-line
Download the 2009 Application Form
Download the 2009 Recommendation Form
Download the 2009 Brochure

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Summer Musical Theater Workshop
Grades: 8-10
Participating Districts: CREC member districts

The Summer Musical Theater Workshop at the CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts is an intense, six-week theater experience. The approximately 50 culturally diverse students in the program are from a variety of school districts. Each participant auditions for the program in the early spring. Theater productions require full cooperation from the cast and crew, and are an excellent venue for learning to work together as a team – and for promoting multicultural and multiracial understanding. The students rotate through three different classes, typically singing, acting and dance. Individual voice lessons and group art projects are also part of the program. Students will be exposed to the contributions of artists of a variety of backgrounds and cultures, both historical and contemporary.  Exercises affirm students’ racial, ethnic and economic diversity; promote cooperative group interaction; and develop and refine performance abilities. Click for more information about the program.

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Young Educators Society
Grades: 7-12
Participating Districts: CREC member districts

The Young Educators Society (YES) is a teacher-mentored, club program that aims to interest middle and high school students – particularly minorities – in becoming teachers. YES members learn to teach younger students to read, attend regular meetings at their home schools and are eligible to attend interdistrict workshops, the Connecticut annual convention, the Summer Institutes for Future Teachers and, possibly, the Future Educators of America national convention, which brings together future teachers from all over the United States. Many YES club members use the skills they learn in the literacy trainings to tutor younger students in elementary schools in their cities or towns; to complete mini-internships in schools; to practice the development of lesson plans under the tutelage of their mentor teacher; and to assist classroom teachers. The literacy workshops give the YES students a real taste of the teacher preparation they will encounter at the college/university level.

Club Activities
Expenditure Report
YES Club Member Student Journal
YES Final Report
Click here to download the request for funds document
Click here to download the request for funds guidelines

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