Senator promotes manufacturing camps

Manufacturing camps for younger student are designed to not only help break the negative stereotypes associated with factory work but showcase

non-traditional pathways and women in leadership.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a conference call with Ohio reporters Wednesday to announce the 10th year of his Manufacturing Camp program. The one weekcamps will

introduce children to the different and unexpected opportunities offered in manufacturing through various projects.

Camps all around Ohio will focus on positive aspects of manufacturing that

somemay not think about. Subjects camp attendees may experience throughout multiple counties include

hands-on robotics, experiments involving wind turbines, building model

homes out of recycled materials, and more. The camps will start July 18th and end on the 22nd of that same month.

Brown’ guest on the call, Nyasha Oden of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative and camp organizer, said the secondary focus of the camps will be on showcasing nontraditional pathways, women in leadership and supply chains.

“Students will get to learn how local businesses are affected by what is going on in the world, but also will learn how the businesses are overcoming those challenges this year,” she said.

Camp attendees will get safety training and appropriate gear —such as googles— while also learning about money strategies, taking out loans, settings up savings accounts, and other important information about getting their own business up and running.

Each camp will have students complete

projects throughout the week, and end with a community project and family day.

“It builds meaningful relationships between businesses and the youth as well as family engagement,” she said.

Brown said the first camp began in Mahoney County in 2013. From there, the camp numbers increase through 2019, where there were 27 camps scheduled. However, the 2020 pandemic hit the project hard, limiting the number of camps to only three, all virtual. 2021 saw an increase to nine overall with a few still virtual, but this year Brown’s office is working on organizing at least 25 camps in 17 counties.

Brown is confident that next year will surpass the previous 2019 record.

“The way this has grown,” he said, “it’s clearly grown because of demand. Parents love this stuff for their kids and the kids are excited about it.”

Brown also referenced the significance of this program for smaller communities.

”I think in small towns, once we start a camp the word will really spread through the whole community, and we will see more and more of an uptick,” the senator said. “I think it has an especially significant impact in smaller counties.”

Oden agreed.

“With smaller cities, I know for our camp a lot of times the kids can say ‘oh, my mom works there,’ or their dad or their aunt, and actuality get to see them working,” she

said. “So, it’s really cool and makes it a lot more personable for them, and makes it more real for them. Especially with our small shops and businesses since a lot of them are family owned.”

Overall, these camps aim to help strengthen interest in manufacturing in Ohio, and help youth understand not only the potential they have, but the unexpected places they may use it.

“If we are going to compete with China, we want Ohioans realize their opportunities,” Brown said. “It can’t start too early. These kids in fourth to eight grade will be the entrepreneurs, the visionaries, the workers, the scientists, and the future. That’s what these camps are all about.”