A group of upper elementary school students got lessons in civics and good citizenship during the Troy University Office of Civic Engagement’s annual Civic Heroes Camp July 15-19.

The day camp, held on the Troy Campus, introduced participants to five character traits of good citizenship – compassion, honesty, respect, responsibility and courage – and taught participants about the basics of government. Participants also had the opportunity to meet “community heroes” from the Troy area, design their own communities and develop solutions to challenges within the community.

“They go through the process of identifying gaps in our community or challenges,” said Lauren Cochran, Coordinator of Civic Engagement at TROY. “In each group they have a category – community services, health care, environmental and education – and together, they are supposed to identify a problem and come up with a solution.”

The students presented those challenges and the solutions they had developed with the group on Friday, the camp’s last day.

“Each group worked on a poster to present to the group and share about their ideas to solve community challenges,” Cochran said. “Sometimes as adults we forget to have a creative imagination when it comes to problem-solving. They really come up with some brilliant ideas to solve community challenges. They learn a lot about why community challenges persist. Sometimes coming together to work on a challenge together can be difficult, so we talk a lot about how to be a good citizen, how to be honest, how to have compassion, how to have courage and how all those things contribute to us being able to make our community strong and make our communities work for everyone. It has been a wonderful week.”

Camp participants agreed that not only had the camp been a fun experience, but they also learned a lot during their time there.

“What I enjoyed most about the week was getting to meet a lot of new people,” said rising fourth grater Kingston Griffin. “I had a lot of fun. We learned a lot about citizenship, and I really want to find ways to help my community.”

Rising sixth grader Meri Klaire Ziglar said getting to meet new people and be with old friends helped to make it a fun experience.

“We learned a lot about government and about the individual states,” she said. “And, we talked a lot about what it means to have the opportunity to vote. Learning a lot about voting was really good because when now you understand what it means to vote so that when you turn 18 you aren’t just voting without knowing much about what you are doing.”

Jayden McQueen, a junior Political Science major at TROY, was hired by the Office of Civic Engagement to serve as Team Leader. The Crestview, FL resident traces her love for civics to her younger years.

“When I was younger, civics was my favorite subject in school,” she said. “That was during the 2016 election, so that was when I got that hands-on view of what politics and civic life really looks like. I became inspired and grew to be passionate about it. When I came to TROY, I declared my major as Political Science and leadership development.”

McQueen finds joy in helping with the camp and other projects of the Office of Civic Enagement.

“I just really enjoy this work,” she said. “It is so rewarding, and the fact that we have an office here is so special for the community and for the University students so that we can directly give back and be a part of civic life.”