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About Us
How We Started
The idea for CAMP Gator came about as a result of the desire to find a way for athletes and educational administration students to share their skills with each other and pass those skills down to young people. CAMP Gator founder, Matthew Ohlson, observed there is a lot of overlap between the valuable skills of self-motivation and leadership needed to compete in collegiate athletics and the skills needed to be a school leader.
Ohlson played basketball as an undergraduate and recognized that, when he was on the court, he was not just learning how to shoot foul shots and dribble around defenders, but was also developing leadership skills and self-confidence that would be useful off the court as well. He often wondered why more courses and educational opportunities weren’t available that would teach student-athletes how to bring their on-court skills into play through their roles as community leaders. Later, as a UF graduate student in educational leadership, he found that he and his classmates were getting exactly the type of education athletes needed: classes focusing on leadership, goal-setting and motivating others.
While doing research for UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning, Ohlson also observed a level of collegiate sports fanaticism he had never seen in New England. On some days, nearly 80 percent of the students would be wearing Gator gear. To Ohlson, students’ admiration for Gator athletes seemed like a powerful force just waiting to be tapped. Thus CAMP Gator was born.
A Successful Beginning
Short for Collegiate Athlete Mentoring Program, CAMP Gator introduces the field of education and service leadership to college students while addressing the academic and social needs of K-12 students. The program is part of a three-credit College of Education course offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level that incorporates both leadership training and mentoring. Student leaders and athletes are selected from a variety of academic majors to take part in comprehensive educational leadership training and serve as leadership mentors to diverse elementary and middle-school students in the local community.
CAMP Gator began in January 2008 with a partnership with P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, the University’s nearby K-12 laboratory school. Data from our first year showed a 13% increase in GPA, 22% increase in attendance, and a remarkable 72% decrease in suspensions for mentees, as well as increased public speaking abilities, goal setting and leadership skills for our mentors. Our leadership program has now expanded to serve two additional schools in the area--Williams Elementary School and Duval Elementary School.
Our Goals for the Future
Building upon the tremendous success of CAMP Gator to date, we are anxious to expand our program in the future. Our goals include:
• Bring our leadership program to three new schools in 2011
• Extend our curriculum to include anti-bullying strategies and fitness and obesity prevention
• Create a replicable K-20 partnership model to be used nationally
Testimonials
“I would like to say that you guys have seriously changed my life. I was expecting to go into the training and be bored and not really getting anything out of it, but by even the end of day one, my perspective had totally been changed. I felt as if something in me was different, like I could make a difference. What you guys do with the mentoring is beyond amazing and really makes a difference in someone's life, and I feel like, no scratch that, I KNOW I want to do the same.” – High Scool Mentors participating in leadership development
"This class has quite possibly been one of the best classes I have taken while attending the University of Florida.
I have truly enjoyed working with my mentee this semester and I really hope to continue working with her until she is done with school in June. Just as much as I hope I am making a difference in her life, my mentee continues to make a difference in mine every time I come spend time with her. I have seen an amazing change in my mentee in the way that she acts.
I am so happy for having the opportunity to be part of this course and most importantly, having the change to influence the life of my mentee..and I wish I could do it again. " – University of Florida Mentors
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