Leeds City College

Continuing our look into the experiences of Leeds City College students who were involved in the Camp America project – which offered up to 90 students a once-in-a-lifetime work experience opportunity in the United States this summer – we move from Gilbertsville, PA to Hancock, NY, where BTEC Level 3 Music Performance student Connor Skinner is having an amazing experience at French Wood Sports and Arts Camp.

French Wood is a converted boarding school which has an incredible range of activities with a huge array of resources. The 400-acre site includes pools, horses and sports facilities. There are campers from Brazil, Peru, Russia, Argentina and France on site. Students can “major” during their two weeks stay in subjects including rock music, fly fishing, aquatics, circus skills, musical theatre, cooking, skateboarding, art, equestrianism, magic and a range of team sports.

The counsellors and staff are chosen for their skills. There’s a former MBA coach working with the basketball majors and a circus troupe from New Mexico teaching students high wire and trapeze skills. Recently a previous camper there won America’s Junior Voice and is now a major celebrity.

As a music student at Quarry Hill Campus, Connor is happy to be running the rock music department, where he shows the students how to perform and record music. The students do up to three gigs a week to the other campers, making up an audience of 220. He will be extending his stay on the camp for an extra cohort and is then off to explore New York.

The camp placement, which was organised through Keighley College (a fellow member of Luminate Education Group), included travel, accommodation and living costs. You can get a further idea of what life on a Camp America placement is like here.