UW-Madison hosts summer opportunities fair

How can middle- and high-school students get a leg up on preparing for college? In many cases, summer recreation, academic and athletic programs play a valuable role.

The Youth Opportunity Fair, designed to promote summer youth activities, will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, March 4, at the Villager Mall, 2300 S. Park St.

Parents and students will find exhibitors from many of the skill-building programs – academic, recreational and athletic – offered by post-secondary educational institutions in Dane County for this summer.

This program is open to all youth and families of Madison and Dane County. Many of the programs have a special focus on the recruitment and retention of families of color and low-income families for summer and academic-year precollege programs.

The Academic Partnerships Program of University Health Services (UHS) has teamed with Family Voices of the School of Human Ecology to coordinate the fair.

“UW-Madison is committed to increasing the diversity of our student body,” says Genella Taylor, graduate project coordinator at UHS. “Introducing kids to college at an early age helps to build a ‘pipeline,’ a cornerstone of the UW’s Plan 2008 for achieving diversity goals.”

Programs included in this year’s event include UW Athletics, the PEOPLE program, Madison Area Technical College Athletics, MYCAP (MATC), Edgewood College Summer and Precollege programs, UW School of Business, the Madison Metropolitan School District and many others.

UW Space Place, also located in the Villager Mall, will be open for tours and activities. Additionally, there will be limited child-care services available during the fair.

Light refreshments will be served, and parking is available free of charge.

There is no charge for the event. Sponsors and volunteers are welcome. For more information, call Stan Woodard at (608) 213-7004.