Champlain College , a small liberal arts college perched in the historic Hill Section of Burlington, overlooking Lake Champlain and the surrounding Adirondack Mountains, is not only in the center of Vermont’s arts scene, but is also host to SOCAPA (School of Creative and Performing Arts), which runs pre-college summer intensive camps for teens ages fourteen to eighteen.

PROXIMITY MATTERS

Jamie Yerkes, SOCAPA’s founder and executive director, felt Champlain College made the ideal educational partner because of the college’s proximity to other fine and performing arts establishments, like Flynn and the Church Street Marketplace, which is also favorite shooting location for student filmmakers.

Jamie, a native Vermonter, who lives and has raised a family here, says, “Burlington feels safe and manageable, but still exciting and inspiring. Students can live on a college campus, work on serious creative projects, walk downtown, film on Church Street, photograph by the lake, and feel like they are a part of a real community.” According to Jamie, “[The program is] a place where collaboration is built into the structure of the experience.

THE BIG PICTURE

SOCAPA students can choose from among three intensives: Screenwriting, with two- and three-week options; Core Filmmaking, with two- to five-week options; and Advanced Filmmaking, with three- to six-week options.

In each intensive, students focus on storytelling. Each student writes, directs, and edits their own films, crafting the stories they want to tell from start to finish. They learn to capture picture and sound separately, like the pros. They collaborate with SOCAPA’s acting students and crew on one another’s films, gaining experience on set with other filmmakers.

COLLEGIAL COUNTRY FEEDBACK

It is clear while walking through Church Street that the locals have taken to SOCAPA students. Many owners allow filming in and around their shops, and local artists will occasionally provide their own feedback. “It is an ideal place for students to immerse themselves without being overwhelmed. There is space to focus. There is natural beauty. There is a strong sense of community,” says Jamie.

SOCAPA also runs programs in New York and Los Angeles. However, many students and teachers alike prefer Burlington because of the level of interaction with locals. In fact, a major part of the SOCAPA experience for students are the opportunities afforded to them locally, like getting to record music in a professional studio or jumping onto a comedy club stage on open mic night.

Master classes are offered in up-and-coming genres like hip-hop and aerial skills, and an increase in local production companies has been a major boon for film students. Businesses such as LeZot Camera see Burlington as a haven, encouraging other institutions to stick around and new ones to set up shop.

MAKING THE SCENE

Students stay in Champlain College’s Lakeview Residence Hall, a traditional-style dormitory looking out over Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. Students who live locally or who have friends/family to stay with in or around Burlington are welcome to attend the program as day students. Day students commute to campus each day and return home each evening after classes.

 Besides filmmaking, teens can study screenwriting, sound mixing, photography, acting, music, and dance. Classes run from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and night and weekend activities are planned for each group. Movie nights and the final showcase festival are held in Champlain College's 200-seat Alumni Auditorium.

Resident students eat most of their meals in the campus dining hall, but weekly outdoor barbecues and dinners on the town are planned, as well. A variety of extracurricular activities take place in the evenings and on weekends, ranging from the much anticipated “Non-Talent Show” and Karaoke Night to taking in a local show and summer blockbuster movie. Cool-off swims in Lake Champlain, hikes in the beautiful Green Mountains, leisurely strolls downtown, and summer concerts in the park are also on the agenda.

IT’S A WRAP

As for the guiding principal behind SOCAPA, Jamie says, “The next generation of teens needs creative, supportive spaces more than ever. They need places where they can tell stories, work with others, build confidence, and feel that their voices matter.”

SOCAPA at Champlain College

163 South Willard Street

Burlington, VT

www.socapa.org

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOCAPA