The Confucius Institute in the UB Asian Studies Program (UBCI) will offer a K-12 immersion day camp in Chinese language and culture this summer, as well as an immersion experience in China for high school students.

The Experience China Summer Camp is a two-week day camp for K-12 students that will be offered in three Western New York school districts and one private school in July at a cost of $420 per student.

The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp for American Students, a two-week program for high school students to experience Chinese language and culture in China, will take place July 9-25. Participants will be responsible for the costs of their airfare (sometimes upwards of $2,000), passport and visa application fees, and travel insurance. Accommodations, meals, domestic travel, sightseeing and fees in China will be covered by Hanban/Confucius Institutes.

Registration for both summer camps is due by April 25.

Hanban is the colloquial name for China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International, headquartered in Beijing. It sponsors hundreds of Confucius Institutes and other programs throughout the world whose aim is to promote Chinese culture and language.

“The goal of the summer day camp,” says Eric Yang, executive director of the UBCI, “is to stimulate student interest in learning about Chinese language and culture. It is offered in partnership with UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, and is designed for K-12 students interested in learning the Chinese language, practicing Chinese art and handicrafts, enjoying music and games, and experiencing Chinese culture and tradition.

“It is a great experience for new learners of Chinese,” he says, “as well as for students who want to continue to broaden their learning over the summer.”

The 2013 Experience China Summer Camps will be offered by the following school districts, specific sites to be announced:

• East Aurora Union Free School District, July 8-19, open to East Aurora students only
• Lewiston-Porter Central School District, July 8-19, open to Lewiston-Porter students only
• Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, July 15-26, open to the public, but girls only
• Depew Union Free School District, July 15-26, open to the public

More camps can be established upon request.

For more information, view the summer camp brochure on the UBCI website, or contact the institute at 645-7919 or by email at ubci@buffalo.edu.

Applications for the high school China Study Tour also are available on the UBCI programs website or by calling 645-6480 or 645-7919.

The study tour brochure is available on the camp website.