MIAMI — The Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is inviting girls ages 11 to 16 to register for its GEM (Girls Empowerment and Mentoring) Summer Arts Camp, held at the Women’s Park, 10251 Flagler St., Miami, Monday-Friday, June 18-August 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The cost for the camp is $75/week, plus a one-time annual registration fee of $12 (includes early drop-off at 7:30 a.m. / late pick-up until 6:00 p.m.). Class space is limited. To register call 305-480-1717.

The curriculum for the innovative summer arts camp incorporates the Women’s Park vision of preserving and promoting the contributions of women to the Miami-Dade community and the arts.

Classes and workshops for the 2012 GEM Summer Arts Camp include: Dance (modern jazz, lyrical, ballroom, and Afro-Cuban); Theater (improvisation, public speaking and acting); Music (instrumental and chorus); Visual Arts (painting, arts and crafts, fashion design, and textile arts); Literary Arts; and Women’s Studies.

During the nine-week summer program campers will receive guidance and access to resources, as well as social and emotional support from GEM partnering mentors, which include professional women representatives from the Miami-Dade County School Board; Miami-Dade College Inter-American Campus; Barry University; and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Participants will receive professional mentoring and learn leadership skills to help them achieve their personal best. Field trips to local museums, cultural events and arts festivals are included.

“The transition from being a young girl to becoming a young woman in today’s world can be very challenging,” said Vivian Greer-Digon, GEM coordinator and manager. “Miami-Dade Parks’ GEM draws upon the Arts as a tool for developing creativity and self-expression, encouraging girls to realize their potential and take steps toward achieving their dreams.”