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Indus Arts Council will offer Urdu Summer Camp and registration will be available as soon as the dates are released. Summer camp will no longer be offered for free and will incur a fee.


IAC had been offering a FREE Urdu language Camp every year during summer from 2014 – 2019 and 2021. The language camp STARTALK is a project funded by the National Security Agency and administered by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking, and teaching critical-need foreign languages, with programs for students (K-16) and teachers.

IAC proudly and proficiently administers the program in Houston, TX for 3 weeks during the summer month of June or July. Classes are taught by qualified teachers, assisted by TA and administrative staff. K-12 specialist is also present for counseling and smooth running of this camp for 50 students ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Youth learners from Urdu classes and previous attendants of Urdu Language summer camp get an opportunity to use the newly acquired language as volunteers. They assist in various classroom activities and field trips.

Lunch and snacks are served at the camp daily.

Children enrolled in the summer camp participate in a theatrical production in the Urdu language at the end of the program to bring the use of language full circle.

View our Urdu Summer Camp 2019 Album

View our Urdu Summer Camp 2018 Album

Theme-centric Learning: Curriculum

Summer camp curriculum for the k – 8 uses principles of StarTalk and ACTFL to teach foreign languages in the U.S. in a theme-based environment. Our creative themes have ranged from “Meri Kahani – me and my world,” to “My Journal – travel through Pakistan,” and “Pollution – aaloodgi.”

The curriculum incorporates 5 modes of communication as follows:

  1. Interpersonal Communication – communicating on a topic with another person in target language
  2. Interpretive Listening – recognizing words and phrases in an audio, video, or personal communication in target language
  3. Interpretive Reading – recognizing written words and phrases in target language
  4. Presentational Speaking – presenting a topic in target language
  5. Presentational Writing – writing words and phrases in target language

Each class teaches 2 -3 units of learning with assessments at the end of each unit. Students learn the Urdu language as a theme-based journey in a contextual environment.

Registration & Orientation

Registration for the Urdu language Summer camp opens 4 weeks before the camp begins. Only 50 students are accepted on the first-come bases. Others are placed on a waiting list. Wait listed students are informed of their acceptance, the second day of camp, if a registered students does not attend the camp on first day.

Parents must register their students online as soon as the Summer Camp registration opens.

Orientation takes place on the weekend before camp begins. Registered parents are informed via email. Orientation covers all the rules and regulations for drop off and dismissal, camp policies, and field trip information for the parents.

Registered students are evaluated for placement during orientation. Students are placed in one of the 4 groups based on their age and proficiency level. OPI is performed by our qualified teachers while parents learn about the program during orientation.

Contact Us if you have any questions. You can also reach us at:
Shahid Iqbal, Program Director – president@indusartscouncil.org
Talat Awais, Program Manager – talat@indusartscouncil.org