As the weather heats up and kids begin packing for summer camp, Bright will be highlighting unique summer learning experiences. We kicked off this series — tagged “BrightSummer” — with a vibrant photoessay about a place where children are encouraged to be themselves.

A Summer Camp for All Genders

By Lindsay Morris in Bright/Medium

At “You Are You,” gender-nonconforming children are able to truly express themselves — and be celebrated by their parents and siblings.

As always, we would love for you to join the conversation. Education needs a diverse slew of new voices, including yours! You’re welcome to build on the conversation by clicking “Write a response” (either on your computer or phone). And if you write about a summer learning experience, don’t forget to tag it with BrightSummer. Here are a few other stories, both from Bright and around the web, that you may enjoy:

Think black boys face a rough road to college? Try being a black girl

By Melinda Anderson in The Hechinger Report

“Black girls are also treated as problem children rather than encouraged to realize their potential, and data bears this out. They are suspended six times more often than white girls, increasing their chances of dropping out.” Who is doing something to fix this problem?

Re: How can the ticket to achieving the American dream cost so much?

By Albert Serna Jr in Substance Magazine

On Wednesday, New York Senator Chuck Schumer took to Medium to announce his new effort to help American students achieve debt-free college. A college student responded, saying in no uncertain terms that “hoping won’t solve the problem. Action needs to be taken immediately, and the problem with student loan debt needs to be handled preemptively.” What do you think needs to happen to eliminate crushing student debt?

Treating Student Teachers Like Doctors-In-Training

By Benet Magnuson in Medium/Bright

A teacher’s college in Kansas gives teachers-to-be the mentorship and skills they need to be successful and prepared when they enter the classroom on their own. Teachers, what have you found to be effective in training you for the classroom? Alternatively, what support do you wish you had?

This 11 Year Old Dropped Out Of School… And Then This Happened

By James Altucher in Medium

This is nuts. Five years ago, an 11-year-old named Mark Messick dropped out of school. He is now making $4,000 a month and has nine books on Amazon. Altucher did a short podcast with him, and is now encouraging people to respond to his post with any questions they may have for Messick.

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Reach out to me on Twitter (@sarika008) with any thoughts or questions! Otherwise, catch you on the Bright side.