Camp Exposure returned to Dallas for its fourth annual Educational Football Camp.
As a faith-based organization, Camp Exposure takes a holistic approach to developing Dallas-area high school athletes both personally and professionally in its three-day overnight football camp, held last weekend at Highland Park High School.
The Dallas-based organization partnered with local clothing store Reveal Suits to supply each student-athlete with a custom suit to help them learn how to dress professionally for future campus visits, job interviews, and other scenarios.
Camp Exposure also debuted its Camp Exposure Academy (CEA), a one to three-year mentorship program for high schoolers with monthly sessions geared toward the same personal and professional development goals as the weekend camp.
“For the first time since God gave us the vision for serving these young athletes, we are excited to look beyond the three-day intensive camp to a broader long-term impact on these students by mentoring them during a season of life when they are discovering their identity and making significant decisions,” said Tyler Patmon, Camp Exposure’s president and co-founder, per a press release.
In an email to The Dallas Express, Patmon wrote:
“As this is the first year that we are implementing the Camp Exposure Career Fair for our student-athletes, we recognized the significance of not only preparing them mentally to navigate the professional space but also how to cultivate a professional image. We firmly believe that this experience will be transformative for these young men, as it will allow them to see themselves in a whole new light and realize their full potential.”
Camp Exposure’s other organizers and co-founders — Jeremiah Hatch and Lubbock Smith — said they believe the partnership with Reveal Suits and the new CEA will provide young athletes an opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge needed to succeed in life, both on and off the field.
“Camp Exposure is a testament of when vision meets action,” Smith told The Dallas Express in an emailed statement. “The camp started with a vision that Tyler Patmon had, and Jeremiah Hatch and I were able to help bring it to fruition.”
“Helping young student-athletes reach their full potential on-and-off the field of their sport and encouraging them to live their God-given purpose is a part of our purpose in life,” continued Smith. “And seeing them achieve this makes it all worthwhile.”
Unlike in previous years, 2023’s Educational Football Camp was by invitation only last Friday and Saturday.
“For the first time, student-athletes had to undergo an application and interview process to be selected, and they were required to participate in personal and professional development mentorship sessions prior to the event,” Patmon informed The Dallas Express. “Our commitment to their holistic growth, both on and off the field, has reached new heights, and we are confident that this model will guide us in the years to come.”
For Hatch, the name of the game is ensuring that all student-athletes who participated in the three-day intensive left well-equipped with the proper business know-how, mindset, and attitude needed to be successful after their time on the football field.
“Over the three-day camp, we are able to equip young men with essential knowledge on how to use sports as a vehicle to reach their desired destination, personally and professionally,” Hatch said in an emailed statement to The Dallas Express. “With the transferable skills they receive at the camp centered around our seven pillars, they will be ready to carve their path to success, whether it be as a Real Estate Developer, Banker, or CEO.”
Besides the annual football fun, Camp Exposure had a jam-packed lineup for the three-day event, including a business panel, a financial literacy panel, and workshops on professional development and nutrition.