A significantly expanded National Summer Camps programme will run at up to 51 locations this year, with organisers expecting about 3 500 campers and introducing stipends for camp leaders alongside strengthened safety measures.
Launching the programme on Tuesday at the Division of Youth Affairs at Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, youth and culture minister Senator Shane Archer said this year’s initiative has been significantly expanded while addressing concerns raised in previous years.
“The camps will start on July 13 and they will run until August 21,” Senator Archer said, adding that directors and assistant directors would now receive stipends after repeated requests over the years.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Youth and Culture, Senator Shane Archer. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt/Barbados TODAY)
“We are reintroducing something that has been asked for… the directors and the assistant directors must have some type of stipend, he said. Provision would be made to assist volunteers with transport to and from campsites, he added.
The camps would be hosted primarily at primary and secondary schools, but community centres and churches have also been added because many schools are currently undergoing renovations:
“We are preparing to operate up to 51 camps across Barbados, and we are expecting around 3 500 campers.”
Senator Archer stressed that the programme goes beyond providing children with a place to spend their summer break.
“This is not simply a programme to occupy young people throughout the summer vacation. We must see this as an investment into our young people.”
Campers will participate in an expanded curriculum featuring financial literacy, emotional regulation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, agriculture, heritage, cultural arts, online safety, health and wellness, sports, and life skills. A new Spanish language immersion component will also be introduced with support from the embassies of Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela.
The programme will also include inter-camp sporting and creative competitions, increased heritage tours, a cultural arts showcase, a “Make a Book” project and a special International Youth Day activity on August 12.
Safety has also been strengthened, Senator Archer said, with more camp personnel, expanded first-aid training, and private security firms engaged to supplement government security.
“Lunch will be provided daily through the Ministry of Educational Transformation school meals programme,” he added, noting that additional distribution centres would be used to improve meal delivery after delays experienced last year.
Registration has already begun:
“We have around 1 800 campers already registered. Registration remains open, but each camp location has a fixed capacity. Parents and guardians are therefore encouraged to register as soon as possible.”
Senior youth commissioner Elizabeth Bowen highlighted three specialised camps, including the YES Camp and Camp Employing Minds, which target young people aged 15 to 17:
“They are the ones which have some targeted age groups. We offer soft skills development and kind of help them to start planning their roadmap, as they transition into early adulthood and start to think about their plans for whether it’s tertiary education or entering into the world of work.
“So I am pleased this year, extremely pleased with the offerings.”
(SB)
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