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| Acting Minister of Family, Patrick Todd, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Irvine Best, with campers at Westbury Primary School. (C.Pitt/BGIS)?? |
Corporate Barbados has been called on to assist Government in the provision of materials for craft and art for next year’s National Summer Camp Programme.
While touring camps at Westbury, Wesley Hall and St. Mary’s Primary schools earlier today, acting Minister of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth, Patrick Todd, urged the business community to make a contribution to the camps.
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| Acting Minister of Family, Patrick Todd, placing a crown made by the campers on the head of "princess" Shirkeria Alleyne, while others including Assistant Director, Gina Lovell (blue shirt)??and Director, Marva Lovell, look on. (C.Pitt/BGIS)?? |
"The more materials the campers have access to mean the more work they can produce and we should not leave it all to … the state, but we can work with service groups and the private sector can partner with Government to ensure the needs of the camps are fully met. If we invest in them [campers] now at this impressionable stage, then we are guaranteeing that these young people develop as functional and productive law-abiding adults," he told the media.
Mr. Todd argued that some of the profits which those businesses had enjoyed as a result of the patronage of the parents and guardians of these young people should be ploughed back into this society.
The Minister noted that Government had invested heavily in this country’s youth and stressed that any money spent in ensuring that "their wellbeing is looked after, is money well spent".
He continued: "This camp programme has grown from strength to strength… Out of this programme, we can be assured that the children will be … energised, having enjoyed their experiences of summer, to do even better … academically next school year."
He commended the camp assistants for their dedicated service in ensuring that the children learnt very important life skills. He described the counsellors as being "well trained, qualified and experienced", pointing out that many of them were parents and outstanding Barbadians who shared their skills "in an environment of safety and security where the children are properly supervised".
Mr. Todd added that the children were receiving nutritious meals under the advice of the National Nutrition Centre of the Ministry of Health. "We are ensuring that the children get a well-balanced meal, even fruits wherever possible, and this would ensure that the concept of the National School Meals Service is extended during the summer vacation," he stressed.
Over 10,000 children have been attending the 69 camps which were held under Government’s Summer Camp Programme.?? The programme ends this Friday, August 17.